You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

[Lee Stewart]

A bowling pin needs to tilt only 7.5 degrees to fall.

[Lee Stewart]

Mexican jumping beans jump because of a moth larva inside the bean.

[Lee Stewart]

The statue “The Thinker” by Rodin is actually a portrait of the Italian poet Dante.

[Lee Stewart]

X-ray technology has shown that there are 3 different versions of the “Mona Lisa” under the visible one.

[Lee Stewart]

Harrison Ford, despite working with Lucas before in American Graffiti, was never considered for the role of Han Solo. He was hired to read against the actors auditioning for A New Hope, but Lucas was so impressed with his reading, he chose to give him the role.

[Lee Stewart]

Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin) said his costume's boots were too small and uncomfortable, and so he wore a pair of fuzzy slippers in all shots that didn't show his feet.

[Lee Stewart]

Before the film's release, George Lucas showed an early cut of A New Hope to director friends Brian De Palma, John Milius and Steven Spielberg. All of them, including Lucas, felt the film was a disappointment with the exception of Spielberg, who thought it was bound to be a hit.

[Lee Stewart]

The sound of the lightsabers were created by sound designer Ben Burtt by waving the microphone across two humming old movie projectors. He later incorporated the buzzing sound after recording a tube television buzz with a broken tape recorder.

[Lee Stewart]

Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) was never intended to also voice his character until post-production. Originally, 3PO was meant to sound like a "used-car salesman," but Lucas grew to like the "snooty British butler" voice Daniels had created.

[Lee Stewart]

The extremely tall AT-AT Imperial walkers, first seen in the Hoth battle, were inspired by the walking machines described in H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds." The way they walk is based on elephants.