Over the past few decades, fans have fallen in love with even the smallest details of the Star Wars franchise — including one fantastically-dressed crew member. A behind-the-scenes photo from Star Wars: A New Hope has had popularity online for years, which points out that one of the film’s boom mike operators was shirtless and wearing pink short-shorts while filming a scene. The identity of this man – who does not appear in the film’s credits – has remained a mystery for years… until now. ABC News recently tracked down the elusive “Pink Shorts Boom Guy”, a 90-year-old man named Ken Nightingall.
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Next time you watch Star Wars, I need you to remind yourself that all the dialogue you hear was recorded by a man in pink short shorts. from r/pics
“I think it’s very nice,” Nightingall, who currently lives outside of London, said of his newfound fame. “They seem to like it. Good for them.”
Nightingall was one of nearly 100 British crewmembers who worked on A New Hope, and the conditions of the North Africa shoot were reportedly a lot to bear.
“It was very, very hot,” Nightingall revealed. “…I was just doing my job.”
While Nightingall’s wardrobe choice was certainly memorable, he reportedly was initially skeptical about what kind of impact the film would have.
“Most of them working on the movie thought it was the biggest load of crap they’d ever worked on,” Nightingall’s son, Terence, shared. “They weren’t overly impressed.”
Of course, the film went on to be a bonafide blockbuster and multiple Academy Award-winner, including a trophy for Best Sound.
“They went up to Buckingham Palace and had lunch in the garden with the royal family,” Terence Nightingall said. “They all went off dressed in top hat and tails, picked up in a Rolls Royce.”
After A New Hope, Nightingall served as a boom operator on projects such as Lost in Space and A View To Kill. He eventually retired about fifteen years ago. In recent years, his contribution to a galaxy far, far away has earned a whole new generation of fans, including quite a lot of cosplayers.
“We have around 125 members,” cosplayer Marcus Dohring, who started a Facebook group for those wanting to play the character, revealed. “We wanted to make it fun. We don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
