Hardware Wars (1977)

[Flick James]

Oh man, I just unlocked this memory from childhood. I haven't thought about this for years. Does anybody else remember this super cheesy short film spoof of Star Wars? I remember they even showed it on the popular subscription TV service ONTV back in the day. The spoof featured extensive use of hardware and appliances in place of all the technology in Star Wars. Toasters and steams irons were used for spaceships, vacuum cleaners for droids, cordless drills for blasters, and so on. The escape pod from the beginning of the film was a cassette being ejected form a cassette player. And, the ultimate, the lightsabers were done using flashlights and a fog machine. The funniest punchline was the end credits line "filmed on location in space."

Characters:
  Fluke Starbucker
  Augie "Ben" Doggie
  Chewchilla the Wookie Monster (oddly resembles the Cookie Monster)
  Ham Salad
  4-Q-2 (looks like the Tin Man)
  Arty Deco (a vacuum cleaner)
  Princess Anne Droid (has cinammon rolls on the sides of her head)
  Darph Nader (wears a welder's mask and nobody can understand him when he speaks)

Wow. I love it when a memory like this hits me out of nowhere. Fond memories of this cheesefest. Here's a still.

 

How many of you remember Hardware Wars?

[Flick James]

More stills from this inspired masterpiece:





I can't believe this gem got so buried in my subconscious. How did I forget about Hardware Wars.

[SPazzo]

I wasn't around when it first came out, but I did discover and watch it a couple years ago.  It's a great spoof.  Probably my second favourite Sci-Fi comedy spoofs (beaten only by Spaceballs).  Fun fact:  The narrator was Paul Frees.  He narrated the original Star Wars advanced teaser trailer.


Here's the part one for all of you...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlFOiFLLd0g
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[lester1/2jr]

the kids who lived downstairs from me had one of the early vcr's and had this and wizard of speed and time. I liked it when Princess whatever couldn't understand what fake darth vader was saying.

[Couchtr26]

I remember it but not well.  I saw it recently but I think in '84 was the first time I saw it.  I remembered Ham Salad and all the weird appliance bots.  For a long time, I would ask if anyone remembered Hardware Wars and everyone would give me a dumbstruck look.  I was trying to remember how things developed because my memory was rather hazy on what actually happened.  I did remember it as a Star Wars parody. 

[The Burgomaster]

I remember it . . . ad several other short parodies that came out around the same time.  I believe there was a parody of APOCALYPSE NOW one called "PORK LIPS NOW."  Billy Gray who played Bud in the FATHER KNOWS BEST TV show was in it.  He played the Martin Sheen role.

[Flick James]

There was also a short spoof around that time of the first two Superman movies. The spoof name for General Zod was General Zit.