Star Wars Turns 35 [VIDEO]

It's unbelievable, but on May 25, 1977, the landscape of movie making would change forever.

I love how the trailer mentions, "From George Lucas, the (man) who brought you American Graffiti" was one of the selling points. Hey, anything and everything was done to promote a film that no one knew would become huge and it would leave a permanent mark on pop culture. For Lucas, who directed Star Wars, he was convinced the story would resonate with adults and kids, and all thanks to the diversity of characters and never-before-seen special effects.

Made for $11 million dollars, Star Wars would go on to gross close to $800 million worldwide and was the highest-grossing film ever until Lucas's pal Steven Spielberg released E.T. The Extra Terrestrial six years later. Box office numbers like that were unheard of, and thousands of movie goers would go to see Star Wars multiple times. It was the first true blockbuster.

I wasn't even 2 when the film was initially released, but I distinctly remember seeing it at the old theater where part of the courthouse offices are now in Hartford. I made sure I would never miss any further Star Wars movies, yes, I'm a total nerd!

I bet there's a Star Wars marathon on somewhere this Memorial Day weekend. I'm going to use the force and find it.