American Graffiti

Released 1973
Stars Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips, Wolfman Jack, Bo Hopkins, Harrison Ford
Directed by George Lucas

Young George Lucas' influential hallmark film American Graffiti (1973) recreates the feel, landscape, and sounds of early 60s, small-town America - an historical time period (of JFK's Presidency and the New Frontier before the jarring assassination of late 1963) that has irretrievably been lost forever. Advertising posters and theatrical trailers for the film asked: "Where were you in '62?" The financially-successful film was Lucas' homage to the memories of his own teenage years, produced with vintage cars, drive-ins (Mel's Diner), an almost non-stop rock soundtrack, teenage activities (hot rod crusin' and makin' out), and characteristic hair and clothing styles.

The plot of the unorthodox, unsophisticated film, orchestrated in a series of anecdotal vignettes from dusk to the morning of the following day, tracks four characters, all recent or soon-to-be Dewey High School graduates aged seventeen to twenty, during one momentous, hot, late summer/early fall night in 1962. While cruisin', the four weave in and out of each other's lives as they are on the brink of major decisions and suffering from various traumas.

Summary by Tim Dirks

This is a fun film about the uncertainty during the transition from high school to adulthood. Set in 1962, it's a fond look back at a kinder, gentler time. That transition period was 20 years later for me, but my experiences weren't that much different. We spent all our time cruising the main drag trying to pick up girls as well. This film's a lot of fun, because nostalgia is such a powerful thing. -- Bill Alward June 2, 2001