"Star Wars"...NOT Starring Stan Freberg!

Stan Freberg here. Well, "Star Wars" is back on the big screen once again. Technically, George Lucas has outdone himself. However, my voice is not in it. Be right back. [:60 SPOT BREAK] Freberg again. I'm glad to see the great reception being given George Lucas's classic space epic, but I can't think of "Star Wars" without remembering that I was almost in it! Well, my voice almost was. 20 years ago, before "Star Wars" was first released, George Lucas, who was a fan of my "U.S.A." album, asked me to come into a looping soundstage. "I want you to replace the voice of one of the robots," he said. "He's called 'C-3PO'." "Okay," I said, "what's wrong with the voice that's already in there?" Lucas shrugged. He then ran a clip of the two robots talking. Actually, the smaller one, R2D2, just talked in a series of electronic beeps. But the tall one, all gold-plated, was the problem to Lucas. "R2D2, what are you doing? Oh, dear, watch where you're rolling!" Okay. I stood at the mike and tried different voices while Lucas listened in the booth. I finally hit on one he sorta liked, but me and my big mouth, I said, "Look, George, the actor is British. That's just the way they talk over there. You want some advice? Leave it alone. The voice of 'C-3PO' is perfect!" George Lucas DID leave it alone, it WAS perfect, and THAT'S how I aced myself out of "Star Wars"! Stan Freberg here. Copyright ©1997, Stan Freberg/Freberg, Ltd. (but not very) Distributed by Dick Brescia Associates and Radio Spirits, Inc.