Throughout its existence, the Star Wars franchise has taken many forms, from movies to shows to books to comics and even video games. Many of these have entertained audiences for generations, even some of the lesser-known stories that only hardcore fans remember. However, there is one part of Star Wars history that many have forgotten about. One so obscure that unless you saw it when it aired on television, you might not even have the slightest ounce of familiarity. That being the Donny & Marie ‘Star Wars Musical’.

For those who don’t know, Donny & Marie stared the brother and sister duo of Donny and Marie Osmond of the Osmond family of performers. The show ran from 1976 to 1979 with 78 episodes. It was a variety-hour show that ran for one hour and featured multiple songs, sketches, and guest stars. Each episode would tend to end with a themed musical number, which is what led to this.



In May of 1977, Star Wars exploded onto the big screen and captivated audiences around the world. George Lucas, seeing his chance to continue the saga, was under the impression that if they didn’t put out more Star Wars content, it would fade from the public eye, leading the upcoming sequel to bomb. Hence, he would seek to have the Star Wars brand appear on various different shows hosted by celebrities like Richard Pryor and Bob Hope.

Donny & Marie became one of these shows that Lucas licensed the brand to. Plans were put in place, and it was decided that a Star Wars-themed mini musical would be featured as the ending to their September 23rd, 1977 episode. The episode featured guest appearances from celebrities such as country singer Kris Kristofferson, television actor Redd Foxx, and comedian Paul Lynde.



At the end of the show, it turns into a 10-minute Star Wars-themed musical featuring Donny as Luke and Marie as Leia (ironic considering that Luke and Lea would later be revealed as siblings) trying to find a way off the planet. Redd Foxx would be the Obi-Wan Kenobi of the story with brief narration segments. The duo (alongside C-3PO and R2-D2) encounter Kris Kristofferson, portraying Han Solo, alongside Chewbacca.

Paul Lynde plays an unnamed imperial officer in a way that makes his 1976 Halloween Special look subtle. Lynde is being bossed around by Darth Vader, who is voiced by legendary voice talent and singer Thurl Ravenscroft, as they were unable to get James Earl Jones to reprise his role from the film.



After our heroes are thwarted by the Empire and are surrounded by dancing stormtroopers (all played by Donny and Marie’s real-life siblings The Osmond Brothers), our heroes then outwit the villains by capturing Lynde while Vader escapes, swearing that he will return—the special ends with one last song and dance sequence.

The overall musical, while definitely dated, gives us a time capsule into television in the late 1970s, as it was a very experimental time in entertainment. With fewer options for TV channels, audiences had to put up with some rather strange stuff. Heck, you could argue that it would be easier to sit through the Star Wars Holiday Special over this oddity.



Reflecting on it years later, Donny said that while it was fun to make, he couldn’t understand why George Lucas would allow such a strange interpretation of his characters. This was still 1977, so the overall feel of the franchise was still being established. Things would become more clear when the next film was released in 1980.

If you are the type of Star Wars fan who enjoys everything that the original trilogy has to offer, even the bad stuff, then this little detour in the franchise’s history might be for you.