American Graffiti
| American Graffiti | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | George Lucas |
| Written by | George Lucas Gloria Katz Willard Huyck |
| Produced by | Francis Ford Coppola Gary Kurtz |
| Starring | Richard Dreyfuss Ron Howard Paul Le Mat Charles Martin Smith Cindy Williams Candy Clark Mackenzie Phillips Harrison Ford |
| Cinematography | Jan D'Alquen Ron Eveslage |
| Edited by | George Lucas (uncredited) Verna Fields Marcia Lucas |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates | August 1, 1973 |
Running time | 112 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $775,000 |
| Box office | $115,000,000 (domestic) |
American Graffiti is a 1973 period coming of age dramedy film directed by George Lucas, and written by Lucas, Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck. The film includes a mostly young cast of Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips, Suzanne Somers, and Harrison Ford. American Graffiti is set in 1962 Modesto and tells the exploits of a group of teenagers, and their adventures within one night of driving around town, while listening to pirate radio personality Wolfman Jack (who cameos as himself).
Development phase for the film started shortly after the release of Lucas's THX 1138. Lucas was also developing an "untitled science fiction space opera" at the same time (later becoming the basis for Star Wars). The film was originally supposed to be funded by United Artists, but after creative differences, Lucas was able to find friendly operations at Universal Pictures. Filming started at San Rafael, California, but the production was kicked out of the town and the majority of the film was shot in Petaluma. Although Universal had little interferences during filming, they did object to the film's title of American Graffiti, wishing Lucas to change it to Another Slow Night in Modesto. Lucas brought in fellow friend Haskell Wexler as a "visual consultant" to solve problems with lighting and cinematography.
The editing process of the film was a strenuous path, with the first cut being roughly 210 minutes long, and the final cut was released at 112 minutes (to this day the other 100 minutes of footage remains unknown). American Graffiti received positive reviews and was a unanimous box office success (recouping 45 times its budget with its North American financial take). The film was nominated for five different categories at the 46th Academy Awards, and in 1995, American Graffiti was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress, being put for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Plot
The film is set in a series of vignettes of the four main characters. A radio tunes in to a rock and roll station as the sun sets over Mel's Drive-In. Terry "The Toad" Fields (Charles Martin Smith), Steve Bolander (Ron Howard), Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss) and John Milner (Paul Le Mat) meet in the parking lot. Steve and Curt are preparing to leave town to attend college on the East Coast, and this is the last night they will spend with their friends. Despite being given a scholarship by the local Moose Lodge, Curt is somewhat reluctant to head off for the unknown, but Steve is eager to get out of Modesto. His girlfriend Laurie (Cindy Williams), who is also Curt's year-younger sister, is unsure of him leaving, to which he suggests they see other people while he is away to "strengthen" their relationship.
Steve and Curt are off to the freshman sock hop, but John goes off to cruise the streets with his yellow deuce coupe. Intent on leaving for college, Steve lets Terry have his '58 Impala. While cruising down 10th street, Curt sees a beautiful blonde in a white Thunderbird (cameoed by Suzanne Somers). She mouths "I love you" before disappearing. After leaving the hop, Curt is coerced into riding with a gang of greasers who call themselves "The Pharaohs". He learns that Wolfman Jack broadcasts from just outside of town, and inside the dark, eerie radio station he encounters a bearded man he assumes to be the manager. Curt hands the manager a message to the blond in the Thunderbird, but as he walks away, Curt hears the voice of Wolfman and looks behind him.
The other three story lines involve breakups and reunions, and their stories intertwine until Toad and Steve end up on "Paradise Road" to watch John race against Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford), with Laurie as a passenger. Within seconds, it is all over, Falfa's car blows a tire and plunges into a ditch. Steve and John run over to the wreck, and a dazed Bob and Laurie stagger out before it explodes. Distraught, Laure grips Steve tightly and tells him not to leave her. He assures her that he has decided to remain in town with her for the time being.
The next morning, the sound of a phone ringing in a booth wakes Curt from his sleep. He grabs the receiver and speaks excitedly to the mysterious blonde. She tells him she might see him cruising tonight, though Curt replies saying that's not possible. At the airfield, Curt says goodbye to his parents, his sister, and his friends. While bidding farewell to Steve and Laurie, he asks his friend if he will join him, and Steve, who will take a leap year off, tells him that he will be in college next year. As the plane takes off, he gazes out of the window at the town and the life he is leaving behind.
