Back in 1982 you had to have some real skill to get behind-the-scenes photos from some of the highest-profile movies. Not only did you need to know someone with details of where filming was going on, but you also had to get to the place and lug around your camera to take some tasty snapshots. That's exactly what Mike Davis did for a movie being filmed under the title Blue Harvest: Horror Beyond Imagination, which you might know better as Return of the Jedi.



The photos Davis snapped, which are on display at The Prop Store, are all from the Tatooine scenes aboard Jabba's barge leading to the epic battle above the Sarlaac pit. At the time, the amateur photog and his pals had no idea what the story of the sequel would be, so they took notes and wrote down bits of dialog they heard, trying to piece the whole thing together. They even got to see something Star Wars fans had been waiting for since the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special: Boba Fett using his jet pack!

These looks behind the scenes not only show how massive the shoot was but also reveal some of the elements of production you might not have seen otherwise. Where else can you glimpse a shirtless Kenny Baker, or Carrie Fisher hanging out with Mark Hamill's stunt double and some crew people? The real question here is who got to take the skiff home. That would make one heck of a backyard conversation piece!