George Lucas gave Mel Brooks his blessing to release his 'Star Wars' parody 'Spaceballs,' though he had one condition: 'Spaceballs' could not sell merchandise.

An original review of the 1987 parody 'Spaceballs'

On June 24, 1987, Mel Brooks launched "Spaceballs" in theaters—a comedy starring Bill Pullman, John Candy, and Rick Moranis that spoofed the "Star Wars" trilogy and sci-fi tropes in general. The movie has remained a cult classic ever since. Read the Hollywood Reporter's original review of the film here.

'American Graffiti' gave George Lucas the credibility to have 'Star Wars' produced

The idea for "Star Wars" was initially rejected by studios. It wasn't until "American Graffiti," Lucas' 1973 nostalgic comedy, became an unexpected hit that anyone was willing to produce what Lucas called his "space film."

Lucasfilm discouraged fan fiction that sexualized its characters

The self-published fan fiction zines of the '60s, '70s, and '80s were obscure enough that they rarely attracted the attention of the copyright holders of their source material. But Lucasfilm, the production company behind the "Star Wars" films, threatened legal action against fans who published X-rated stories and "homosexual expressions of love" featuring its characters.

How 'Star Wars' turned toys into collectibles

George Lucas licensed the "Star Wars" franchise to Kenner Products, which created small figurines that became wildly popular. By the 1977 Christmas season, they were facing a shortage and sold mail-in rainchecks, effectively allowing customers to purchase figures that weren't yet produced. The strategy worked, portraying the toys as valuable collectibles whose price would appreciate.

The original 'Star Wars' was quietly showcased at Comic‑Con in 1976 to little fanfare

In a bold pre‑release move on July 22, 1976, Lucasfilm set up an eight-foot booth and slideshow at San Diego Comic‑Con, introducing the then‑titled "The Star Wars"—with no premiere buzz, just intrigue among a few hundred early fans.

A deep dive into the long road to making 'Star Wars'

In this podcast, Chris Taylor, author of "How 'Star Wars' Conquered the Universe," details the long road—lined with studio rejections, a dismissive crew, glacially slow special effects, and last-minute edits—George Lucas traveled to see "Star Wars" through to its release.

Check out a list of some of the best Mel Brooks films, from 'The Producers' and 'History of the World' to 'Spaceballs' and 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights.'

Legendary director Brian De Palma hated his first viewing of 'Star Wars'

The "Carrie" and "Mission: Impossible" director was invited by his friend George Lucas to watch an early cut of the first "Star Wars," a draft that lacked many of the special effects that would be added later. De Palma was highly critical, telling Lucas that "The Force" was an awful name for the spiritual power Luke Skywalker eventually comes to embrace.

Watch the 'Star Wars Holiday Special,' a 1978 spin-off that became a cult classic

The CBS television special is a hokey variety show that was widely panned after it aired and, as a result, was never officially released on home video. George Lucas had little involvement, though it did feature the original cast alongside guest stars like Bea Arthur. Interestingly, it also features Boba Fett's first appearance.

A novelization of 'Star Wars' preceded the movie–and was a massive success

The book "Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker" was released in November 1976, six months before the film it was based on hit theaters. By February, the novel had sold out of its initial print run of 125,000 copies and would quickly sell over 3.5 million copies.

'The Empire Strikes Back' was influenced by 'Apocalypse Now,' a movie George Lucas was originally supposed to direct

Lucas provided the name for the gritty movie about the Vietnam War (and was supposed to direct it before it was taken on by his friend, Francis Ford Coppola), but the 1980 installment in the "Star Wars" saga features several parallels to "Apocalypse Now," including the dark, mysterious setting and aerial fight scenes.

Mel Brooks served as an uncredited producer on David Lynch's film 'The Elephant Man' because he didn't want people to assume it was a lighthearted comedy.

Listen to the 'Star Wars' disco album

The 1977 film inspired disco producer Meco to record danceable covers of sections of John Williams' score. The lead single from "Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk" eventually topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two consecutive weeks.

The 'Star Wars' series begins where George Lucas believed the story was most accessible

The director originally conceived 'Star Wars' as a single long story, but recognized it was far too big for a single movie, so he split each act into its own film. He began with the fourth act, which would later be renamed "A New Hope."

Jim Henson's 1986 film 'Labyrinth,' an attempt to break out of children's entertainment, was initially a commercial failure in the US, though it slowly gained an audience that now considers it a cult classic.

How 'Star Wars' changed science fiction

The popularity of "Star Wars" shifted the market away from the more literary, and sometimes cynical, science fiction of the 1960s and '70s. In the wake of George Lucas' space opera, publishers and studios wanted similarly optimistic adventure stories. In time, though, writers like William Gibson would react against that and, in turn, create the "cyber punk" subgenre.

