The Force Still With County Residents

Two decades after its original release, “Star Wars” hit Ventura County on Friday with the force of the planet-shattering Death Star.

Children and adults flocked to local theaters as if drawn by the Force to see the new electronically enhanced first installment of the classic George Lucas trilogy.

By 1 p.m. Friday, the Edwards Cinemas in Camarillo had sold half the tickets for the evening shows. At the Mann Theaters in Thousand Oaks, employees reported brisk sales of tickets and action figures. What’s more, toy stores and specialty shops across the county have enjoyed the spoils of the new Star Wars craze for the past few weeks.

Many theatergoers taking children to see Obi-Wan Kenobi crossing light sabers with Darth Vader on Friday were kids themselves when the film was first released in 1977.

Twenty-year-old Betsy Hann, a kindergarten teacher at The Children’s Place in Camarillo, attended one of the first screenings Friday morning at the Edwards Cinemas with her class of 15 students.

“I remember having the Princess Leia doll and my brother had all the Star Wars toys, so it’s weird that the kids are seeing what I played with,” Hann said.

“We had 15 kids, but we left with 12,” she added. “Three went back on the bus scared.”

Among the students in Hann’s class seeing “Star Wars” in a theater for the first time was 5 1/2-year-old Keith Mutz of Camarillo. Keith left the movie impressed by the ooziness of Jabba the Hutt, who was spoken of, but never seen, in the original version of the film.

“It was cool because that big old frog guy had a big head,” Keith said, wide-eyed. “He was cool!”

“He was real slimy too,” added 5-year-old Caitlyn Burhoe of Camarillo, also a student of Hann’s.

In Thousand Oaks, Kevin Lottering arrived at the 1 p.m. show with his two sons and their two chums in tow.

Lottering was 21 when he first saw “Star Wars” two decades ago in South Africa.

“I think after I saw it, I always wanted to be the hero who gets the girl in the end,” said Lottering. “I think I’m still trying to do that. I know she’s out there.”

But Lottering’s affection for the mythical movie paled in comparison to that of his companions.

“I have all the cassettes,” said an eager Kevin Vrbanac, 10, of Moorpark. “I just wanted to see the special edition for the new parts and the THX sound.”

Swinging his legs in excitement inside the theater was Luke Skywalker look-alike Andrew Adams, 5, resplendent in a white wrap-around jacket, high boots and a blue light saber.

Two seats away sat his sister, Allyson, wearing a flowing white dress. Her wispy hair was upswept into two small buns on either side of her head.

“I’m Printhess Leia,” the 2-year-old announced.

“I think it’s pretty obvious why I’m here,” said Moorpark resident Rebecca Adams with a smile. “My son is a huge ‘Star Wars’ fan, and we had to see it on opening day. We bought our tickets last week.”

Advance ticket sales were popular in Camarillo, as well.

“We’ve already sold advance tickets for tonight and they’re filling half the theater right now,” said Frank Soto, the manager of Edwards Cinemas, as a lunchtime crowd flowed into the theater. “They’ll fill up by tonight--I guarantee you.”

And tickets aren’t the only things selling.

Brandon Kleyla, 13, who was helping work the counter of the Reel Stuff souvenir stand in the Mann Theater lobby Friday afternoon, said sales had been good, especially after each show.

“When they first get their tickets and go in, they’re running to get the best seats,” Brandon said.

Brandon said he has seen three generations of people buying plastic figurines of various “Star Wars” characters, T-shirts and other memorabilia: youngsters who have never seen the film before, adults and adolescents who have never viewed it on a big screen, and the die-hard older fans who want to experience the epic one more time in the theater.

“We have folks who are collectors--teenagers and guys in their 20s and 30s who like this stuff because they remember it,” Brandon said, motioning toward a display of foot-tall plastic figurines of Han Solo, the Emperor and Greedo, the bounty hunter who was quickly dispatched in the cantina during the beginning of “Star Wars.”

Strangely, the most popular figurine with Star Wars fans has been Boba Fett, the mysterious bounty hunter who takes possession of Han Solo, frozen in carbonite, in the original version of “The Empire Strikes Back,” and is later devoured by a giant worm-like creature in “Return of the Jedi.”

“Go figure--he didn’t have a big part,” Brandon said. “But he’s really become a favorite character over the years. I think that’s why they added him to this new version of the first episode.”

Stores that handle Star Wars figures--old and new--are experiencing brisk sales.

“The ‘Star Wars’ fever is just phenomenal,” said 18-year-old Isaac Clocherty, assistant manager of Dream World Comics, in Ventura. “The business just grows steadily. A lot of the old stuff is selling more now,” he said.

Included in the older items in demand is the vinyl cape Jawa, a tiny creature who is little more than a hood and eyes. The newer items attracting attention are the Storm Troopers and the Death Star gunners, Clocherty said.

Those who want a piece of the legend and want to do it on a budget, can head out to Conejo Valley Coin & Stamp, where $10 will buy the official 20th anniversary Star Wars magazine.

Gary Heath says the full-color publication features Darth Vader on the cover and is loaded with behind the scenes information on the making of the “Star Wars” trilogy, as well as collectibles price lists and lists of cast and crew.

But “Star Wars” fun can be had for even less than that, Heath said. For $7, you can get a 60-card starter pack of a “Star Wars” fantasy card game. Add-on sets including “New Hope” and “Hoth” cost $2.25-$2.75 for 15-card, foil packs, he said.

The limited edition add-on packs cost about $3.

“These have been around for a couple of years. It’s not the kind of thing that I’m going to sell 10 boxes in a day. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the demand for them picks up,” said Heath.

Staff writer Kate Folmar contributed to this story.

* OPENING: Across the nation, film attracts enthusiastic fans from an earlier generation. A1