Details

1983's Classic Creatures:  The Making of Return of the Jedi is in my opinion the most fascinating of the four 'Making Of...' specials.  It doesn't focus on the special effects anymore, since SP FX already did that job.  Hosts Billy Dee Williams is in the Lucasfilm archives, and shows a slew of masks and suits.  His 'co-host' Salacious Crumb steals the show, with his funny growls and laughs.  At the other side of the special is Carrie Fisher, who hosts from the make-up room.  She focuses more on the 'furry' animals, while Billy Dee Williams discusses the 'scary' ones.  Although this special is the most fascinating, From Star Wars To Jedi has the best behind-the-scenes stuff.
I put several parts of the show in Real Audio.  You can download both in a few minutes:
1.  a segment of about 15 minutes long, with commentary of Billy Dee Williams, Carrie Fisher, and Salacious Crumb
2.  A segment about Jabba the Hutt - listen closely, and you'll hear George Lucas compare him to Marlon Brando.  Nowadays, Marlon Brando really looks like Jabba a lot!

More Images

Click on any image you would like to see enlarged.

Two shots from a rare commercial for the program:

Page Credits

Classic Creatures © Lucasfilm Ltd. and ABC 1983
Images captured by:  Mike Streeter
Text, HTML, and content by:  Mike Streeter
copyright © 1998
created in 1998.
updates:
8/12/99 - reformatted for the new layout
8/25/98 - added two shots from the commercial.