Mad Ramblings of a Movie Geek 05.07.08 American Graffiti

Posted by Jordan Bruns on 05.07.2008

George Lucas knows more than just droids, aliens, and midichlorians, and I can prove it...

Welcome to the new and improved Mad Ramblings of a Movie Geek! After reading over my first three issues I have determined that my column lacks focus, so I've decided to fix that. I am not a professional critic, nor do I claim to have any expertise when it comes to film- I'm just a guy who loves movies. Henceforth, my columns will reflect that. They will have more of a fixed format and will cover one specific topic. Mostly that topic will be movies- movies I love, movies I hate, movies I just recently discovered that I should have seen a long time ago- no topic is exempt from my mad ramblings, so long as I feel I know enough about it to sufficiently fill a column. This week I am pulling one from the vault… 1973 to be exact. Next week I will cover a similar movie made 20 years later (you have to read on you want to know what that one is). Ha! I'm already plugging my next column- I have no shame!

This particular movie comes from a pre-Star Wars George Lucas, giving us a glimpse of the kinds of movies he could have made if he hadn't spent so much time exploring a certain galaxy far, far away- not that I'm bashing him for this decision, for my life would be incomplete without those movies. But before he created his famous "space opera" he gave us this delightful coming-of-age tale of teenagers in 1962 Modesto- California, that is…




This was a movie I didn't care for at first but warmed up to after multiple viewings. After the third time, I was hooked. I went out and bought a "Drive In Double Feature" DVD that contains both this movie and it's sequel, More American Graffiti (not as good, but still underrated in my opinion).

About the film
American Graffiti was Lucas' second feature film, after THX 1138. Like Star Wars, Lucas had to fight tooth and nail to get this movie made. To make a long story short, after being rejected by several studios, the script was ultimately picked up by Universal, who had one stipulation. They wanted a "name" attached to the project. So, Lucas turned to his old buddy Francis Ford Coppola, fresh from directing The Godfather. Coppola agreed to produce, and the film finally went into production. The cast included such future stars as Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Cindy Williams, Suzanne Somers, and this guy…




It seems that Harrison Ford owes a lot to George Lucas. After this movie he played Han Solo. Then Lucas created the Indiana Jones character- aren't we glad Tom Selleck was unable to play the role? Harrison Ford is now a very rich and successful actor. He actually owes more to Fred Roos, though. By the early ‘70's, Ford had abandoned acting for a carpentry career. At that time, Roos was a casting director- he's now a very well known producer (he's produced most of Coppola's movies). While remodeling Roos' home, Roos convinced him to take the role of Bob Falfa in American Graffiti. The film went on to become one of the biggest hits of 1973, garnering five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Ford never had to pick up another hammer after that. And to think he wanted Lucas to kill off Han Solo in Return of the Jedi. Blasphemy!

The Story
American Graffiti is the story of four high school graduates on the last night of summer vacation before college, when all of their lives will change forever. It is told in the form of vignettes, following each of the characters' exploits throughout the night, before they meet up again at the end. Throughout the movie, car radios blast the sounds of Wolfman Jack's radio show, playing numerous hits of early rock and roll. The Wolfman cameos as himself.

The Characters

Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss):
Undoubtedly the overachiever of the group, Curt has received a scholarship from the Moose Lodge and is due to leave the next morning to attend an unnamed East Coast University. Unsure if he's willing to leave his family and friends behind, Curt sets out not only to find himself, but also a mysterious blonde in a white T-Bird with whom he has become smitten. He also encounters the Pharaohs, a supposedly "tough" street gang who are too ridiculous to be taken seriously.

Steve Bolander (Ron Howard):
Steve is Curt's best friend and is due to attend college with him. He is also dating Curt's younger sister Laurie (Cindy Williams). When Curt announces he's not going, Steve becomes angry at his friend, but eventually begins to reconsider his own future as well. This role is what led to Ron Howard being cast in Happy Days.

Terry "The Toad" Fields (Charles Martin Smith):
The nerd of the group, Toad is a total spazz when it comes to talking to girls, and is a frequent target of bullies as well. His adventure begins when Steve lets him borrow his car. He eventually falls for Debbie (candy Clark), whom he successfully convinces that he is some kind of Don Juan known as "Terry The Tiger." He's grrrrreat!

John Milner (Paul Le Mat):
A delinquent hot-rodder who wants nothing more than to drag race and cruise for chicks, in Steve's words "stay 17 forever." When The Beach Boys "Surfin' Safari" comes on the radio, Milner angrily shuts it off and laments the fact that "rock and roll's been goin' down hill ever since Buddy Holly died." He spends most of his night "babysitting" Carol (Mackenzie Phillips), a much younger girl he accidentally picks up while cruising.

