Special Olympics ESB Premier Goodie Bag: On May 17, 1980, The Empire Strikes Back opened with a premiere for the Benefit of Special Olympics. For the hundreds of children from the Washington DC area who were invited to this event, a special "goodie" bag was prepared for them as a keepsake. Included in the bag was the ESB novelization, the Marvel Comics novelization, a notepad, two buttons, and the gem of the bunch, an early mail-away Bossk figure in a white carton.

What may also have been included but is not present in the photo is the cassette soundtrack to ESB (RSO Records was mentioned as a contributor to this promotion on the reverse of the announcement flyer). Several Star Wars celebrities were on hand to sign autographs, and the attendees were allowed to keep the attractive silver ticket stubs that got them in the door. Pretty nice booty for the already lucky individual who got to see Empire four days before it's general release.

Description: Pete Vilmur
Photo: Pete Vilmur
From the collection of Pete Vilmur