Howard (aka Howard The Duck)

George Lucas' awful disaster of a film (apart from Star Wars I to III). It bombed in the US, so they removed 'The Duck' from the title and the actual image of the duck from the poster in the hope that might help. It didn't.

cut from the Sun Newspaper Dec 1986

Star Wars At The Drive In

An incredible two years after it started, Star Wars was still showing in Australian cinemas and drive-ins in 1979.

May 10 1979

On the back of the clipping: Dimboola, a rather over hyped Australian film.

Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack

After the success of the movie version of Battlestar Galactica the producers promptly shoved a few more TV episodes together and released them theatrically as Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack. I loved it. It was far better than many of the b-grade Star Wars rip-offs around at the time.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark

One of the best adventure films ever. Action, adventure, comedy, a really cool flying wing and the best actor from Star Wars.

The Sun newspaper July 1982

 On the back of the clipping:

Return Of The Jedi

I hate to admit it, but Return Of The Jedi just didn't have the same magic of the previous two Star Wars films. I still loved it, but something was missing. Perhaps I'd just outgrown it. Or perhaps it was the Ewoks. Yes, it was the Ewoks.

October 28 1983

The back of the clipping:

The Shape Of Things To Come

This was the crappiest of crappy Star Wars rip offs. Made in Canada (not Italy for once). It was bad, not in a 'so bad its good' way, just plain bad.

August 23 1979

On the back of the clipping:

Battle Beyond The Stars

Another highly enjoyable Star Wars rip off, Battle Beyond The Stars was basically The Magnificent Seven in space. 

Battle Beyond the Stars Dec 25 1980

On the back of the clipping:

The Empire Strikes back

Words can't describe the excitement and anticipation I felt leading up to the release of this. I cut out every article and mention of it in magazines and newspapers. I recorded (on cassettes) every interview and promo piece on TV shows (The Don Lane show in particular) and radio. The movie did not disappoint and in my opinion remains the best of the entire series.

August 9 1980

On the back of the clipping: more fabulously unsubtle Melbourne restaurants.

The Humanoid

Another highly entertaining Italian Star Wars rip off. The byline says "the most imaginative film of its kind since Star Wars" Exactly. Check out the Darth Vader look-a-like on the bottom right of the poster.

The Humanoid Aug 23 1979

On the back of the clipping:

Star Trek The Motion Picture

After Star Wars this film was the biggest movie event of the 1970s for me. What a mind blowing trip it was with stunning special effects and a majestic soundtrack. Pity about the plodding story, but back then it didn't bother me.

Star Trek The Motion Picture December 20 1979

On the back of the clipping: an eclectic collection of films on offer in December 1979

Buck Rogers In The 25th Century

This poster promised more than the film (basically some TV episodes edited together) could deliver but I still enjoyed it. It was from the production team behind Battlestar Galactica and the sound effects, music and special effects were embarrassingly similar.

The Herald Aug 8 1979

On the back of the clipping:

2001: A Space Odyssey

The ad trumpets "Before Star Wars there was and there will always be 2001: A Space Odyssey." It didn't really need to say that - there was always an audience for 2001. But for a brief period in the post-Star Wars world everything in science fiction had to have a link to that most successful film.

26 August 1978, The Melbourne Herald newspaper.

On the back of the clipping: who remembers the Swagman restaurant with "the floorshow we are  famous for"

Starship Invasions

Starship Invasions was another film considered to be a Star Wars rip-off, although it was probably more of a Close Encounters rip-off and actually had more in common with an Ed Wood film. I never saw it at the time - my mother wouldn't let me. She said it was a Star Wars rip off and I'd be wasting my money. Smart mum.

April 26 1979

On the back is a bunch of 1970s restaurants with bad names. I can die happy knowing there was a restaurant in this world called "Amorous Prawn"

Battlestar Galactica

Every mega-successful Hollywood blockbuster is inevitably followed by a flood of knock offs and Star Wars was no exception. It started with Battlestar Galactica. I was lucky to see the movie version and I loved it every minute of it. I didn't know or care that it was in reality a few TV episodes thrown together to exploit a crazed market eager to throw its cash at anything that even vaguely resembled Star Wars. And it was in "Cine-Fi" sound.

From The Herald, May 24 1979

On the back of the clipping - Marcia, Grease and the Shaft 'Sinema.' Yep, it's the 1970s alright.

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

Arguably the second biggest sci-fi movie event of the 1970s after Star Wars was Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It didn't reach Australia until four months after its USA debut, but like many blockbusters of the 1970s it stayed in cinemas for up to a year or more.

From The Herald 18 Jan 1979 

On the back of the clipping you can choose between the oddly named (for a restaurant) Tramps or use the courtesy coach (!) to go to La Cocotte, Elgin St Carlton where you can enjoy a 3 course lunch for $6.50. Fetch the coach, Jeeves!

Star Wars

My newspaper movie clipping collection began with Star Wars back in 1977. Actually this one is from 1978 (imagine a film lasting that long at the cinema these days!) as my original October 1977 Sun newspaper clipping disappeared at some point over the years.

From The Herald (Melbourne, Australia) September 1978

This is the back of the clipping. Note the ad for the very crappy 1970

version of Spiderman and the fun mix of ads for family entertainment and exotic dancers.