Cast
- Richard Dreyfuss as Curt Henderson: He has been given a scholarship by the local Moose Lodge, though is unsure if he wants to go to college in the East or stay at a local junior college. He sees a beautiful blonde girl in a Ford Thunderbird (portrayed by Suzanne Somers) smiling at him and mouthing "I love you". Throughout the night he is determined to find her, ensuing into a series of events such as helping "The Pharaohs" (a local greaser gang) with their activities and finding Wolfman Jack's secretive radio station. He ends up becoming a writer and resides in Canada.
- Ron Howard as Steve Bolander: Best friend of Curt and boyfriend to Curt's sister Laurie. Due to Steve's decision to go to with Curt at a university in the East, a series of arguments coincide with Laurie, and she eventually leaves him for Bob Falfa. After the events in the film, Steve becomes less adventurous and takes some time off from school. As depicted in More American Graffiti, he graduated from business school, married Laurie, and holds the profession of an insurance agent.
- Paul Le Mat as John Milner: A tough teenager who holds the title as "the fastest on the strip" with his yellow deuce coupe. He accidentally picks up Carol, thinking of her to be closer to his age (when she is a few years younger) and is forced to "babysit" her throughout the night. In the end they become friends, while John races Falfa. John is killed by a drunk driver in December 1964.
- Charles Martin Smith as Terry "The Toad" Fields: A short, bespectacled nerd who is unsuccessful with girls. Steve lets Toad borrow his car and in return, Toad is able to meet Debbie. Toad tries to fake his image by lying (calling himself "Terry the Tiger" and telling stories how he hunts bear). The car is eventually stolen, but later recovered by the help of John. He becomes missing in action in December 1965 near An Loc.
- Cindy Williams as Laurie Henderson: She is madly in love with Steve, though Steve suggests they "see other people" (but not exactly ending their relationship) as Steve plans to go to an eastern college. The situation leads to Laurie leaving Steve for Bob Falfa. She eventually becomes married to Steve as shown in More American Graffiti.
- Candy Clark as Debbie "Deb" Dunham: Somewhat wild and rebellious, she falls for Toad due to his "intelligence", thinking he's smart enough to get the two of them a bottle of "Old Harper".
- Mackenzie Phillips as Carol: A young teenager, far younger than the other main characters, who is able to ride all night with John. Although they do not get along at first, in the end they become good friends.
- Harrison Ford as Bob Falfa: A street racer who is roughly older than most teenagers he races. He sports a cowboy hat and often has a girl by his side in the passenger's seat. After an argument with Steve, Laurie decides to join him, and survives the crash at the end with John Milner. In More American Graffiti, Ford cameos in one scene as Falfa, who holds the profession as a police officer.
- Bo Hopkins as Joe Young: The leader of "The Pharaohs" who pressures Curt into helping out with their more dubious activities. This includes stealing money from the local shop where Curt's father works and wrecking the back axle of Officer Holstein's police car. In the sequel More American Graffiti, he serves in the same unit with Toad (as they become friends) in the Vietnam War, but is killed during gunfire.
- Jana Bellan as Budda: A local carhop at Mel's Drive-In whom Toad tries to personally impress (only to be embarrassed by John). She is romantically attracted to Steve.
- Jim Bohan as Officer Holstein: The local police officer who hopes to "catch John in the act". The back axle of his police car is later wrecked by Curt and The Pharaohs.
- Wolfman Jack in the small, but pivotal role of Himself: a popular pirate radio disc jockey. "The Wolfman", as he is called, broadcasts illegally, and the cops still have yet to find him. Curt finds his station, learning advice that will change Curt's decision to stay in Modesto, or go to an Eastern college.
