Pop quiz: If Star Wars had won the 1977 Best Picture Oscar for which it was nominated, who would have bounded onto the stage to accept the award? Not director George Lucas, but a man four years his senior: independent film producer Gary Kurtz.
Kurtz was also the producer of the next movie in the series, the even more highly-regarded Empire Strikes Back, directed by Irvin Kershner. But Kurtz and Lucas parted ways late into the production of Empire, under circumstances that have been shrouded in mystery — and Kurtz’s role in the foundation of the Star Wars franchise has been debated by fans ever since.
