Scene Anatomy 101 08.20.08: American Graffiti

Posted by George H. Sirois on 08.20.2008

The journey into “the great unknown” always starts with a single step. This is his, and mine...



Things have changed quite a bit in the past 40+ years, haven't they? We've seen two unpopular wars, a Presidential assassination, an attempted Presidential assassination, several scandals, gas prices going through the roof and the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series. (Shudder) Everyone seems to be looking over their shoulder, waiting for the next bad thing to happen. The days of innocence are long gone; you can't even come up with an original concept for an Internet column without fear that someone will steal it and do a half-assed job at it.

But this isn't about what's going on with the world now; it's about looking back at a much more innocent and idealistic time, about 14 years before I was born. According to the people who were there, in this case writer-director George Lucas, 1962 was a time where the sky was the limit and goals were both lofty and simple. Teenagers would talk about shaking hands with President Kennedy or just cruise around in their cars listening to the same rock-n-roll stations, enjoying themselves, convinced that the good times would never end.

And then there were those who were ready to set out into the great unknown, ready to break away from all that they know and build a new life and meet new challenges. We see all of this and more in the 1973 George Lucas smash hit...



This film tells four different stories, all of them taking place during a night in Modesto, California. The two main characters in the film are Steve Bolander (Ronny Howard) and Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss), two high school graduates intent on leaving their small-town lives and heading off to college to make something of themselves. As the night goes on, Curt is in the backseat of his younger sister's car that Steve is driving, and Curt sees a mysterious blonde in a white Ford Thunderbird next to their car at a red light. She mouths out the words, "I love you" before driving away, leaving Curt in a desperate search to see her again before he possibly leaves for college.

As the night continues, Curt breaks away from Steve and his sister in his quest to find the blonde and, after spending time with a group of punks called "The Pharaohs," he hears the latest bit on the radio involving a legendary personality known only as "Wolfman Jack." Everyone in town loves this guy, and they all have theories about who he is and where he broadcasts. While Curt sits in his car, he hears a caller putting in a dedication to his girlfriend, and the Wolfman says he's going to take care of him and put this record through for this couple. This gives Curt an idea; he's going to make one last-ditch effort to find the mysterious blonde in the Thunderbird before the night is over.

One of the Pharaohs had claimed that he had seen where the Wolfman broadcasts, in a small station just out of town. So Curt makes his way to that station, eager to not only send in his letter and find the girl, but also to uncover the mystery of this DJ with the gravelly voice.

When he arrives, all he sees at the station is a man in his late 40s with a beard and moustache and short black hair. He seems very calm and very friendly, inviting Curt to come to the back area where he has all of his equipment. He also unexpectedly has a box filled with popsicles, and he offers one to Curt.

MANAGER: Hey. Have a Popsicle. The icebox just broke down, and they're melting all over the place. You want one?

CURT: No, no, no. Thanks. Listen, uh…

The manager still has his hand out, offering a treat to Curt. Whatever Curt is trying to say, he's having a hard time getting it out.

MANAGER: Have a Popsicle.

Instead of refusing the popsicle again, Curt just blurts out the question that's on his mind.

CURT: Are you the Wolfman?

The manager puts down the box of popsicles and smiles.

MANAGER: No, man. I'm not the Wolfman.

The record that is playing comes to an end, and the manager grabs another record and prepares it for playing.

MANAGER: Wait a minute.

He then grabs a tape and inserts it into the player. When he turns it on, he and Curt hear the signature gravelly voice of the Wolfman.

WOLFMAN JACK: Who is this on the Wolfman's telephone?

FEMALE CALLER: Diane.

WOLFMAN JACK: How you doin' Diane?

The manager points to the equipment playing the tape. As he and Curt talk, we can hear the Wolfman's banter over their conversation.

MANAGER: That's the Wolfman.

WOLFMAN JACK: Do you love me?

CURT: He's on tape. The man is on tape.

WOLFMAN JACK: Say you love me.

Curt's flabbergasted and doesn't really know how to react to this bit of news. Here was this legend that everyone had listened to, and all they've been hearing is a tape recording. It still adds to the mystical elements that have been played up earlier, though, but it still doesn't do poor Curt any good regarding his plan.

CURT: Well... uh, where is he now? I mean, where does he work?