The casting call and notices went through numerous local high school drama groups. Over one hundred young unknown actors were considered for the role of Curt Henderson before Richard Dreyfuss won the part. Of all the characters in the script, Curt is the most personal towards George Lucas, as he himself finds some of the film autobiographical. Lucas stated, "I was Terry [the Toad], fumbling with girls. Then I became a drag racer like John [Milner]. And finally I became Curt [Henderson]."[1] John Milner was named after John Milius, a friend of Lucas's at USC School of Cinematic Arts, but the character was based on various "hot rod enthusiasts" Lucas had known in Modesto, California. Paul Le Mat was then a nineteen-year-old amateur boxing champion turned actor when he was cast.[2]
Francis Ford Coppola encouraged Lucas to ask Wolfman Jack to portray himself. On the character, Lucas quoted, "He's a legend. The mythical character I was dealing with in terms of the fantasy of radio."[3] Jack quoted, "It was played as close as I could to what it really was. If anything, it was 98 percent real. George and I went through thousands of Wolfman Jack phone calls that were taped with the public. The telephone calls heard on the broadcasts in the motion picture and on the soundtrack were actual calls with real people."[3] Harrison Ford was then concentrating on becoming a carpenter when he met casting director Fred Roos, remodeling his home. Ford agreed to take the role on the condition that he would not have to cut his hair. A compromise was eventually reached whereby Ford wore a Stetson.[3]
Development
George Lucas had pitched American Graffiti unsuccessfully around various Hollywood film studios and production companies in 1971. Alan Trustman was intrigued by the idea and impressed with Lucas's work on THX 1138 (1971), offering Lucas the chance to direct Lady Ice (1973). Lucas turned down a salary of $150,000 and a large percentage of the profits of the box office gross, determined to pursue his own projects, one of them being an "untitled space opera produced in the style of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers (1939)".[4] He originally hoped to direct a new version of Flash Gordon, and met with King Features for film licenses, though they wished for Federico Fellini to direct.[4] THX 1138 was selected at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1971, where Lucas met David Picker, president of United Artists. The studio was intrigued with both American Graffiti and Lucas's untitled science fiction film, and Picker gave Lucas $10,000 to develop a script. Lucas contacted Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck to write the script, but they were too busy with Messiah of Evil (1972), and Lucas found Richard Walter, a former colleague at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Walter was flattered, but instead tried to pitch a screenplay called Barry and the Persuasions, a story of East Coast teenagers in the late 1950s. Lucas held firm, his was a story about West Coast teenagers in the early 1960s. Lucas gave Walter the $10,000 to translate his story treatment into a script, but was dismayed when he returned and read the result, which he recalls was written in the style of a "Hot Rods to Hell exploitation film".[5]
Walter rewrote the script, but it soon became clear his ideas were out of sync with Lucas's intentions. After paying Walter, Lucas had exhausted his development fund, and he had to now write the script himself. Lucas wanted to show Picker a screenplay as soon as possible, writing his first draft in just three weeks. Drawing upon his large collection of vintage 45-rpm singles, Lucas wrote every scene with a specific musical backdrop in mind, while listening to the various record albums. American Graffiti would be the first film to feature such an extensive soundtrack of original rock and roll recordings.[5] The cost of licensing the seventy-five songs Lucas wanted was a contributory factor in United Artist's rejection of the script, calling it "a musical montage with no characters".[6] They also passed on the science fiction idea, which Lucas temporarily shelved[6] (this would eventually become the birth of Star Wars).[7] Lucas spent the rest of 1971 and early 1972 trying to raise interest in his script for Graffiti. THX 1138 had brought him an unwelcome notoriety, and he was instead offered the chance to direct films such as Tommy (1975) and Hair (1979).[6]
| "Universal was [still] being run by Lew Wasserman. He had very eccentric tastes, and he made a lot of very, very commercial movies. They did all this low-budget stuff as well. The low-budget program at Universal was based on this concept that if they liked the script, and the elements were oaky with them, they in effect wrote you a check and told you to go away and come back with a finished movie. They never bothered you at all." |
| — Producer Gary Kurtz on why Universal Pictures agreed to finance American Graffiti[6] |
By the time the project was accepted at Universal Pictures, four drafts of the script had already been written.[6] The studio greenlighted the film after Francis Ford Coppola signed on as producer, feeling he was commercially famous after The Godfather (1972).[8] As Lucas continued to work on the script, he encountered difficulties with Steve Bolander (Ron Howard) and Laurie Henderson's (Cindy Williams) storyline. Nearly two years on from his original approach, he asked Katz and Huyck if they would work on the fifth draft, and specifically on the scenes featuring Steve and Laurie. The final shooting script came 160 pages.[3]
