. They cruise the Modesto strip while listening to their favorite rock and roll songs, contemplating what lies ahead of them in their adulthood. There, Lucas met David Picker, then president of United Artists, who was intrigued by American Graffiti and Lucas's space opera. John Milner (Paul Le Mat) drag race scene/movie clip - chute fails to openMore American Graffiti (1979)American Graffiti (1973)More American Graffiti is a 19. : [16] Roos, a former casting director on The Andy Griffith Show, suggested Ron Howard for Steve Bolander; Howard accepted the role to break out of the mold of his career as a child actor. And Terry disappeared in Vietnam a year later, so the movie pitches forward again. Adding to the documentary feel was Lucas's openness for the cast to improvise scenes. [16] Filming began on June 26, 1972. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 1. Carol Biographical information John Milner [Steve, Terry, Laurie and John wish Curt goodbye]. We're not kids anymore," Steve tells Curt, and Lucas chooses not to remember his characters that way; instead, he briefly shows how therevolutionary 1960s affected them. The film is the first movie to be produced by George Lucas's company Lucasfilm. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Download the TMZ App on the Apple App Store, Download the TMZ App on the Google Play Store. The album contains all the songs used in the film (with the exception of "Gee" by the Crows, which was subsequently included on a second soundtrack album), presented in the order in which they appeared in the film. [4] As he developed the story in his mind, Lucas included his fascination with Wolfman Jack. : My name? [25] Principal photography ended August 4, 1972. It's an empathetic look at the distances in which our sorrows can migrate.". Regardless, Milner does his best to communicate with her. Station Attendant Curt Henderson [14] Lucas, Huyck and Katz rewrote the second draft together, which, in addition to Modesto, was also set in Mill Valley and Los Angeles. He had originally written the script so that the four (Curt, Steve, John, and Toad) storylines were always presented in the same sequence (an "ABCD" plot structure). It's past my curfew. [21] After CinemaScope proved to be too expensive,[16] Lucas decided American Graffiti should have a documentary-like feel, so he shot the film using Techniscope cameras. Height Been a long time, ain't it? Now calling himself "Terry The Tiger", he attempts all night to impress her by lying about the car being his and purchasing alcohol with no ID. He also used goofs for the final cut, notably Charles Martin Smith's arriving on his scooter to meet Steve outside Mel's Drive-In. : The early 1960s musical backdrop also links between the early years of rock 'n' roll in the mid- to late 1950s (i.e., Bill Haley & His Comets, Elvis Presley, and Buddy Holly), and mid-1960s, beginning with the January 1964 arrival of The Beatles and the following British Invasion, which Don McLean's "American Pie" and the early 1970s revival of 1950s acts and oldies paralleled during the conception and filming. Laurie Henderson John Milner 12 Partner. [70] The film's box-office success made George Lucas an instant millionaire. Norton doesn't achieve a true dramatic convergence of parallel stories; and his historical vision is confined to cheerleading reaffirmations of all the old counterculture cliches about war, cops, Women's Liberation, you name it. Carol Terry 'The Toad' Fields : That's great, man, that's really great. [9] Lucas and his colleague Gary Kurtz began pitching the American Graffiti treatment to various Hollywood studios and production companies in an attempt to secure the financing needed to expand it into a screenplay,[4] but they were unsuccessful. Set during a summer night in Modesto, 1962. We lost what could have been a great one when John Milner died while from getting hit by a drunk driver on New Year's Eve in 1964. John Milner : Is American Graffiti based on a true story? Can I put a mattress cover on a TempurPedic mattress? : [5] Lucas and writers Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz later collaborated on Radioland Murders (1994), also released by Universal Pictures, for which Lucas acted as executive producer. : What did Suzanne Somers Drive in American Graffiti? : A nostalgic slice of Americana pie filmed in a warm, naturalistic style, "American Graffiti" is the simple, wistful story of a group of California teenagers spending one last night togetherafter their high school graduation in 1962. You want me to give it to you? Directed by George Lucas, this 1973 classic is filled with cruising-for-a-bruising teens, young love, and all of the feels of the last summer before college. You're talking to the woman I love. : [11], Lucas planned to spend another five weeks in Europe and hoped that Huyck and Katz would agree to finish the screenplay by the time he returned, but they were about to start on their own film, Messiah of Evil,[9] so Lucas hired Richard Walter, a colleague from the USC School of Cinematic Arts for the job. Boy, are you up a creek. : John Milner Oh ho, funny! [to a girl in a Studebaker] Was John Milner in American Graffiti a real person? Listen, are you with him? : Set in Modesto, California, in 1962, the film is a study of the cruising and early rock 'n' roll cultures popular among Lucas's age group at the time. [17], Production proceeded with virtually no input or interference from Universal since American Graffiti was a low-budget film, and executive Ned Tanen had only modest expectations of its commercial success. [33][36] It had only modest success