We can hear the recorded voice of the Wolfman still talking to Diane. And while he is talking to her, he is making his voice echo just as the manager gives his answer, in a tone that makes it sound like he's talking about the boogeyman.

MANAGER: The Wolfman is everywhere.

WOLFMAN JACK (with the echoing effect): Whiz... whiz... whiz!

But Curt still has the note with him that he wrote up for the request, and all he can do is show it to the manager.

CURT: I gotta give him this note.

FEMALE CALLER: Can I whiz on you, Wolfman?

"Can I whiz on you, Wolfman?" If you were a kid in 1962, please let me know what that meant back then, because it means something completely different now.

MANAGER: Here, let me see your note.

Curt hands the manager the note, and he quickly looks it over.

MANAGER: Hell, that's just a dedication, man. What I can do is relay it. It'll be on tomorrow, or Tuesday.

CURT: No, no, no. See, this is very important. I may be leaving town tomorrow, and it's very important, that I... damn it, that I reach this girl right now.

Now, everyone else that Curt has been talking to about leaving has taken his words with a grain of salt. "Same old Curt," they would say. As long as people have known him, he has been very wishy-washy with his decision-making. He's big on ideas, he knows what he wants to do, but he's unsure if he has what it takes to make those ideas a reality. And most of all, he's been living in Modesto his whole life and he's afraid of what's out there.

MANAGER: You don't know whether you're going to leave town or not?

CURT: Well, I'm supposed to go to college back east tomorrow. And I don't know if I'm going to go. I don't know.

The manager can already sense that this is a young man in need of advice. And he's going to do what he can to make him feel a little less aggravated and uneasy about his situation. And he still has plenty of Popsicles left that he needs to get rid of before they create a big mess all over the broken icebox.

MANAGER: Wait a minute. Have a Popsicle. Have a Pop---huh?

CURT: No thanks.

MANAGER: Sit down a minute.

Curt slowly sits down, looking down and getting more and more worked up.

MANAGER: It's early in the morning.

CURT: Damn.

The manager leans forward on his console and presents Curt with his own advice, and if Curt won't take a Popsicle, he better damn well take what he has to say to heart.

MANAGER: I can't talk for the Wolfman, but I can tell you one thing. If the Wolfman was here, he'd say, "Get your ass in gear." The Wolfman comes in here occasionally, bringing tapes, you know, to check up on me and whatnot. And the places he talks about that he's been, the things he's seen. It's a great big, beautiful world out there.

This last piece of dialogue shows Curt that despite there being a great big, beautiful world out there, he could potentially miss it all if he doesn't move forward. Some people are wired to stay where they are and there are others who feel the urge to move on and expand their horizons. The fact that Curt's going back and forth on leaving shows more about his ability to get out than it does for his friend Steve, who is much more adamant about leaving and won't stop talking about it, yet does nothing to show that he's ready for such a change.

The manager is somewhere in between. He could have left, but chose not to and is only now allowing for a few brief moments of regret.

MANAGER: And here I sit, sucking on Popsicles.

CURT: Why don't you leave?

MANAGER: I'm not a young man anymore. And the Wolfman gave me my start in the business, and I like it.

The moments of regret are over, as the manager stops thinking about what he could have done and instead concentrates on the good he's done at the little radio station. At least he's got his Popsicles – for now – and if he can make this guy happy, then it would be one more small victory for him.

MANAGER: I'll tell you what. If I can possibly do it tonight, I'll try to relay this dedication in and get it on the air for you later on.

All of a sudden, Curt's demeanor goes from helplessness to pure jubilation. There's someone out there finally willing to give him some slack, and the chance that he can meet this girl before ultimately leaving town – if that's what he's going to do – just got a little bit better.

CURT: That would be terrific. Really. Thanks.

The manager stands up and shakes Curt's hand, as the record that has been playing is nearing its end.

MANAGER: Hey, it's been a pleasure.

CURT: Thanks a lot. Really. Appreciate it.

Curt pulls his hand away and can feel the juice from the Popsicle on it.

MANAGER: Sticky little mothers, ain't they?

CURT: Six or seven of them, eh?

MANAGER: I know. I got a whole refrigerator full.

CURT: Thanks a lot.

MANAGER: See you later.

CURT: Appreciate it.

