AFI Tribute to George Lucas 2005

Ladies and gentlemen - Mark Hamill!

[applause]

Thank you.

Well, tonight we honor a true visionary. A writer and director whose cinematic legacy has enriched and inspired us all. And for someone who has changed the world of entertainment so irrevocably it's heartening to see how you've remained so much the same. You know, the first time we met, George, you were wearing a plaid shirt, blue levi's and a pair of tennis shoes, which I suspect you're probably wearing tonight underneath that rented tuxedo.

[audience laughs][Mark chuckles]

Well, it's an honor to be a member of the Lucasfilm family and I want to thank you for making me a part of film history; not to mention a PEZ dispenser [audience laughs], an electric tooth brush [audience laughs] and a pair of underoos.



[audience laughs and applauds]

But, most importantly, thanks for showing us, and I mean this so sincerely, that artistic and commercial success and personal integrity need not be mutually exclusive and indeed, as you've demonstrated, can easily go hand in hand.

And finally I'd like to rewrite a note of encouragement that you sent me after reading one of the first things I wrote that was published. The note was as straightforward, direct and economical as you always are. It read in what I consider a kind of George Lucas haiku:

Dear Mark,
Nice job!
Love, George

[audience laughs]

I hereby reciprocate that sentiment with a slight tweaking of the adjective.

Dear George,
Superb Job!
Love, Mark

[audience applauds]
[Mark shakes 3PO's hand, bends to speak to R2 and leaves]

[Movie sequence of Luke, Leia and Han at the end of ANH]
[Movie sequence blends out]
[Mark, Carrie and Harrison together on stage]



[George initiates a standing ovation]