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| ‘American Graffiti’ was George Lucas’ love letter to coming of age in the early ’60s. |
I had only seen American Graffiti once before, and that’s when the comedy-drama came out the summer of ’73. I saw it at our local drive-in, where Mom took us five Gould kids. And I just saw the nostalgia classic again September 4, 2026 at that same drive-in, here in my Upper Peninsula hometown of Manistique, Michigan!
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| Watching Cindy Williams and Ron Howard in 1973’s ‘American Graffiti’ at my local drive-in theater in Manistique, MI. |
Francis Ford Coppola produced American Graffiti as a favor to his friend George Lucas, then an up and coming director. I was surprised to learn how much studio resistance there was to making American Graffiti. Coppola was actually the big name attached to this project, with The Godfather just completed. Except for TV’S Ron Howard, the cast was all no-name newcomers. The storytelling didn’t follow the usual formula, a coming of age story, one night before high school resumes September 2, 1962. BTW, dear readers, I turned 3 that day!
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| Where was I in ’26? Watching ‘American Graffiti,’ set in ’62! |
Ultimately, many young stars were born with this movie: Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Paul LeMat, Bo Hopkins, Kathleen Quinlan, Mackenzie Phillips, Charles Martin Smith, Bo Hopkins, Kay Lenz, Wolfman Jack, and Debralee Scott. Ron Howard would soon get his own hit TV series, Happy Days, a sitcom take-off of American Graffiti’s era. Cindy Williams would appear on that sitcom and then get her own hit series, Laverne and Shirley. And a few years later, the blonde in the Cadillac got a smash series, Suzanne Somers in Three’s Company!
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| Mort Drucker of Mad magazine fame did the poster for 1973’s ‘American Graffiti.’ |
Universal Studio suits also didn’t like that American Graffiti used hit pop music as a wall-to-wall soundtrack, one of the first movies to do so. The execs objected to the four main characters’ parallel stories. They also disliked the movie’s ending, with postscripts telling the fate of the main characters, also a first, and much imitated device. Heck, they even hated the movie’s title! Basically, Hollywood studios hate anything that’s different, always wanting a copy of the latest trend. George Lucas held firm, with the backing of Coppola. Ironically, it’s all of the above things that make American Graffiti unique.
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| Ron Howard as Steve in 1973’s ‘American Graffiti.’ Happy Days were soon ahead! |
The entire cast of newcomers are empathetic and naturalistic. Ron Howard’s Steve is not totally likeable but realistic, as the big man on campus. Cindy Williams as his girlfriend Laurie, is the girl next door, but not cloying as depicted in films of that era. That’s the tone of the movie, they are presented realistically, not just as a movie-movie type. Richard Dreyfuss as Curt, Laurie’s brother and Steve’s buddy, is obsessed with a blonde in the Thunderbird, Suzanne Somers. Curt later gets mixed up with Bo Hopkins’ Joe and the Pharoah gang, which leads to a comic action scene. Paul LeMat is John, the greaser gets stuck with a kid sister, Mackenzie Phillips. Terry is the likeable geek who lucks out with good-hearted bimbo Debbie, played by Candy Clark. Kathleen Quinlan shows up as Meg, Laurie’s pal, at the high school dance. Harrison Ford is older tough guy Bob, who drag races with John, in the movie’s fiery finale.
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| Paul LeMat as John, the greaser with a heart of gold, in 1973’s ‘American Graffiti.’ |
The cinematography is striking, especially considering that it was all filmed on location and mostly at night, and not on the Universal backlot. Lucas chose Petaluma which was mostly untouched and still looked the era from a decade before. Plus, the local bigwigs were receptive to a month of night shooting. Renowned cinematographer Haskell Wexler was the visual consultant, who came up with solutions on how to light the night streets. Equally respected Verna Fields edited American Graffiti, with Marcia Lucas.
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| Harrison Ford is the tough guy who meets his match in 1973’s ‘American Graffiti.’ |
The wall to wall soundtrack was curated from Lucas’ collection of 45’s from his teen years, and his wife Marcia winnowed them down to match the scenes.The music is often blended with the ambient noise, and sometimes sounding as if it’s playing on the radio. Since there was no budget left for a score, after the cost of music rights, natural noise was amplified for dramatic effect.
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| Cindy Williams played Laurie, Steve’s rightfully ticked off girlfriend, in 1973’s ‘American Graffiti.’ |
Director Lucas didn’t want this to play like a ’60s teen movie with Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue. Or be a youth exploitation flick filled with sex and violence. This was a coming of age story from his own teen years in Modesto, and the California cruising culture, with rock and roll. This is especially bittersweet since it soon gave way to the British invasion and Vietnam, to name just a few culture shocks of the era.
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| Suzanne Somers got a lot of mileage as the blonde in the Thunderbird, in 1973’s ‘American Graffiti.’ Stardom was just around the corner! |
The night-long vignettes are a slice of life from 1962. Dazed and Confused covered the next decade’s ’70s smokin’ era. The Big Chill covered a weekend of 30-somethings reuniting for a friend’s funeral in 1981, and recalling their late ’60s college-age ideals. Both used American Graffiti’s continuous soundtrack format to evoke their eras.
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Among the highlights: the scene where nerdy Terry is trying to get someone to buy alcohol for him and Debbie outside the liquor store, with its hilarious payoff. Or the exuberant scene where a carload of girls lob a water balloon in LeMat’s greaser’s car, hitting Phillips’ pre-teen Carol’s face, and their sweet revenge at the stoplight. Or the comic love scene between Terry and Debbie in the backseat of Steve’s treasured car. And especially, the scene where Curt goes to the radio station to request an on-air message for the blonde in a Thunderbird. Wolfman Jack, who gives some wise advice, grants Curt his request without admitting that he is the legendary disc jockey. The ending, with Curt spotting the white Thunderbird one more time as he flies off to a new life, is a sweet grace note.
American Graffiti is still great, a loving but clear-eyed look around the end of an era.
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| Richard Dreyfuss as Curt, the young guy obsessed with that blonde in the Thunderbird in 1973’s ‘American Graffiti,’ |
