Star Wars directed by George Lucas and starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness with James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader. The ubiquitous high end special effects made this mediocre space opera the highest grossing film to date. The film also created a cast of characters that became part of our common culture: Luke Skywaker, Hans Solo, Darth Vader, R2D2, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi and The Force. Star Wars at Wiki.
Close Encounters Landing
Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Written and directed by Steven Spielberg is the story of how a UFO with Aliens (third kind) changes a father to ultimately abandon his family to board a space ship to see the universe. It stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban and Cary Guffey. Close Encounters was as over budget and hard to make as Spielberg's mega hit from the year before, Jaws.
Saturday Night Fever - Directed by John Badham and creating a mega star out of John Travolta who had played Vinnie Barbarino in the TV series Welcome Back Kotter. The film is a coming of age story about a troubled teen finding solace in flashy clothes and flashy dancing. The movie popularized music with the pre marketing of the Bee Gees sound track by the same name. It also, God Forbid, popularized the leisure suit. Also starring Karen Lynn Gorney as Travolta's dance partner and girlfriend. Saturday Night Fever at Wiki
New Movies 1977
ABBA: The Movie
High Anxiety
Airport '77
The Amazing Spiderman
Audrey Rose
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
A Bridge Too Far
The Choirboys
Citizen's Band
Demon Seed
The Duellists
Equus
Eraserhead
Exorcist II: The Heretic
Fun with Dick and Jane
Grand Theft Auto
The Greatest
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
The Hobbit
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
The Island of Dr. Moreau
The Late Show
Looking for Mr. Goodbar,
MacArthur
The Man Who Loved Women
Mohammad, Messenger of God
New York, New York
Orca
Pete's Dragon
The Rescuers
Semi-Tough
The Spy Who Loved Me'
Slap Shot
3 Women
The Turning Point
Walking Tall: The Final Chapter
The Hills Have Eyes
Wizards
B Movies 1977
Rex Kramer Danger Seeker
Kentucky Fried Movie - Directed by John Landis and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker this compilation of sketches was controversial and popular. The writing team went on to give us Airplane!, Police Squad!, and the Naked Gun films. Kentucky Fried Movie at wiki.
Entertainment News 1977
After a ten year lull in animated feature length movies (since The Jungle Book in 1967) Walt Disney Productions enjoyed two successes 1977 which they were not to enjoy again until 1989 with The Little Mermaid. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh consisted of three animated shorts from the late 1960's which held onto the innocent humor of A.A. Milne with Heffalumps and Woozles and the original illustrations by Ernest Shepard. The Rescuers was also a hit 4 years in the making. Winnie the Pooh at Wiki
Winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the Lillian Hellman story, Julia, actress Vanessa Redgrave called the Jewish Defense League who were outside the building burning her in effigy for narrating a pro Palestinian documentary earlier in the year. Also starring Jane Fonda and Meryl Streep. No matter the JDL and it's leader Meir Kahane were indeed violent right-wing extremists in need of a kick in the pants, it is considered bad from to single out Jews for attack at the Oscars. More on the Redgrave Oscar speech controversy
Vanessa Redgrave Oscar Controversy
Academy Awards 1977
Picture: "ANNIE HALL", "The Goodbye Girl", "Julia", "Star Wars", "The Turning Point"
Actress: DIANE KEATON in "Annie Hall", Anne Bancroft in "The Turning Point", Jane Fonda in "Julia", Shirley MacLaine in "The Turning Point", Marsha Mason in "The Goodbye Girl"
Annie Hall and the Lobsters
Annie Hall - Directed by Woody Allen this romantic comedy was a turning point for the director from his previous slapstick hilarity to a more serious form of relationship hilarity. Not only is it Allen's most successful film but it received an Oscar for Best Picture and Best Actress went to Diane Keaton. It also starred Woody Allen, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon and Shelley Duvall. Annie Hall at filmsite.
Actor: RICHARD DREYFUSS in "The Goodbye Girl", Woody Allen in "Annie Hall", Richard Burton in "Equus", Marcello Mastroianni in "A Special Day", John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever"
Supporting Actor: JASON ROBARDS in "Julia", Mikhail Baryshnikov in "The Turning Point", Peter Firth in "Equus", Alec Guinness in "Star Wars", Maximilian Schell in "Julia"
Supporting Actress: VANESSA REDGRAVE in "Julia", Leslie Browne in "The Turning Point", Quinn Cummings in "The Goodbye Girl", Melinda Dillon in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", Tuesday Weld in "Looking for Mr. Goodbar"
Director:
WOODY ALLEN for "Annie Hall", George Lucas for "Star Wars", Herbert Ross for "The Turning Point", Steven Spielberg for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", Fred Zinnemann for "Julia"
Top Box Office 1977
Smokey and the Bandit - Written and directed by Hal Needham this countrified car chase movie was the second best grossing film of the year beat only by Star Wars. It starred Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry. It produced two successful sequel and a television show. Smokey And the Bandit most popular car movie of all time.
The Goodbye Girl - Directed by Herbert Ross this Neil Simon romantic comedy concerning a struggling actor and a neighbor with a teenage daughter. It becomes a vehicle for Richard Dreyfuss to do some great acting. Also starring Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings and Paul Benedict. The Goodbye Girl
1. Star Wars
2. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
3. The Rescuers
4. Saturday Night Fever
5. The Goodbye Girl
6. Oh, God!
7. The Deep
8. Smokey and the Bandit
9. The Spy Who Loved Me
10. Semi-Tough
Star Wars
Close Encounters of the Third Kind -
Saturday Night Fever -
Winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the 
Annie Hall -
