American Graffiti
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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American Graffiti is a 1973 comedy-drama film directed by George Lucas, and written by Lucas, Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford. Set in 1962 Modesto, California, American Graffiti tells of the exploits and adventures of a group of teenagers during a night of cruising around town and listening to pirate radio personality Wolfman Jack.
Plot
On their last evening of summer vacation in 1962, high school graduates and friends Curt Henderson and Steve Bolander meet two other friends, John Milner, the drag-racing king, and Terry "The Toad" Fields, in the parking lot of Mel's Drive-In in Modesto, California. Curt and Steve are to travel "Back East" the following morning to start college. Curt has second thoughts about leaving Modesto. Steve gives Terry his car to care for until he returns. Laurie, Steve's girlfriend and Curt's sister, arrives. Steve suggests to Laurie that they see other people while he is away to "strengthen" their relationship. Though not openly upset, she is affecting their interactions through the night.
Curt, Steve, and Laurie attend the back-to-high-school sock hop. En route, Curt sees a beautiful blonde woman driving a white Ford Thunderbird. She mouths the words "I love you" to Curt before turning. Curt becomes desperate to find her; one of his friends tells him "The Blonde" is the wife of a local jeweler, but Curt does not believe it. After leaving the hop, Curt is coerced by a group of greasers ("The Pharaohs") into hooking a chain to a police car and ripping out its back axle. The Pharaohs tell Curt that "The Blonde" is a prostitute, which he does not believe.
Curt drives to the radio station to ask disc jockey "Wolfman Jack" to read a message for her on the air. Curt encounters an employee who tells him the Wolfman does not work there and that the shows are pretaped for replay. The employee accepts the message and promises to try to have the Wolfman air it. As he is leaving, Curt sees the employee talking into the microphone and, hearing the voice, realizes it is the Wolfman, who reads the message, asking "The Blonde" to meet Curt or call him on the pay phone at Mel's. Curt is awakened by the phone the next morning. "The Blonde" does not reveal her identity but tells Curt maybe they will meet that night. Curt replies that they probably will not because he is leaving town.
Terry and John cruise the strip. Terry picks up flirtatious and rebellious Debbie. John inadvertently picks up Carol, an annoying, precocious 12-year-old who manipulates him into driving her around all night. Bob Falfa is searching out John to challenge him to a race. Steve and Laurie continue to argue and make up through the evening. They finally split and as the story lines intertwine, Bob Falfa picks up Laurie. Bob finds John and goads him into racing. Many follow them to "Paradise Road" to watch. As John takes the lead, Bob's tire blows out, causing him to lose control. His car swerves into a ditch, rolls over, and catches fire. Steve and John leap out of their cars and rush to the wreck while Bob and Laurie crawl out and stagger away just before it explodes. Laurie grips Steve tightly and begs him not to leave her. He assures her that he will stay.
At the airfield, Curt says goodbye to his parents, Laurie, Steve, John, and Terry. As the plane takes off, Curt gazes out the window and sees the white Thunderbird driving in parallel to his plane. An on-screen epilogue reveals that John was killed by a drunk driver in 1964, Terry was reported missing in action near An Lộc in 1965, Steve is an insurance agent in Modesto, and Curt is a writer in Canada.
