Bonnie Burton of Lucasfilm has posted an homage to comedian Harvey Korman, who died this week at 81 years of age:
I can still remember being on the edge of my seat in the movie theater watching Korman as Captain Blythe in Herbie Goes Bananas. Heck, I even liked him during my full-blown Goth days when he played Dr. Jack Seward in Dracula: Dead and Loving It.So it really shouldn't be a surprise when years later, I was brave enough to admit in a crowded Lucasfilm marketing meeting that I was a big fan of the "Star Wars Holiday Special."
I justified my adoration of the hardly-seen TV show by saying that, in addition to Bea Arthur as the Cantina barkeep Ackmena, it was Korman's three bizarre characters that made me want to watch the cult classic over and over again. Korman portrayed the Ackmena-smitten Cantina patron Krelman, the multi-armed Julia Child-in-outer-space Chef Gormaanda, and an Amorphian instructor that practically drives Chewie's son Lumpy to tears.
I was devastated to hear of his passing this week. Not only did an iconic comedian leave our galaxy, but sadly I'll never get the chance to interview him about those roles he played in "The Star Wars Holiday Special." I had so many questions for him!
Link to Bonnie's post on the Official Star Wars Blog. Here's the LA Times obituary for Korman.
