For the Family Guy episode of the same name, see Blue Harvest (Family Guy).

Blue Harvest was the title of the fictitious film ruse utilized to ensure secrecy and disguise the actual 1981–1983 production of the third installment of the Star Wars film series, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. The supposed film was alleged to be an upcoming horror film with the tag line "Horror Beyond Imagination." Family Guy is an Emmy award winning American animated television series about a nuclear family in the fictional town of Quahog (IPA or ), Rhode Island. ... “Blue Harvest” is the sixth-season premiere episode of the FOX animated television series Family Guy. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Star Wars is an epic space opera saga and a fictional universe initially developed by George Lucas during the 1970s and expanded since that time. ... Movie poster Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, is a science fiction film that debuted in 1983, and re-released with changes in 1997 and 2004. ... “Horror Movie” redirects here. ...

The title was used in all areas where deemed necessary. The Blue Harvest ruse, credited to producer Howard Kazanjian, was very thorough, emblazoning the fictitious film's logo on a wide range of film production items including shirts, caps, coats, buttons, signs, invoices and stationery. The Blue Harvest facade did give a bit of a wink and nod to its true purpose however, as the supposed film's logo (intentionally or unintentionally) utilized the distinctive Star Wars logo lettering style. Producer Howard Kazanjian with a model of the Super Star Destroyer from Return Of The Jedi © 20th Century Fox Howard G. Kazanjian (born 1942) is an American filmmaker of Armenian descent. ...

In particular the ruse was employed during location filming in Yuma, Arizona. The filming took place in the dunes over the Thanksgiving holiday, where there was a reported crowd of 35,000 dune buggy enthusiasts. Despite erecting a chain link fence, employing a huge security force, and dodging myriad press inquiries, in the end, approximately sixty fans saw through the ruse and refused to leave until they obtained a few autographs and photos. Yuma is a city in and the county seatGR6 of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. ... Dune buggy George W. Bush in a Dune buggy A dune buggy is a recreational vehicle with small wheels, and thin tires, designed for use on water dunes or beaches. ...

The Blue Harvest front was not only used during the principal photography for Return of the Jedi, but was also adopted in other areas such as a retro T-shirt that was made by ILM in the 1990s, a cardboard mailer tube to disguise the shipments of Revenge of the Jedi (the original title for the film) posters, an episode of the 1985-1987 Star Wars animated series Star Wars: Ewoks, and even a popular Star Wars fanzine. The name Blue Harvest is widely known by Star Wars fans today. Industrial Light & Magic original logo, designed by Drew Struzan Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is a motion picture special visual effects company, founded in May 1975 by George Lucas and owned by Lucasfilm Ltd. ... A fanzine (see also: zine) is a nonprofessional publication produced by fans of a particular subject for the pleasure of others who share their interest. ...

"When shooting [Jedi] in the United States we called the film Blue Harvest. Camera slates, invoices, hotel reservations, call sheets, production reports, and crew hats and T-shirts all read Blue Harvest. So when a visitor would ask, 'what are you shooting' and we said Blue Harvest, they went on their way. Can you imagine what would have happened if we had said, 'We're shooting the next film in the Star Wars trilogy'?" —Howard Kazanjian, producer [1]

Whilst filming The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas found that services would increase their charges based on the speculated high budget. The false title prevented this for Jedi. An acrylic glass clapboard with scene details. ... A call sheet is a sheet of paper issued to the cast and crew of a film production informing them where and when they need to appear next for production shooting. ... Producer Howard Kazanjian with a model of the Super Star Destroyer from Return Of The Jedi © 20th Century Fox Howard G. Kazanjian (born 1942) is an American filmmaker of Armenian descent. ... Movie poster Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is the sequel to the first released Star Wars movie, and the second film released in the original trilogy. ...

Even today, the website www.blueharvest.com redirects to www.starwars.com.

Pop Culture references

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• Blue Harvest is also mentioned in the computer game Deus Ex - on Paul's computer in New York there is an e-mail about video rentals, and Blue Harvest is one of the films.
• "Blue Harvest" is also the name of the Family Guy season six premiere, which is in fact a retelling of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope with characters on the show portraying those in the film.
• In "Guild Wars Nightfall "Blue Harvest is a password given to a security guard in the Gandara, The Moon Fortress mission. This is one of several Star Wars references in this mission.
• The Simpsons Movie was given the codename "Yellow Harvest" in reference to the incident.^[1]
• "Blue Harvest" is one of the tracks on Pinback's 2007 album Autumn of the Seraphs.^[2]

Image File history File links Acap. ... This article is about the video game. ... “Blue Harvest” is the sixth-season premiere episode of the FOX animated television series Family Guy. ... Family Guy is an Emmy award winning American animated television series about a nuclear family in the fictional town of Quahog (IPA or ), Rhode Island. ... This movie poster for Star Wars depicts many of the films important elements, such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, X-Wing and Y-Wing fighters Star Wars, retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in 1981 (see note at Title,) is the original (and in chronological... Guild Wars Nightfall is a fantasy Competitive/Co-operative Online RolePlaying Game (CORPG) and the third stand-alone campaign in the Guild Wars computer game series developed by ArenaNet. ... The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons, directed by David Silverman, and scheduled to be released worldwide by July 27, 2007. ... Pinback is an indie rock band from San Diego, California currently signed to Touch and Go Records[1] . The band was formed in 1998 by singers, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Armistead Burwell Smith IV (also known as Zach Smith) and Rob Crow. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Autumn of the Seraphs is the fourth full-length release from the San Diego, California band Pinback. ...

References