Production
George Lucas originally choose San Rafael, California to double for the city of Modesto. Production got underway on June 26, 1972 under a limited 30-day shooting schedule. Filming was interrupted by fixing camera mounts to cars and the city of San Rafael decided to kick out the cast and crew as they felt they were disrupting local businesses. The city of Petaluma instantly welcomed filming for American Graffiti.[9] Other locations included Sonoma, Richmond, Van Ness, and Novato (where most scenes of Mel's Drive-In were shot). Petaluma High School and Tamalpais High School were used for the sock hop scenes as well as exterior depictions of the high school in the film.[10]
Filming proceeded with virtually no input or interference from Universal Pictures. American Graffiti was a low-budget project, and the studio had only modest expectations for its commercial success. However, they did object to the film's title, having no clue what "American Graffiti" meant (some thought it was about feet). Universal submitted a long list of alternative titles (with their favorite being Another Slow Night in Modesto). Lucas didn't like any of the choices and persuaded the studio to keep the title. The following are about half of Universal's preferred titles:[11]
- 1962 Was Some Year
- Ask Wolfman Jack
- Birth of the Sixties
- The Boys and Their Girls
- Buddies No More
- Burger City Blues
- Color Them Wild
- A Crowded Evening
- The Drag Years
- The Fast and the Deadly
- The First Time is the Worst Time
- The Frantic Heart
- Goodbye Burger City
- High School's Out
- It'll Never Be Like This Again
- Last Night to Make Out
- Love on Wheels
- Looking For Trouble
- Make Out as Burger City
- No More Cotton Candy
- Rock Generation
- The Savage Heart
- Something to Do
- That Crazy Time
- The Toy Dreams Gone
- Those Sweet and Sour Sixties
- To Learn About the World
- The Violent Four
- Wake Me Up, I'm Getting Older
- Wine, Women, and Song
- You Go Your Way...
- The Young and Doomed
- Young and Foolish
- The Yesterday People
Lucas had elected to shoot Graffiti using two camera operators (as he had done in THX 1138) and no formal cinematographer.[9] Since he wanted to shoot the film in a "urban documentary style", he proposed the use of Techniscope. This would add features of a 16 mm camera in a widescreen frame, which Lucas felt set the boundaries between a feature length, and a documentary film. However, the use of Techniscope presented lighting problems, and Lucas called in fellow friend Haskell Wexler (who was credited as "visual consultant"). Wexler came up with solutions by adding 1,000—2,000 powered volt light bulbs to the lamps, and asking store owners to keep their lights on throughout the night. Wexler placed twelve-volt lights inside the cars, powered directly from the batteries, to light faces of the actors for closeups.[12]
Lucas's then wife Marcia and Verna Fields (his former teacher at USC School of Cinematic Arts) performed an initial editing cut at 165 minutes.[13] Gerald Peary described the result, "... between them they set the style of cutting for the rest of the 1970s: to the nostalgic beat of old rock songs."[14] Fields left to work on What's Up, Doc?,[15] while Lucas struggled with the film's structure as the film now went up to roughly 210 minutes.[16] Lucas's choice of background music was crucial to the mood of each scene, but he was prepared for complexities of copyright clearances and suggested a number of alternate tracks.[1]
The studio personally suggested hiring an orchestra to re-record the songs. In turn, Universal proposed a deal that offered every music publisher the same amount of money. This was acceptable to most of the companies representing Lucas's first choices, but not to RCA (with the consequence that Elvis Presley is conspicuous by his absence from the soundtrack).[1] In total, $80 thousand was spent for music rights, and none for a film score. By December 1972, American Graffiti was complete.[17]
Reception
A premiere screening was set up for executives at Universal Pictures on January 28, 1973, also including a public audience. While the public audience greeted American Graffiti with positive response, Universal was less enthusiastic. This ensued with an argument between Francis Ford Coppola and executives, whereas Coppola offered to buy the film from them immediately.[18]
American Graffiti opened on August 1, 1973, accumulating over $115,000,000 in North America. The film was a box office success, as it recouped 145 times its production budget of $775,000.[19] Based on 31 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, American Graffiti received an average 97% overall approval rating;[20] the film was more balanced with the four critics in Rotten Tomatoes' "Top Critics", which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs,[21] receiving a rare and highly positive 100% approval rating.[22]
