Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Stuart's Nite
Special guests: Tess & Fiona!

Via IndianaJones.com:
In May 1977, just after the premiere of George Lucas' Star Wars on a handful of screens around the country, the writer-director felt the need to take a break from Los Angeles and his intense work on the film. He journeyed to Hawaii for a vacation and met up with his longtime friend, director Steven Spielberg, who recalled: "George thought Star Wars would be a monumental disaster."

A week later, as Lucas learned more about the phenomenal success of his film, "George was suddenly laughing again," Spielberg said. And he was ready to begin thinking about new film projects.

As they sat on the beach one day, "Steven was telling me how he really wanted to do a James Bond film, and that he actually went to the people who owned James Bond and asked them if he could direct one ... and they turned him down," Lucas recalled.

"So I said, 'Well, look, Steven, I've got a James Bond film. It's great – it's just like James Bond but even better,'" Lucas said. "I told him the story about this archaeologist and said it was like a Saturday-matinee serial, that he just got into one mess after another. And Steven said, 'Fantastic, let's do this!'"

There was only one hitch: Lucas had named his character after his dog, Indiana. Indiana Smith. Spielberg hated the name, thinking it sounded too hokey. So, Lucas said, "Name him Indiana Jones or whatever you want – it's your movie now."

Just six months after their trip to Hawaii, Lucas and Spielberg officially agreed to collaborate on Raiders of the Lost Ark. Lucas drafted the story of a rogue archaeologist who finds himself up against no less a force than Nazi soldiers in a quest for a sacred artifact. Filmmaker Philip Kaufman, who received a story credit along with Lucas, suggested that the goal of Indy's quest be the legendary lost Ark of the Covenant. Lucas signed on as executive producer, while Spielberg committed to direct the throwback to movie serials of the '30s and '40s. The reason behind their enthusiasm for the film was simple, Lucas said. "We're making it because Steven and I love movies, and this is exactly the kind of movie we'd like to see."