What is most clear from the 1st half of the book, is that George Lucas was utterly unlike most kids, and most people, and completely rebelled at normality, because he was stuck in fantasy, sci fi, and was lucky enough to have rich parents who didn't beat it out of him, and instead, paid his way into college even though his school average grade was between an F and a D. Also, they drop more than a million hints that George is on the spectrum
above, he rebelled at his dad's insistence that he mow the lawn with some really old heavy lawnmower, he spent his own money and bought a new light weight push mower. That's a rich kid by the way
I never learned until now that he had an Autobianchi Bianchina... in Modesto. How the hell does that happen?
This is a 1960 Bianchina, so you know what 18 year old George Lucas was driving... a new car, maybe 2 or 3 years old. Like I said, rich kid.
Surprised me to find I'd posted about this https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2015/12/in-1962-18-year-old-boy-named-george.html
I posted about this, Peter Brock was a driver at Willow Springs https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/10/what-to-george-lucas-and-peter-brock.html
I never heard that James Cameron was a truck driver!
Dropped out of high school, went to different high school, and graduated. Went to community college, dropped out.
He was a truck driver in the 1970s and he quit after being inspired by Star Wars in 1977 to pursue a career in filmmaking.
He'd volunteer for long haul in order to sleep over in towns. He'd make sure he was in a town with a university and take out dissertations of film students and study them over his down-time.
While working as a truck driver, he taught himself about filmmaking by photocopying technical texts at the USC library, and this self-taught knowledge eventually led to his first film job with Roger Corman on Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
Now, the trucking scenes in Terminator movies have a connection
And it was by chance that Star Wars was even played at Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, they had planned to play "Sorceror" whatever that movie was... but they used Star Wars as a back up, and it broke all records
This book also make is clear that Fox was utterly at a loss as to how to make money, it was run by a lot of morons, who had nearly bankrupted it with garbage in the 60s, after the glory days of cheap money making movies in the 40s and 50s, and Fox screwed up over and over, and Star Wars was the biggest money maker movie of all time, and this book shows page after page of how Fox execs couldn't commit to signing a contract.
When they did, it was an iron clad perfect contract for Lucas, and Fox went on to screw up Firefly 3 decades later. Tye simply never learned. Get out of the way of creative geniuses.
Other interesting things...
He was later drafted by the United States Army for military service in Viet Nam, but he was exempted from service after medical tests showed he has diabetes, and was immediately exempted, of course.
Darth Vader was inspired by Dr Doom, and Star Wars was inspired by Flash Gordon
...Fox went on to screw up Firefly 3 decades later
ReplyDeleteIt still hurts man, it still hurts. :(
and it's been 20 years since Firefly came and went. I can't believe how time flies... thanks for commiserating with me. It's very cool to know I can come here and be among my people!
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