On this day 41 years ago, Mark Hamill guested on The Muppet Show as Luke Skywalker, joining fellow Star Wars stars Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels and soon-to-be GFFA legend Frank Oz in an episode released 3 months before The Empire Strikes Back arrived in theaters. Essentially a promotional vehicle for the forthcoming film, Hamill wore his Empire outfit while Oz didn’t appear as Yoda in the episode, the character kept a tight secret until the arrival of the film on 21st May.
Kermit has booked Angus McGonagle, an Argyle gargoyle who can gargle Gershwin, when Luke Skywalker, C-3PO and R2-D2 crash through a wall. They have come to the theatre to search for Chewbacca. Kermit is thrilled to have the stars of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) on the show, until he finds out that they will not actually be performing. Luke tries to appease Kermit by bringing in his “cousin”, Mark Hamill, but Mark’s singing and dancing does not impress Kermit, and when Mark and Angus gargle Gershwin together, it leads Kermit to throw him out. The search for Chewbacca sees the Star Wars stars hijack the Swinetrek, so First Mate Piggy substitutes herself for Princess Leia, and the crew find that Chewbacca is imprisoned by Gonzo, who has become “Dearth Nadir”.
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