Chewie's howl and the lightsaber hum were created in San Anselmo

In the early 1970s, George Lucas was coming off his first hit movie: American Graffiti. By some accounts, he suddenly had $4 million and spent it on a nice home in San Anselmo.

I don’t necessarily want to publish his address, as he still lives there today, but this article has a nice overview of the property.

It’s what happened in 1976 inside this sprawling Victorian home that I want to focus on. Specifically, the efforts of Ben Burtt in a makeshift sound lab that would go on to create some of the most iconic movie sound effects of all time.

There were some basic computers and synthesizers at the time, however for Star Wars, Burtt wanted an “organic soundtrack” to root the sci-fi effects in real-world recordings.

Here is Ben Burtt talking about Chewbacca’s voice as a combination of bears, walruses, lions, badgers, and other animals (2:39):

Here is Burtt talking about making the humming lightsaber sound out of projector motors and the Doppler effect waving a sound back and forth (3 minute clip in this video):

Those are just two of the many sound effects in the film. Ben Burtt would go on to have an incredible career: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T., and four Academy Awards.

Fun fact: Ben Burtt popularized something called the Wilhelm scream. It can be considered an Easter egg sound effect, that is found across many films. He used it in A New Hope when a Stormtrooper is shot off a ledge. Then in his own cameo as an imperial colonel in Return of the Jedi, he did his own imitation.

We are doing our first Marin Buzz meetup this Wednesday at the Pelican Inn!

They do a Guy Fawkes celebration and bonfire, see our Instagram post about it.

If you want to join, we are carpooling from Tam Junction. Just reply to this email and I’ll send you the details.

If you’d like your pet to be considered for Pet of the Week, please fill this out!

This is a blast from the past: a rustic getaway right in the middle of civilization.

Just past Piper Park in Larkspur, there is a short road that ends in a parking lot. Beyond it is a boardwalk:

From the listing: “Originating in the 1850's, the boardwalk life took off when loggers began anchoring their floating homes in the busy lumber port of Corte Madera Creek. Boardwalks were eventually built to connect the growing community, which at its peak neared 400 homes. In the 1960's, 3 of the 4 boardwalks were removed and only Boardwalk One remains today.”

I’ve shared homes in this stretch before, but this is unique. The 1,060 square foot home dates to 1930!

I love the access to Piper Park and downtown Larkspur, and you can even take your paddleboard across Corte Madera Creek to Gott’s in Bon Air.

Check it out:

Zillow link

Thanks for reading. We will be back with the regular events and activities email Wednesday morning!

— Allison + Brian