In conducting research and interviews for the upcoming Star Wars Poster Book, I've found evidence to suggest that the famous Star Wars Style "A" poster (at right) illustrated by Tom Jung was not actually available for the film's debut on May 25, 1977 (not to be confused with the Hildebrandt Brothers' version, which is similar to, but distinctly different from, this version). I've researched archives and trade magazines at the time, scouring the listings for any sign of the classic poster during the months of May, June, and July of 1977. So far, I've come up with zip.

What I have found, however, is evidence to suggest that only the Teaser "B" poster, the one which carries the title and the "A long time ago..." slogan, was available at the time of the film's release.

Two images from June and July of 1977-- one from a Fox employee newsletter and a second from an issue of Boxoffice magazine--both depict the Teaser "B" "A long time ago..." poster. If Jung's Style "A" was around, wouldn't you think they would be included in Fox photos?

The two images can be found following these links:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/pvilmur/posting/fox1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/pvilmur/posting/fox5.jpg

I'd like to solicit the help of anyone who can provide an image to prove Jung's "A" artwork was in circulation immediately following the film's debut in May of '77, or in the months following. A dated publication would provide the most compelling evidence -- the earliest I've found is from mid-August of that year.

Update:

As an addendum, I'm adding one more image that is the first published evidence of the Style "A" showing in theaters. This comes from a Sept. 19, 1977 issue of Boxoffice magazine. The image was taken in a Canadian theater:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/pvilmur/posting/boxoffice977.jpg

Another update:

Just located a newspaper from July 27, 1977(Desert Sun, Palm Springs) which depicts the Style "A" poster outside a movie theater. This is the earliest photo I've ever seen of the poster.