The Empire Strikes Cleveland
JD who sent in that great Spider-Man picture from last week also sent this awesome Darth Vader appearance from 1980 at the Parmatown Mall, also in the Cleveland area. The store was either Higbees or May Company, he can’t remember. Just in case you don’t see it, there is something that sets this apart from other mall shots:
Sweet mint in package Kenner Star Wars goodness! mmmmm hmmmmmm! Is that a boxed 12″ Obi Wan or Jawa beside the Vader?
Send us your Mall Appearance photos! You will be our hero!
After getting drunk at the Flats one night, I had to cut open my Tauntaun and sleep inside of it until I was sober.
Seeing Star Wars characters back then was the best. It was around 1980 that I saw them at my Hy-Vee Grocery store. They had some pretty authentic costumes too. C-3PO and a remote full size R2-D2 were by the front door. Chewbacca was in the Produce section. (I was kind of scared at his size and all the hair) And Darth Vader was in the cereal aisle. My mom grabbed a cereal box so Vader could sign his autograph for me. Could have been a local drunk for all I know…
Then I saw this other kid try and sidle up to Vader to push some of his belt buttons. I actually moved over and stopped him, and whispered, “Don’t do that! If he catches you, he’ll choke you to death!” His eyes got wide and he slinked away. My mom just smiled as we went from aisle to aisle, and I told her over and over how I SAVED this kid’s life.
When my family and I went to see EMPIRE, there were also folks dressed up in character, running around the theater lobby pretending to shoot at one another. But then my mom stopped “Han Solo” and, get this, asked him where the restrooms were. I was *mortified* I tell you, mortified.
As for the buttons on Darth Vader, I’ll never forget a fellow second-grader in ’77 who claimed he’d seen STAR WARS when no one else we knew had. I asked him what it was about and he said, “They run around the Death Star trying to turn off Darth Vader.” To this day that brings a huge smile to my face.
Haha! Good story will!