My Mad Ramblings:
There is where I have some fun with the movie. I'll start by saying that, surprise, surprise George Lucas couldn't resist the urge to tamper with this movie, not once but twice. The first time was understandable. It seems Universal forced him to cut around four minutes of footage from the movie. After Star Wars became a hit, Lucas went back and added the cut footage back in, making the film the way he originally intended it to be (this is now the only commercially available version of the movie). That's all good and well, but what, then is his excuse for adding that fake sunset to the opening title sequence 25 years later- apparently he didn't like that it was cloudy when they shot that. That's great, George, now go add fake sunsets and extra space creatures to all your home movies while you're at it.

Ok, Ok. I'm giving the guy too much grief. He's made a great movie here, and the site of Harrison Ford wearing a Stetson and speaking in a southern accent while he searches for Milner's "piss yella Deuce Coupe" is nothing short of classic. Holy shit! Harrison Ford is in this movie?!! Why didn't I mention that before when I said Harrison Ford was in this movie?




Now let's take a look at Steve and Laurie. Here we have Ron Howard and Cindy Williams arguing, then making up, and arguing, then making up. Maybe these two kids aren't so good for each other. That's what makes them such a good movie couple!

It is Curt that embarks on the movie's most unusual journey. Insecurity, love at first sight, and a less than willing gang initiation are all seen here, and we follow Richard Dreyfus all the way. Then he did Jaws. While we're at it, guess who just happens to be a close friend and frequent colleague of Steven Spielberg? Man, this Lucas guy sure knows how to spot a future star!

I must confess, though, that my favorite character is John Milner. Since American Graffiti was so instrumental to the creation and eventual success of Happy Days, I venture to say that Milner is a Fonz prototype. Actually, he's more like an edgier version of The Fonz before he became a lame ass- was that before or after Ron Howard left the show? I can never remember. Anyway, Milner loses Fonz points by allowing the then 12-year-old Mackenzie Phillips to call him a "big weenie". Arthur Fonzarelli would never take lip from a little girl, let alone Papa John's daughter, unless, of course, she was actually referring to the size of his weenie. Let's also keep in mind that Milner keeps a pack of cigarettes rolled up in his shirt sleeve, and as we all know, The Fonz doesn't smoke! Why? "Because smokin' ain't cool! AAAYYYYY!"




Random useless trivia fact
American Graffiti remains to this day the highest cost-to-profit movie in history- its budget was just over $1 million, and it made $115 million in North America, meaning it made back its budget 92 times. I just thought I'd throw that in there because I thought it was an interesting little tidbit of information.

Homage?
During the scene where Milner drag races Bob Falfa, he tells Carol to "grab onto something" just before the two cars speed off. In Back to the Future Part III, when Marty pretends to drag race Flea, he tells Jennifer to ""grab a hold of something." Whether this was an intentional homage or not I'm not 100 percent sure, but I'm guessing Robert Zemeckis threw it in as an in-joke reference.

What kind of dialogue is that?
A lot critics and movie fans have criticized George Lucas for not being able to write good dialogue. American Graffiti not only shows that he can be a good director, but he can write some pretty insightful dialogue when he wants to. Some viewers might cringe at such terms as "grungy little twirp," "bitchin,'" or "totally boss," but George Lucas grew up during the time period depicted in the movie, so I give him the benefit of the doubt that this is actually how people talked back then.

Art imitating life?
In the documentary, The Making of American Graffiti, Lucas admits to being an amalgam of Toad, Curt, and Milner. He even confesses to being a teenage drag racer in Modesto, but a near fatal car accident at the age of 18 ended his racing days and made him take stock of his life. Wow! Who knew such a mild-mannered man with a very serious demeanor used to be such a hellion! Kudos for admitting that you were actually a teenager once!

Not to jump around here, but there was also one minor change made to the film's epilogue. To keep with the continuity of the sequel, the date of Milner's fatal collision with a drunk driver was changed from August 1964 to December 1964, since in the second movie he is still alive on New Year's Eve of that year, meaning that More American Graffiti chronicles the last day of his life.

I'd also like to point out that this movie has one of the most eclectic soundtracks ever. With more than 40 classic songs from the ‘50's and early ‘60's, there is almost always a song playing in the background (and the foreground during really important or dramatic moments) - great use of the music here by Lucas!




Well, that's it for my Mad Ramblings on American Graffiti. As promised, next week I will take a look at a move made 20 years later that has many similarities to this one. In case you haven't figured it out, I'm talking about Richard Linklater's cult classic Dazed and Confused!

Until next time…