This page uses content from the Gary Kurtz biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Gary Kurtz (born July 27 1940 in Los Angeles, California) was the producer on Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. Many assert his absence led to the alleged decline in subsequent Star Wars movies.

He went on to produce The Dark Crystal and Return to Oz after departing from Star Wars.

Collaboration with George Lucas

Kurtz claimed that he and George Lucas clashed over how to progress the Star Wars series. Kurtz recalled after Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1980, Lucas became convinced that audiences no longer cared about the story; they were simply there for thrills and entertainment, and he began to deviate from the original nine-episode bible starting with Return of the Jedi, at which point Kurtz quit the series. In interviews Kurtz has expressed his dissatisfaction with Episodes VI and I.

Kurtz and Lucas also collaborated on American Graffiti.

External links

• Article on Kurtz's selling of Star Wars props
• Extensive inteview with Kurtz on his career

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