outside the United States, but became a cult film in France. He turned down those offers, determined to pursue his own projects despite his urgent desire to find another film to direct. : [15] As he continued to work on the script, Lucas encountered difficulties on the Steve and Laurie storyline. : : 1956 Thunderbird What did Suzanne Somers Drive in American Graffiti? Later, after the alcohol has made Terry violently sick, he sees Steve's car and attempts to steal it back. [4] Lucas embraced the idea, using his early 1960s teenage experiences cruising in Modesto, California. : I started out as Terry the Toad, but then I went on to be John Milner, the local drag race champion, and then I became Curt Henderson, the intellectual who goes off to college, They were all composite characters, based on my life, and on the lives of friends of mine. We know John Milner (Paul Le Mat) was killed by a drunken driver in 1964, so the movie has to roll back in time to visit him. Date of death December 31, 1964 Physical description Gender Male Height 5'12" (1,82 m) Eye color blue Behind the scenes Actor Paul Le Mat Our community needs more information on this page! I'll see ya. : The film received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. | Ok, so here's the deal. American Graffiti (1973) Harrison Ford: Bob Falfa Showing all 11 items Jump to: Photos (6) Quotes (5) Photos Quotes Bob Falfa : Hey man, I'm sorry if I scared ya! Steve Bolander, Terry "The Toad" Fields, Curt Henderson, Laurie Bolander, Debbie Dunham, Carol Morrison, fellow mechanics, Zudo, Beckwith, Eva, Teensa Terry Fields Paul LeMat Discusses his Role as John Milner in American Graffiti. What? Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? American Graffiti evokes mankind's relationship with machines, notably the elaborate number of hot rodshaving been called a "classic-car flick", representative of the motor car's importance to American culture at the time it was made. [16], In addition to Petaluma, other locations included Mel's Drive-In in San Francisco, Sonoma, Richmond, Novato, and the Buchanan Field Airport in Concord. United Artists also passed on Star Wars, which Lucas shelved for the time being. "It was overtly sexual and very fantasy-like, with playing chicken and things that kids didn't really do," Lucas explained. : Mind your own business, John! He held the title of Modesto's undisputed drag racing champion. Hey, man, are you all right? Aliases American Graffitimay be one of the best coming-of-age films of all time. He believed that Techniscope, an inexpensive way of shooting on 35 mm film and using only half of the film's frame, would give a perfect widescreen format resembling 16 mm. [5] In December 1997, Variety reported that the film had earned an additional $55.13million in rental revenue (equivalent to $93million in 2021). Lucas uses the soundtrack to emphasize the carefree wonder of the teenagers' current lives and what they will be leaving behind. Indeed, LeMat--aka, John Milner--and the coupe share paralleled popularity among American Graffiti fans, until you can hardly differentiate one without the other. [72] Lucas's Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (2002) features references to the film. Ford agreed to take the role on the condition that he would not have to cut his hair. we know from the end of American Graffiti that Milner dies in a car crash . John Milner [32] George Lucas had to be realistic about the complexities of copyright clearances, though, and suggested a number of alternative tracks. Didn't nobody tell ya I was lookin' for ya? Danny ODonoghue He encounters an employee who tells him the Wolfman does not work there and that the shows are pre-taped for replay, claiming the Wolfman "is everywhere" but promises to have the Wolfman air the request. I'm going to tell him you tried to rape me. In the movie, it was "the fastest thing in the valley.". 'Diegetic Music, Non-Diegetic Music, and "Source Scoring"' in, "Where Were You In '73? over there. : Lucas also intended to end American Graffiti showing a title card detailing the fate of the characters, including the death of Milner and the disappearance of Toad in Vietnam. : During a tense ride, the Pharaoh leader tells Curt that "The Blonde" is a prostitute, which he does not believe. American Graffiti depicts multiple characters going through a coming of age, such as the decisions to attend college or reside in a small town. Paul Le Mat. Le Mat, Harrison Ford, and Bo Hopkins were claimed to be drunk most nights and every weekend, and had conducted climbing competitions to the top of the local Holiday Inn sign. 6 Who sings at the Hop in American Graffiti? At The Hop/Artists. A field car runs through the fields, droppin' cow shit all over the place to make the lettuce grow. John Milner : It had been painted red and had 55,000 miles showing. Eye color [40] By the 1990s, American Graffiti had earned more than $200million (equivalent to $415million in 2021)[33] in box-office gross and home video sales. I bet you got to sneak up on the pumps just to get a little air in your tires! Hey Carol We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. : He began writing a script, completing his first draft in just three weeks. Curt smiles, pondering what could've been. Grungy? : In the original release, John Milner is listed as having been killed by a drunk driver in June of 1964 in the closing segment just before the final credits. However, Lucas soon became frustrated at the length of time it was taking to fix camera mounts to the cars. Lucas convinced the San Rafael City Council to allow two further nights of filming for