I was amused by something said by Mel Brooks in the documentary Mel Brooks: Make a Noise.
Brooks claims to have sought George Lucas' blessing before making his legendary Spaceballs.
Lucas, he says, had no problems with the idea of Star Wars being spoofed. But he did issue one warning: stay away from marketing action figures!
According to Brooks, Lucas felt that Spaceballs figures would resemble his characters to such a degree that they would cut into Lucasfilm's merchandizing profits. It's a funny idea, especially when you consider that by the time Spaceballs debuted in theaters (1987), Star Wars was fast disappearing from toy aisles.
Well, if Lucas put the kibosh on Spaceballs action figures, at least we got to see some prop versions in the movie itself. Of course, those figures now reside in Gus' great collection. You can view them on the SWCA here.
Mel Brooks: Make a Noise is available now on Netflix Instant.
Several props from that Spaceballs "moichendizing" scene have turned up (e.g. the plates in the back), but the piece I really want is one of those boxes of Spaceballs The Cereal!
ReplyDeleteI certainly hope we eventually get some sort of officially produced action figures down the line. Maybe one day MGM, current rights holder of Spaceballs (I think), will marry Disney in some business sense to make it feasible.
ReplyDeleteFor now, great showcase of the original props!