Handbills, or flyers, were often given away at local businesses, college campuses, and theaters themselves to ramp up excitement for movies either coming soon or already playing. For Star Wars, three different handbills were printed -- one that simply said "Star Wars", another with the "A long time ago..." slogan, and finally a third with the word-intensive "An Entertainment Odyssey to the Edge of your Imagination and Beyond. Far Beyond."
While admission tickets to see Star Wars were probably the first tangibles most moviegoers received from their theatrical experience of the film, few, it seems, were actually saved. Of course, most theater tickets back in 1977 were generic, with no venue or film information printed on the stub -- as a result, fans and collectors saw little reason to keep them. Some big city theaters and benefit organizations managed to print up nicer tickets with the Star Wars title on them, giving some examples (such as cast and crew screenings) an enhanced appeal among collectors.
While today's theaters will often display movie graphics in the form of a one-sheet (27"x40") poster or larger banner, back in the '70s and early '80s there were several formats theater managers could choose from. Star Wars posters could be displayed in the classic one-sheet size (actually 41" tall back then), or insert (14"x36"), half-sheet (22"x28"), 30"x40", or two-sheet (40"x60") sizes. The two-sheet was also available printed on thick cardstock with an easel, called a standee.
Poster artwork itself was different in 1977. While most of today's posters are photo-montages composed in the computer with several hands in the design, most posters 30 years ago were beautifully illustrated, with much of the composition left up to a single artist. Star Wars and its various re-releases represented the best of this tradition, with posters such as Tom Jung's classic Style "A" one-sheet (and re-styled half-sheet) and the retro-inspired White/Struzan "Circus Poster" of 1978.
Though not illustrated, the silver mylar "Coming to Your Galaxy this Summer" advance and "Happy Birthday" anniversary posters were also stunners, and have taken on mythic status among collectors. (Collectors note: The famous Style "C" artwork one-sheet by Tom Chantrell was actually distributed exclusively to international venues, although a few "mystery" domestic issues have recently surfaced).
As an interesting side note, many theaters early on were using the commercial Hildebrandt poster printed by licensee Factors Etc. in their lobbies, since distribution of the famous Tom Jung one-sheet bearing similar artwork was allegedly slow to reach them.
Theatrical BannerMost fans who caught Star Wars in its original theatrical run probably don't remember seeing a large nine-foot silk-screened banner draped from the lobby ceiling, since few were ever distributed. Little documentation exists to reveal the exact numbers produced for the infamous, cartoon-like nylon banner with gold fringe, but their scarcity make them hotly sought-after among today's collectors.