general cruising shots, which he used to evoke as much of the intended location as possible in the finished film. Lying to suspicious friends that she's a cousin and he's stuck with babysitting duty, they have a series of petty arguments until another car's occupants verbally harass her as she attempts to walk home alone, John then deciding to protect her. GEORGE LUCAS MADE THE MOVIE PARTIALLY OUT OF SPITE. In his review for The Washington Post, Gary Arnold critiqued Norton's visual experimentation: "All this fussy, arbitrary switching of scenes, years and aspect ratios may wow them back in film school, but the complicated framework reveals nothing but one inconsequential or misleading vignette after another. [14] They pushed hard to get Lucas to adopt any of the titles, but he was displeased with all the alternatives and persuaded Tanen to keep American Graffiti. John Milner's 1963 drag racing shot in super wide 2.35:1 and . Yeah, I'll die soon, then it'll all be over, John. Bob Falfa [21], Petaluma, a similarly small town about 20 miles (32km) north of San Rafael, was more cooperative, and American Graffiti moved there without the loss of a single day of shooting. [24] One actor set fire to Lucas's motel room. "[50] A.D. Murphy from Variety felt American Graffiti was a vivid "recall of teenage attitudes and morals, told with outstanding empathy and compassion through an exceptionally talented cast of unknown actors". Before the mammoth success of "Star Wars," George Lucasdirected and co-wrote (along with Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck) the 1973 coming-of-age film "American Graffiti." Suzanne Somers, Kathleen Quinlan, Debralee Scott, and Joe Spano also appear in the film. The big shot! Terry Fields John Milner I'm too old for you. 5'12" (1,82 m) Bob Falfa Carol [10], THX 1138 was released in March 1971,[4] and Lucas was offered opportunities to direct Lady Ice, Tommy, or Hair. Yeah, I think so. For example, during the 1965 sequence in Vietnam, Norton uses grainy 16mm film witha hand-held camera on to evoke war reporters' footage. John Milner Yeah, yeah. : [56] Another theme is teenagers' obsession with radio, especially with the inclusion of Wolfman Jack and his mysterious and mythological faceless (to most) voice. : [23][26][27], Lucas considered covering duties as the sole cinematographer, but dropped the idea. If I had a boyfriend, he'd pound you. On their last evening of summer vacation in 1962, high school graduates Curt Henderson and Steve Bolander meet two other friends, confident drag-racing king John Milner and unpopular but well-meaning Terry "The Toad" Fields in the parking lot of Mel's Drive-In in Modesto, California. John is still a drag racer, and he falls. Paul Le Mat is best known for playing the drag racing John Milner -- opposite Ron Howard and Richard Dreyfuss -- in the 1973 film "American Graffiti." Guess what he looks like now! [44][45], American Graffiti received widespread critical acclaim. [36] In 1995, American Graffiti was deemed culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Terry meets the high-spirited bombshell Debbie (Candy Clark). Wow, you're just like the Lone Ranger. Go ahead, Curtsy, baby. You've been number one as long as I can remember. John Milner The title card at the end of "American Graffitti"does a great job of addressing the turbulent changes that were to come while still preserving the film's innocence. [34], Universal reissued Graffiti on May 26, 1978, with Dolby sound[37][38] and earned an additional $63million (equivalent to $262million in 2021),[33] which brought the total revenue for the two releases to $118million (equivalent to $490million in 2021). Sort of a cross between piss yella' and puke green, ain't it? Rock and roll's been going down hill ever since Buddy Holly died. What's a field car? "[13] Walter's script also had Steve and Laurie going to Nevada to get married without their parents' permission. The studio initially thought that the film was only fit for release as a television movie. "George Lucas and I went through thousands of Wolfman Jack phone calls that were taped with the public," Jack reflected. It was really somethin.'. Didn't nobody tell ya I was lookin' for ya? "The Filming of. : You got a bitchin' car. John is still a drag racer, and he falls in love with a woman from Iceland before heading off to his untimely death. Company Credits The anniversary of Milner's death is . : 3 What was the T Bird in American Graffiti? File that under uh, C.S. Few films have shown quite so well the eagerness, the sadness, the ambitions and small defeats of a generation of young Americans. C.S.? Along with Easy Rider (1969), American Graffiti was one of the first films to eschew a traditional film score and successfully rely instead on synchronizing a series of popular hit songs with individual scenes. These include an encounter between Toad and a fast-talking car salesman, an argument between Steve and his former teacher Mr. Kroot at the sock hop, and an effort by Bob Falfa to serenade Laurie with "Some Enchanted Evening". : The inclusionof this title text drew some criticism. I'm going to tell him how old I am, my parents don't know I'm out and you tried to rape me. The only real cool character in the American Graffiti movie series, essentially the person who The Fonz was based on in the television series. : Producer Coppola encouraged Lucas to cast Wolfman Jack as himself in a cameo appearance. Just do as I say! [22], Various studio employees who had seen the film began talking it up, and its reputation grew through word of mouth. 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