1980 "The Empire Strikes Back" Hotline Recordings Discovered *** [RARE] ***

If you're of a certain age, you may recall picking up the phone and dialing 1-800-521-1980 to learn exciting details about an upcoming movie called "The Empire Strikes Back," released on May 21, 1980 (hence the phone number's digits). Have a listen! TOLL-FREE! And, may the Force be with you, always...

youtube.com / Via Colby Widener

As reported in the Spring 1980 issue of Bantha Tracks -- the original Star Wars Fan Club newsletter -- a telephone hotline was set up to allow callers to dial in and hear teasers for "The Empire Strikes Back" several months before the film's release. In the years since the Bantha Tracks story, fans savvy to the existence of the "Empire Hotline" have sought out recordings of the four messages described in the article, which were actually performed exclusively for the hotline by actors Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), and James Earl Jones (voice of Darth Vader).