American Graffiti (1973)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

George Lucas

Writers:

George Lucas (written by) and
Gloria Katz (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

11 elokuu 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Night | College | Cruising | Car | High School

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Richard Dreyfuss	...	Curt Henderson
Ron Howard	...	Steve Bolander (as Ronny Howard)
Paul Le Mat	...	John Milner
Charles Martin Smith	...	Terry 'The Toad' Fields (as Charlie Martin Smith)
Cindy Williams	...	Laurie Henderson
Candy Clark	...	Debbie Dunham
Mackenzie Phillips	...	Carol
Wolfman Jack	...	XERB Disc Jockey
Bo Hopkins	...	Joe Young
Manuel Padilla Jr.	...	Carlos
Beau Gentry	...	Ants
Harrison Ford	...	Bob Falfa
Jim Bohan	...	Officer Holstein
Jana Bellan	...	Budda
Deby Celiz	...	Wendy
Lynne Marie Stewart	...	Bobbie Tucker
Terence McGovern	...	Mr. Bill Wolfe (as Terry McGovern)
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Peg (as Kathy Quinlan)
Tim Crowley	...	Eddie
Scott Beach	...	Mr. Gordon
John Brent	...	Car Salesman
Gordon Analla	...	Bozo
John Bracci	...	Station Attendant
Jody Carlson	...	Girl in Studebaker
Del Close	...	Guy at Bar
Chuck Dorsett	...	Man at Accident (as Charles Dorsett)
Stephen Knox	...	Kid at Accident
Joe Miksak	...	Man at Liquor Store
George Meyer	...	Bum at Liquor Store
James Cranna	...	Liquor Store Thief
Johnny Weissmuller Jr.	...	Badass #1
William Niven	...	Clerk at Liquor Store
Al Nalbandian	...	Hank Anderson
Bob Pasaak	...	Dale
Chris Pray	...	Al
Susan Richardson	...	Judy
Fred Ross	...	Ferber
Jan Dunn	...	Old Woman
Charlie Murphy	...	Old Man
Ed Greenberg	...	Kip Pullman
Lisa Herman	...	Girl in Dodge
Mark Anger	...	Mr. Kroot (as Irving Israel)
Kay Lenz	...	Jane, Girl at Dance (as Kay Ann Kemper)
Caprice Schmidt	...	Announcer at Dance
Joe Spano	...	Vic
Debralee Scott	...	Bob Falfa's Girl
Ron Vincent	...	Jeff
Donna Wehr	...	Carhop
Cam Whitman	...	Balloon Girl
Jan Wilson	...	Girl at Dance
Suzanne Somers	...	Blonde in T-Bird
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Warren Knight	...	Herby & The Heartbeats (as Flash Cadillac and the Continental Kids)
Sam McFadin	...	Herby & The Heartbeats (as Flash Cadillac and the Continental Kids)
Kris Moe	...	Herby & The Heartbeats (as Flash Cadillac and the Continental Kids)
Linn Phillips III	...	Herby & The Heartbeats (as Flash Cadillac and the Continental Kids)
George Robinson	...	Herby & The Heartbeats (as Flash Cadillac and the Continental Kids)
Linda Christensen	...	Girl (uncredited)

Directed by
George Lucas

Writing credits
George Lucas		(written by) and
Gloria Katz		(written by) &
Willard Huyck		(written by)

Produced by
Francis Ford Coppola	....	producer
Gary Kurtz	....	co-producer

Cinematography by
Jan D'Alquen
Ron Eveslage

Film Editing by
Verna Fields
Marcia Lucas
George Lucas		(uncredited)

Casting by
Mike Fenton
Fred Roos

Art Direction by
Dennis Lynton Clark		(as Dennis Clark)

Set Decoration by
Douglas Freeman

Costume Design by
Aggie Guerard Rodgers

Makeup Department
Bette Iverson	....	key hair stylist
Gerry Leetch	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
James Hogan	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ned Kopp	....	first assistant director
Charles Myers	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Doug von Koss	....	property master (as Douglas von Koss)

Sound Department
Walter Murch	....	sound montage
Walter Murch	....	sound re-recordist
James Nelson	....	sound editor
Art Rochester	....	production sound mixer (as Arthur Rochester)

Stunts
Bob Herron	....	stunts (uncredited)
Charlie Picerni	....	stunt driver (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
William Maley	....	gaffer
Ken Phelps	....	key grip
John Bonfield	....	electrician (uncredited)
Tony Coangelo	....	grip (uncredited)
Paul Ryan	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Kim Fowley	....	music producer
Kim Fowley	....	music recordist
Karin Green	....	music coordinator

Transportation Department
Henry Travers	....	transportation supervisor

Other crew
Toni Basil	....	choreographer
Jim Bloom	....	production associate
Christina Crowley	....	script supervisor
Nancy Giebink	....	production associate
Gino Havens	....	dialogue coach
Al Locatelli	....	design consultant
Beverly Walker	....	assistant to producer
Haskell Wexler	....	visual consultant
Dan Hess II	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Lucasfilm
• The Coppola Company
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1979) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• Cinema International Corporation (C.I.C.) (1974) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1978) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• CIC Victor Video (1990) (Japan) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Cinemobile System  location services
• Film Production Services  location services
• Universal Title  titles and opticals

Runtime:

110 min | 112 min (re-release) (1978)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (original relase) | Dolby (re-release) (1975)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | South Korea:15 | USA:PG (certificate #23582) | Brazil:14 | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Denmark:15 (video rating) | Finland:K-12 | Iceland:L | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:AA (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Lucasfilm

Trivia:

The Ford Coupe driven by Paul Le Mat's character had a 1966 Chevrolet 327 cu.in. engine. The black 1955 Chevy driven by Harrison Ford had a Chevrolet 454 cu.in. engine capable of doing 11-second quarter-mile times.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Toad crashes his Vespa and walks away, and in the very next shot it is standing up and nicely parked.

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 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 $2000 man! $2000!
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 very proud of you back at the lodge.
Curt Henderson: Cute. Why don't you hold it for me for awhile?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)

Soundtrack:

See You in September

"Where were you in '62?" (Original ad)

Nostalgic look at one night/morning of a small California town and some of its teenagers. Story-wise this is nothing new--all the stereotypes are in place--the loving/bickering couple (Ron Howard and Cindy Williams); the rebel (Paul Le Mal) stuck with a 13 year old (Mackenzie Phuillips); the nerd (Charles Martin Smith) having a disastrous date with a blonde (Candy Clark); the hood (Bo Hopkins) showing the good boy (Richard Dreyfuss) a night out and Harrison Ford and Suzanne Somers in small parts.

What makes this movie better than average is the great direction by George Lucas--he fills the Cinemascope screen masterfully; the non-stop soundtrack of 50s/60s hits; a great script and the cast of then-unknowns. It's incredible to see some of these actors so young (especially Ford and Dreyfuss) and full of life. Without this cast, this movie would probably have long-since been forgotten.

So, no great shakes, but very sweet and nostalgic with some good acting. Worth catching. Try to see it letter-boxed or on a big screen.