Star Wars titles evoked 1974 fabric ad in Vogue

Virginia Postrel reports finding this ad in a 1974 issue of Vogue, three years before George Lucas's Star Wars was first released to theaters. Inspiration ... or common descent from a shared ancestor? [Dynamist]

• [Ramone]

  Yeah, probably just a happy coincidence. Lucas has stated for years that the crawl came directly from Flash Gordon serials (much like the overall themes):
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnOL8Fx3Tvc

  I’d be willing to bet that’s also where the Vogue ad got it’s inspiration.

• [nixiebunny]

  Now I’m all thinking about the production methods, both of the Lucas one (original and re-issue) and the Vogue ad.  Clearly, one could tilt the camera that films the rolling credits on the credit-rolling machine, so Flash Gordon is easy to figure out. But that New Hope thing… wasn’t that re-released < 10 years ago? Computers? Did they redo all the credits to make it look consistent?

  • [Tynam]

    It’s really easy to produce that effect by computer.  I did an OK job of it back on a 48k Spectrum, and it’s trivial on any modern machine.

    • [Ramone]

      Not as trivial in the mid 70s:
      http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090820172437/starwars/images/b/bd/SWV_Opening_crawl.jpg

• [jackbird]

  Clearly the product of 19A0s simultaneity. 

• [Lemoutan]

  It’s that Sirius Cybernetics Corp going back in time again to do its copyright violations shenanigans.

  • [Daneel]

    That bunch of mindless jerks will be first against the wall when the revolution comes.

• [awjt]

  My guess is that Lucas DID see this ad, which is why the words “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away” appeared first in blue and NOT as part of the crawl like it does in the ad.  That would have been a direct rip-off of the vogue ad, and they were wise not to copy it.  Instead the crawl looks more like the Flash Gordon crawl, as a prologue to the movie.

  What’s weird is that until I looked it up, I could have SWORN that the words “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” were PART OF THE CRAWL!  So weird, how memory works. 

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_opening_crawl

  • [Lemoutan]

    I suppose I should look it up and at least attempt to discover this for myself but I’m not sure what search term to use, so I’ll be lazy and ask

    - is it Lucas who’d've had to’ve seen the ad, or the Star Wars opening titles artist? Are they, in fact, the same person? Not that it really matters I suppose.

    I still think it’s the Sirius Cybernetics bunch.

    • [awjt]

      True, who knows if Lucas ever saw it.  I attributed too far.  But in any event the net result is that the the crawls are all similar but not the same.

      What I like about the meme is that the text doesn’t just disappear off the screen. You can still read it from the beginning, well into the feed, if you are goofing around, concentrating on your popcorn, etc.

      • [Lemoutan]

        According to the very link you provided, it may even have been Brian de Palma whodunnit.

        … similar but not the same

        Ah, I see you, like Constantius, are of an heretical persuasion.

        • [awjt]

           LOL, wut?

• [10xor01]

  My next tunic is definitely going to be made of Quathra.

• [penguinchris]

  I dread to know just how awful a polyester Quathra must be.

  • [Antinous / Moderator]

    It doesn’t seem to have stood the test of time, based on Google search results.  Qiana‘s still hanging in there, no doubt due to its famous Qiana – Touch Me! campaign.

    Initially intended for high-end fashions, it became a popular material in the 1970s for faux-silk men’s shirts, displaying bold patterns. The shirts were generally cut tight and included wide collars to fit over the collars of the double-knit suit coats which were worn popularly to discos.

    • [penguinchris]

      Ah – I’m certain I’ve handled such shirts, at thrift stores. Just as bad as I thought it might be.