The Beatles tried to get the rights to make a 'Lord of the Rings' film starring the band members as Gollum, Frodo, Gandalf, and Samwise.

See the early concept art for 'Star Wars'

George Lucas asked artist Ralph McQuarrie to create reference images to help prospective producers understand his vision for the "Star Wars" universe, and drafted early versions of Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and other characters. You can check out a gallery featuring dozens of the images below.

The numbers behind the 'Star Wars' franchise

The "Star Wars" movies include some of the biggest blockbusters in Hollywood history, with the original film, 1977's "A New Hope," earning a 2,400% profit. Only one of the franchise's movies (2018's "Solo") has lost money at the box office.

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas are noted fans of Norman Rockwell

The famous film directors are admirers and collectors of the American painter. Lucas, in particular, relates to Rockwell’s process, which resembles casting for a film. In 2010, the Smithsonian American Art Museum introduced a Rockwell exhibit showcasing works from Lucas’ and Spielberg’s private collections. This video from that exhibit features both directors talking about how and why they became interested in acquiring Rockwell’s work.

Why mythologist Joseph Campbell loved 'Star Wars'

Joseph Campbell, the literature professor who wrote about the power of mythology, suggested that "Star Wars" was a powerful modern myth that used classic archetypes to communicate a universal message.

Mel Brooks wanted Richard Pryor, then a relatively fresh stand-up comic, to star in 1974's 'Blazing Saddles,' but Warner Bros worried that he was not reliable enough for a leading role.

'SNL' spinoffs have had mixed success

As “SNL” became more popular, Lorne Michaels sensed an opportunity to turn some of the show’s most popular sketches and characters into feature films. It’s a strategy that had mixed results: “Wayne’s World” and “The Blues Brothers” are modern classics, while others, like “It’s Pat” and “The Ladies Man,” performed poorly with audiences and critics alike.

Mel Brooks got his first big break in 1950 as a writer on Sid Caesar's 'Your Show of Shows,' a pioneering TV variety show.

Disney initially pushed Pixar to make 'Toy Story' an edgy comedy that could appeal to adults.

Lorne Michaels jokingly offered the Beatles $3K to reunite on 'Saturday Night Live,' which John Lennon and Paul McCartney briefly considered.

The cartoonist behind 'Calvin and Hobbes' refused to license his characters, leading bootleggers to create and sell their own merchandise.

'The Big Lebowski' slowly spawned a cult following—and a religion

When it was released in 1998, the Coen brothers' film didn't garner overwhelming critical praise or generate impressive ticket sales. Over time, though, it's become one of the defining cult movies, with midnight showings where audience members dress as Jeff Bridges' "Dude" and drink White Russians. It's even spawned its own religion: dudeism.

A bootleg video of a 1966 conversation between Bob Dylan and John Lennon has long been a cryptic text for the artists' superfans.

The studio behind 'Rocky Horror' pulled promotion before its national release

Before its national release in 1975, the studio behind "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" decided the musical movie was too strange, campy, and unwieldy for most audiences and cut its promotional efforts, hoping to minimize its losses. That decision led to the film flopping commercially. It wasn't until a theater began screening the film at midnight that it caught on, attracting a devoted fanbase who attended weekly screenings and dressed as their favorite characters—a tradition that continues to this day.

The Lucasian Chair is among the most prestigious academic positions in science

Once held by icons like Newton, Dirac, and Hawking, the position was founded in 1663. "Star Trek" imagined the Lucasian Chair’s future holder as the android Data, cementing its mythos across scientific and science fiction realms.

Were 'Back to the Future' and 'The Goonies' set on the same day?

Two of the most cherished sci-fi movies of all time came out less than a month apart in 1985. Fans theorize that the pivotal events of lead characters Marty McFly and Michael “Mikey” Walsh both took place on Saturday, Oct. 26, 1985. Dive deeper into the theory about the coincidence between two major cinematic universes.

The original Mickey Mouse's copyright has expired, but Disney still owns the trademark

In 2024, "Steamboat Willie"—the 1928 Walt Disney animation with the first depiction of Mickey Mouse—entered the public domain. While anyone is free to build on the original characters and storyline of "Steamboat Willie," Disney still owns the trademark for Mickey Mouse, so any branding with the character's depiction that appears to be from Disney is off-limits.

Bud Light was created to compete in the lower-calorie light beer market

Arguably sparked by Miller Lite's successful 1975 launch, Anheuser-Busch rolled out Bud Light in 1982. The brand faced controversy in 2023 after a sponsorship deal with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, sparking a Bud Light boycott.

The Beatles sued technology company Apple in 1978 to defend naming rights to their record label, Apple Corps.

