Motion Pictures Making American Graffiti

Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post:

Making American Graffiti

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As my wife likes to joke, she knew I grew up in a good town when I told her I saw the movie poster for this as a kid and did not know what "graffiti" meant.

With this film and his next (Star Wars) Lucas did two things nobody has pulled off since; cheap music rights on the amazing wall-to-wall soundscape of Graffiti, and securing merchandising rights to Star Wars.

He also made the best car film to date. Don't hold our breaths waiting for the next!

I later went to USC film school where most Lucas devotees obsessed with Star Wars, and I tried to remind them about Graffiti.

 

Thanks jive bomber. I enjoyed that

 

Best movie ever

 

Great take Jive, I remember when Toad ran into that trash can, and later in the movie you
could still see the big dent in it. I always thought it was an accident, and now I know it was.

 

It was amazing how many parallels there were to my growing up in Stamford CT. The cars, the girls, even the wise ass guy in the 55 Chevy. We had a guy that showed up in a dark blue 52 Ford that was fast and he would challenge the hot rods. Again his personality was just like that of Harrison Ford's character . He wore a cowboy hat and all.

 

Change Mel's drive-in to Oscars on El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego and it represents the era and the action perfectly.

 

Favorite movie of all time, my family can attest.

 

The annual Salute to American Graffitti in Petaluma Ca. is this weekend. Still time to make it. Attended a couple of years ago and had a great time. A friend is there this year with his '55 Chev.

 

There was a Milner type in our town, and in the name of full disclosure I'd almost have to peg myself as Toad -- in the sense of having a car that was much cooler than I was, at least.

 

Supposed to be located in Modesto Calif. but the #1 Friday night cruise Main Street town in the Valley in the 60s was Porterville. Guys from Bakersfield would travel to Porterville to cruise Main. Stop at Coleman's next to Porterville High to get a cherry-marshmallow 7-UP and hit the road again.

 

Here in the UK at the time, we didn't get first release of a new film until about 6 months after its release in the USA, and then in pre-video days, there was usually a 2nd round of showing about 12-18 months later, and it was on the 2nd time around that I first went to see Graffiti......so it was around 1975, and as a 12 year old that I just discovered real 'Rock n Roll' the timing of Graffiti added a perfect picture snapshot of what the era meant in the USA other than just the music......
And I've been hooked ever since, music, clothes, cars, culture, architecture....... a life defining film for me, along with The Battle of Britain movie from 1969.

 

Very cool to see some of the "inside" story on the making of the film. All of us who cruised the Queenstown Mighty Mo or the Capitol Plaza Hot Shoppes in Hyattsville, Maryland related 100% to the movie. All of the characters could be found in our area, they just went by different names.

 

I only saw the movie on TV as a kid, along with Happy Days, and I was geeking out on the cars, the whole plot/sub-plot was wasted on me. LOL.

You and I are about the same age, but I think it was Patton for me, but I really liked BoB, "...takka, takka, takka..."

 

1963, I was getting out of high school, cruising my slammed, floor shifted, split piped 53 Chevy hardtop around the small towns in the area and thinking I was dam cool. HA! By the time Graffiti came out I was married but heavy into hot rods and was doing my thing in a piss yellow deuce highboy roadster while building a deuce sedan for the soon to come family. American Graffiti and the November 73 issue of Rod and Custom have influenced my life to this day. At 72 I'm still chasing hot rods and am currently building a heavy chopped deuce 5 window to join my stable of 4 other deuces. Thanks George Lucas for making dreams come true.

 

This is cool, what it looks like today.

 

That video "revisit" is awesome, did a hell of a job putting that together!

 

What Lucas was trying re-create with filming at Mel's Drive-In was Modesto's "Burges Drive-In" on 9th street in Modesto since demolished to make room for social progress.

 

I'm not 100% sure it was the same guy, but there is a Bullitt one like this as well.

 

Of course you are aware of the legendary 1964 Drag Racing Tour to UK buy a bunch of famous racers including Ohio George and KS Pittman with their '33 Willys.

http://ukdrn.co.uk/five-decades-ago-happening/

 

Fresno was very much like this in the late 50's early 60's Mars or Stan's drivein's Cruising the main or Belmont and running em out on Thorne or Snake Road or short blasts on H street(not real sure of the roads--long time ago.) In 62 I was running my 57 Pontiac on the streets and at Madera, Raisin City and Half Moon Bay a few times. It was very much like the movie in Fresno, Merced and Madera-lots of neat cars and many impromptu street races. Got caught in 61 in CHP chase/roadblock drag racing and spent a little time in the can (5 days)

 

Great clip! Great movie. Thanks Jay

 

Thanks El Caballo, you made my morning at work and the conference call I sat through while I watched your video post most worth while.

 

The guy in the Ford could have been Ed Prout from Bristol; about right time frame and he did make Fords run well..

 

Long version

 

Not sure what that Ford had in it, but will ask an old friend when I see him. He almost looked like Ford in the movie. The Ford could have been a 53 or 54, I will check.

 

I've always been a car nut thanks to my parents. But growing up in the generation of Fast & Furious, movies like American Graffiti and my personal favorite car movie of all time Hollywood Knights helped push my love for old cars and great music

 

It is a good movie.

 

Ex wife and 3 different g/f always asked me the same question whenever AG, Animal House, Back to School, and a few others came on.........
"How many times are you going to watch that?"

The answer, as all of you know, is "Every time they show it."