American Graffiti
American Graffiti is a 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by George Lucas, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz and Lucas, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard (billed as Ronny Howard), Paul Le Mat, Harrison Ford, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips, Bo Hopkins, and Wolfman Jack. Suzanne Somers, Kathleen Quinlan, Debralee Scott, and Joe Spano also appear in the film. Set in Modesto, California, in 1962, the film is a study of the cruising and early rock 'n' roll cultures popular among Lucas's age group at the time. Through a series of vignettes, it tells the story of a group of teenagers and their adventures over the course of a night.
Plot
On their last evening of summer vacation in 1962, high school graduates Curt Henderson and Steve Bolander meet two other friends, confident drag-racing king John Milner and unpopular but well-meaning Terry "The Toad" Fields in the parking lot of Mel's Drive-In in Modesto, California. Steve and Curt are to travel "Back East" in the morning and start college but the latter has second thoughts about leaving. Laurie, Steve's girlfriend and Curt's sister, arrives moments later, Steve suggesting to her that they see other people while he is away at college to "strengthen" their relationship. Though not openly upset, it affects her interactions with him through the night.
More details
| author | George Lucas Gloria Katz Willard Huyck |
|---|---|
| contentLocation | California |
| director | George Lucas |
| editor | Marcia Lucas Verna Fields |
| events | adolescence dating motor car |
| genre | adventure comedy-drama |
| keywords | back east brew claim cruise disc jockey drag race drive drunk driver even force ford thunderbird greaser insurance agent intertitle kill meet mel\'s drive-in missing in action morning northeastern united states parking lot pay phone radio station search sock hop steal summer vacation talk turn |
| musicBy | Richard Rodgers |
| nomination | Academy Award for Best Director Academy Award for Best Film Editing Academy Award for Best Picture Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay |
| producer | Francis Ford Coppola |
| productionCompany | Lucasfilm Ltd. The Coppola Company |
| publisher | Universal Pictures |
| recordedAt | San Francisco |
| theme | high school |