Curt leaves the room and is heading out of the station, when all of a sudden, he hears a cackling laughter and the signature gravelly voice of Wolfman Jack. But when he turns his head to peek back into the main room, he doesn't see the manager turning on another tape. He sees the manager himself yelling into the microphone. Curt smiles as he realizes that he has been talking to Wolfman Jack all along.

WOLFMAN JACK: Rock on, baby! We gonna do it right here! Rock 'n roll yourself to death! Ohhh, mercy! Give me some more! My, my!

The song's volume turns up and Curt nods to himself as he leaves the station. Not only is he going to take this man's advice – to get his ass in gear and take the opportunity to move on – but he's also going to keep the identity of Wolfman Jack a secret. By doing this, he's honoring the man who gave him this valuable advice by making sure that the legend of the Wolfman will stay alive.

Without a doubt, this is my favorite scene in this great film. First of all, it focuses on my favorite character in it, Curt Henderson. I can sympathize with his plight since I have my own share of big dreams and the hesitation to follow through with them. And I can also understand his urge to accomplish this short-term goal – finding out who the girl in the Thunderbird is – rather than just keeping his eye on the big picture. That's what she represents, the distraction that could be just powerful enough to keep him where he is when he should have been focusing on, as the Wolfman said, getting his ass in gear.

And then there's the Wolfman himself. At first, all we hear is the voice. Then, we hear the theories from all these different characters about where he's from, what he looks like and where he sets up his broadcast. Then, we see Curt going to the station where the Wolfman supposedly broadcasts, but all he can see is a middle-aged man and a series of tapes that contain the acts he heard on the radio. However, this older man sees a bit of uncertainty in Curt, and just like the Popsicles that he wants to give away before they melt, the Wolfman knows that he won't have many opportunities to give a young man some advice.

Then, after taking in this advice, that's when Curt realizes who he has been talking to all along. If he had walked into the booth and seen Wolfman Jack in character, then the magic of the scene would have been ruined.

By the end of the movie, Curt is the only one who moves on to leave Modesto. Steve, the one who was so boisterous about leaving town, stays to marry Curt's sister, and the other two major characters in the film, John Milner (Paul Le Mat) and Terry the Toad (Charles Martin Smith) are mentioned at the end to have much more downbeat destinies. There's no mention of the impending chaos that would hit the nation the very next year when JFK is assassinated, but that makes the ending so much more powerful. We already know what's going to happen around the country; it doesn't need to be implied. When that plane flies away, the audience from 1973 on knew that all the characters' innocence was on borrowed time.

What Curt did in this scene was essentially meet God. He received a bit of worldly advice from a legendary figure, and it coerces him into finally making up his mind about what he wants to do with his life. Everything in this was handled perfectly, and it's a testament to Richard Dreyfuss and Wolfman Jack, as well as writers George Lucas, Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz that they were able to make this scene so special.


Now, as I mentioned last Thursday in the UBS Evening Movie News, I do have an announcement to make. Not counting the two SA 101 columns I did for the wrestling zone in 2006 when we went through all the SummerSlam PPV's, this is column number 180. In twenty weeks, I'll be hitting a number that I never thought I'd be able to reach: number 200!

But it will be a bittersweet milestone, because I have decided that when I reach number 200, I will be closing the book on Scene Anatomy 101. I'll be going into my reasons why in tomorrow's Mad Prophet of the Airwaves rant in the UBS report, but I'm making sure that this column is going out in style. It's been very good to me, and you guys have been great for reading it this long, so I'm going to put everything I have in these next twenty columns to make it worth your while.

We'll be covering scenes from a film adaptation of a short-lived sci-fi series, a very un-Stephen King-like Stephen King film that was robbed at the Oscars by a box of chocolates, a David Fincher film that you're not supposed to talk about, a David Mamet adaptation of a play with a scene that never made it into the original play, and a sequel to a film that I didn't care for, but want to give it a second look because the sequel of what I SAW was pretty damn good. Oh, and as for the big 200th issue, I'll just say that the scene I'll be covering is from a movie that's pretty Dark.

But next week, we'll begin our 20-week countdown with a look at a man telling the story of a legend, and along the way he'll mention something about the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled.

Until then, Class Dismissed!


-- George H. Sirois