American Graffiti (1973)

A couple of high school grads spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.

Director:

George Lucas

Writers:

George Lucas, Gloria Katz

Stars:

Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Curt
Ron Howard	...	Steve (as Ronny Howard)
Paul Le Mat	...	John
Charles Martin Smith	...	Terry (as Charlie Martin Smith)
Cindy Williams	...	Laurie
Candy Clark	...	Debbie
Mackenzie Phillips	...	Carol
Wolfman Jack	...	Disc Jockey
Bo Hopkins	...	Joe
Manuel Padilla Jr.	...	Carlos
Beau Gentry	...	Ants
Harrison Ford	...	Bob Falfa
Jim Bohan	...	Holstein
Jana Bellan	...	Budda
Deby Celiz	...	Wendy

Storyline

It's the proverbial end of the summer 1962 in a small southern California town. It's the evening before best friends and recent high school graduates, Curt Henderson and Steve Bolander, are scheduled to leave town to head to college back east. Curt, who received a lucrative local scholarship, is seen as the promise that their class holds. But Curt is having second thoughts about leaving what Steve basically sees as their dead end town. Curt's beliefs are strengthened when he spots an unknown beautiful blonde in a T-bird who mouths the words "I love you" to him. As Curt tries to find that blonde while trying to get away from a local gang who have him somewhat hostage, Curt may come to a decision about his immediate future. Outgoing class president Steve, on the other hand, wants to leave, despite meaning that he will leave girlfriend, head cheerleader and Curt's sister, Laurie Henderson, behind. Steve and Laurie spend the evening "negotiating" the state of their relationship. Meanwhile...

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Plot Keywords:

rock 'n' roll | car | california | street racing | 1960s | 

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Taglines:

...is back! [1978 Re-release]

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Harrison Ford initially turned down the film because he was offered $485 a week, less than he earned as a carpenter and not enough to support his family. When the offer was upped to $500, he accepted.

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Goofs

Wolfman Jack's radio broadcasts throughout the film are ostensibly airing on Mexcian station XERB, as identified by various jingles. However, in 1962 (when the film is set) he was broadcasting for another station, XERF; he would not move to XERB until 1965.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Terry Fields: Hey, what do you say, Curt? Last night in town... you guys gonna have a little bash before you leave?
Steve Bolander: The Moose have been looking for you all day.
[hands a check to Curt]
Steve Bolander: They got worried... thought you were trying to avoid them or something.
Terry Fields: What is it? What do ya got?
Curt Henderson: Oh, great.
Terry Fields: That's $2,000 man! Two thousand dollars!
Steve Bolander: Mr. Jennings gave it to me to give to you. He says he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. And he, uh, says they're all ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Worded epilogues prior to the credits shows what happen to the characters following the movie. While this has since become commonplace in films, it was considered innovative at the time.

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Alternate Versions

One minor digital effect has been added, at the request of director George Lucas, and can be found on the 1998 Collector's Edition DVD and VHS. In the original theatrical release, when the movie title credit appears on screen in front of Mel's Drive-In, all that is seen behind the diner are buildings and a cloudy/grey sky. On the Collector's Edition DVD and VHS, a sunset with clouds has been digitally added in where the cloudy/grey sky originally was. The original shot used in the film can be seen at the opening of the American Graffiti documentary, which is on the same DVD/VHS.

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Connections

Referenced in A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope (2004)

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Soundtracks

Johnnie B. Goode
Written by Chuck Berry (uncredited)
Chuck Berry
Courtesy of Chess/Janus division of GRT Corporation:

User Reviews

As it should have been and sometimes was

While born three years after the events in the film, I could still relate to the plight of being a teenager on the threshold to adult life. I think it takes a pretty insensitive person not to be captivated by this excellent movie (boring? - because just one car blew up, or what?!). This was the 3rd or 4th time I saw it, and it is just getting better. It is unusual to see filmmaking of this caliber coming from Hollywood (not least when considering Lucas' latest offering - blech!), but like movies like "The Year My Voice Broke" and "My Life as a Dog", "American Graffiti" tells us something about where we came from, without being dull or preachy. ***½ out of ****

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

American Graffiti

Filming Locations:

American Zoetrope Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$777,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$115,000,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$115,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Lucasfilm, The Coppola Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 112 min (re-release) (1978) 210 min (rough cut)

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Dolby System®)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1