Steve Martin and Robin Williams once starred in 'Waiting for Godot'

The duo starred as Vladimir and Estragon, respectively, in a 1988 production of Samuel Beckett's play. Since then, the show has become an opportunity for other famous duos to engage with the theater of the absurd, including Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen (in 2009, and then again from 2013 to 2014) and Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves (from 2025 to 2026). The only complete recording of a Williams and Martin production is available for researchers at The New York Public Library, though you can watch a few scenes below.

Monopoly was based on the satirical Landlord's Game, which criticized the abilities Monopoly rewarded.

Adam Sandler's 'Chanukah Song' remains significant to the holiday

Adam Sandler’s ’90s SNL bit, “The Chanukah Song,” charmed Gentiles and Jews alike with ridiculous rhymes and catchy chords. Author Nathan Rabin says it also served the important purpose of making Jewish kids feel as special as their Christmas-celebrating classmates.

Warner Bros eventually released 'The Black Album' in 1994

After years of relentless bootlegging of the notoriously deleted album, Prince and Warner Bros. finally released the album in 1994—for just two months. As part of a promotional campaign, the record label took out a full-page ad in Billboard announcing that the first 1,000 fans to turn in their bootlegged copies would receive official, legal copies of the album.

A Monthy Python sketch inspired the internet term 'spam'

Although the canned meat product Spam has been around since 1937, it was a 1970 Monty Python comedy sketch—in which a diner is overwhelmed with unwanted Spam—that inspired early internet users to call unsolicited emails "spam."

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles initially loved beer, not pizza

The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles self-published comic book was a parody of other, more popular comic book heroes, and was primarily aimed at adults. In those early issues, the Turtles drank beer. It wasn't until 1987, when the franchise was reworked as a children's cartoon, that they were given the more kid-friendly obsession with pizza.

Who owns outer space?

More and more material ends up in Earth's orbit, posing threats to orbiting space stations and satellites. A 1960s treaty technically made space the common property of humankind, but with increasing chances of conflict in space, things can seem anarchic. This video breaks down the brewing tensions in space.

Overcoming industry skeptics, SpaceX provides low-cost, high-publicity spaceflights

From recovering and reusing rocket components to launching a mannequin and Tesla into orbit to the tune of David Bowie's "Starman," Elon Musk drove public interest and government contracts to his company as he transformed space launches into spectacles.

King was outed as Bachman by a bookstore clerk

King published several books in the 1970s and '80s under the pen name Richard Bachman, a device that allowed him to publish outside the horror genre. Eventually, Bachman was unmasked when a bookshop clerk noticed similarities between the Bachman novel “Thinner” and some of King’s other titles. A 2024 study in the Journal of Computational Literary Studies used quantitative methods to find similarities between works published under Bachman and King, arguing that genuine literary voices are immutable, despite some authors’ efforts.

Dolly Parton produced the original 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' movie

Parton’s Sandollar Entertainment company was responsible for the 1992 film, which eventually led to the television series of the same name—a pop culture sensation that inspired spin-offs and a devoted fanbase. Although Parton was not listed as a producer for the show, some believe showrunner Joss Whedon paid homage to her by making the titular character’s birthday the same as Parton’s.

Most of the ‘Super Mario Bros.’ sequel was borrowed from a preexisting Nintendo game

Nintendo was eager to create a sequel following the success of “Super Mario Bros.,” but the original “Super Mario Bros. 2,” released in Japan, proved too difficult. Crunched for time, the company used the bones of a preexisting game, “Doki Doki Panic,” and inserted elements from Mario’s world for the US release of “Super Mario Bros. 2,” making for a follow-up that was drastically different from its predecessor.

How one trial tested the limits of satirical music

The rapper Afroman, who earned jokey hits in the '90s with songs like "Because I Got High," was taken into court by police officers by police officers in Adams County, Ohio, who alleged that he'd defamed them in his songs. The music in question was recorded after those officers raided his house and satirized the situation, often in graphic terms. The rapper beat the case, but not before his satirical songs were analyzed in court.

A comprehensive history of 'The Simpsons'

This documentary explores the wild trajectory of the show, from Matt Groening's early underground cartoons to its status as a groundbreaking pop culture phenomenon.

Sun Ra, a free jazz legend, claimed he was an angel

Sun Ra is one of jazz's most storied cult acts, with a career that spans multiple decades, dozens of hard-to-find self-released albums, and a sound that challenged even the most adventurous listeners. Ra, born Herman Blount, claimed to be from Saturn and once told an interviewer that "Star Wars" was "very accurate."

The director of 'The Big Short' is still angry about 2008

Adam McKay adapted Michael Lewis's book "The Big Short" into a hit film about how the 2008 housing market crash began. Now, many years later, the two reflect on the film and the events that brought it about.