Roger Ebert felt the film reminded him of his teenage days, citing that he connected with the stories and characters. He quoted, "I can only wonder at how unprepared we were for the loss of innocence that took place in America with the series of hammer blows beginning with the assassination of President Kennedy."[23] Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader called it "a brilliant work of popular art", while he was impressed as to how the film established a new narrative style.[24] A.D. Murphy of Variety was impressed with the basic premises that included the cast, dialogue, story, design and direction.[25]
At the 46th Academy Awards, American Graffiti was nominated for five categories, losing four of them (Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay and Editing) to The Sting (1973). Candy Clark lost the Best Actress in a Supporting Role nomination to Tatum O'Neal (only 10 years old at the time) of Paper Moon (1973).[26] The film was able to win Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) at the Golden Globe Awards while Paul Le Mat won Most Promising Newcomer of the year. George Lucas received the nomination for Best Director and Richard Dreyfuss was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical.[27] Cindy Williams was nominated by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts with a Best Actress in a Supporting Role nomination.[28] Lucas received a nomination from the Director's Guild of America,[29] while the Writers Guild of America honored Lucas, Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck for a Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen Award award.[30] In 1995, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.[31] In June 2007, the American Film Institute ranked American Graffiti as #62 for its 100 Years... 100 Movies list.[32]
Legacy
George Lucas became a millionaire instantly, giving a large amount of the box office profits to Haskell Wexler for his visual consulting help during filming, and to Wolfman Jack. Lucas's net worth was now up to $4 million, and he set aside a $300,000 fund for his long cherished science fiction project, which he would title The Star Wars.[33] With his profits of the film, Lucas was able to establish more elaborate development for his division of Lucasfilm and created what would become successful companies Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound.[34] A sequel, titled More American Graffiti (1979), told the furthers stories of John Milner becoming a drag racer, Steve and Laurie's marriage, Deb becoming a country western singer, and Toad in the Vietnam War.
Lucas, Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck would later collaborate on Radioland Murders, a film released in 1994 by Universal Pictures (which Lucas also executive produced). The film features characters intended to be Curt and Laurie Henderson's parents, Roger and Penny Henderson. Additionally, several actors from American Graffiti appeared as unrelated characters.[35] Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), also directed by George Lucas, features references to American Graffiti. The yellow airspeeder that Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi use to pursue the bounty hunter Zam Wesell is based on John Milner's yellow deuce coupe[36] while Dex's Diner is reminiscent of Mel's Drive-In.[37]
References
- ^ a b c Marcus Hearn (2005). The Cinema of George Lucas. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. pp. p.56. ISBN 0-8109-4968-7.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ Hearn, p.57
- ^ a b c d Hearn, p.58
- ^ a b Hearn, p.52
- ^ a b Hearn, p.53
- ^ a b c d e Hearn, p.54
- ^ Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy Star Wars Trilogy Box Set DVD documentary, [2005]
- ^ Hearn, p.55
- ^ a b Hearn, p.61
- ^ Hearn, p.74—5
- ^ Hearn, p.60
- ^ Hearn, p.62
- ^ Dale Pollock (1999). Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas: Updated Edition. DaCapo Press. pp. p.116-7. ISBN 0306809044.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ Gerald Peary (1980-10-23). "Verna Fields". The Real Paper. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Hearn, p.64
- ^ Hearn, p.66
- ^ Hearn, p.67
- ^ Hearn, p.69—70
- ^ "American Graffiti (1973)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ "American Graffiti". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes FAQ: What is Cream of the Crop". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
- ^ "American Graffiti: Rotten Tomatoes' Cream of the Crop". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
- ^ Roger Ebert (1973-08-11). "American Graffiti". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Dave Kehr. "American Graffiti". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ A.D. Murphy. "American Graffiti". Variety. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- ^ "Academy Awards: 1974". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
- ^ "Golden Globes: 1974". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ "BAFTA Awards: 1975". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ "DGA Awards: 1974". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ "WGA Awards: 1974". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ "National Film Preservation: 1995". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ "Citizen Kane Stands the Test of Time" (PDF). American Film Institute. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
- ^ Hearn, p.72
- ^ Hearn, p.82
- ^ Hearn, p.79
- ^ "Anakin Skywalker's Airspeeder". StarWars.com. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
- ^ "Dex's Diner". StarWars.com. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
External links
