Motion Pictures American Graffiti - The Perfect Car Movie?

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American Graffiti - The Perfect Car Movie?

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Probably is overall.
Best soundtrack.
Cars? Look great on film. Are they perfect? No. But I’m sure the average rod wasn’t anyway.
My only question is why Cunningham chose to hang out with Shirley instead of the burger joint waitress.
And Fords acting was bad. But it worked out anyway.
What happened to his first girlfriend in the 55? Why trade her in on Shirley?
Toad had the best evening.

 

That's debatable....(parking lot)

 

Definitely in the running for best ever. I watch it several times a year. Brings back memories of dragging Main Street in Porterville CA in the 60s on Friday nights.

In my personally biased opinion, Hot Rod Willys is way up there too. Terrible production quality and cardboard acting but it stars a WILLYS!!!!!

One other rod movie that haunts me is Heart Like A Wheel. Huge back story to Shirley Muldowney/Connie Kalitta/Don Garlits golden era of drag racing. The thing that blows me away is Hot Rod Magazine totally missed the soap opera aspect of the story. I even remember a feature article on Shirley's funny car crash and they never mentioned her and Connie embracing afterward.

 

AG is the best mainstream I think.. Tons better than alot of stuff out there. Want to sleep watch 2 lane blacktop.

Here is the best Car movie here recently I have watched.

 

American Graffiti seems like I've watched it a 100 times and I'd watch it again tonight if it was on. It and the California Kid got me going. In 73 I was driving a nail head powered 39 deluxe coupe and building a deuce highboy roadster. I thought I had the world by the butt. That fire still burns today although at 77 it's a little dimmer.

 

AG is a stand alone movie. Too bad there weren't half a dozen copy cat movies made by film companies jumping on the bandwagon.

It holds a place in things that fueled my interest in vintage automobiles.

 

at the theater watching AG for the first time it was the best car movie ever - yep, like others have watched it many times and will watch it again - but, like opinion of cars, something else comes around the corner and grabs my attention

 

The soundtrack with Wolfman Jack was the element that tied everything together and made in authentic by California standards.

 

It's funny to me American Graffiti is about Milner the cool guy we all wanted to be in high school, and Toad the guy most of us were in school, but interviews George Lucas talks about Steve and Curt being the main characters.

It's also so strange to me how many people I know who have never seen it!

 

American Graffiti was filmed at the right time. "Where were you in '62?" That time frame was just a decade previous. The actors were old enough to get it right. The proper cars were easily found. Just a great movie.

 

The thing you have to remember is all of the actors were young. Most of them went on to have long and fruitful careers. It has flaws, but man it shaped a ton of hot rodder's minds. I used to make small scale model versions of AG as a kid. I think Lucas did a phenomenal job of having the right cars, music and the right actors for the job.

 

Here’s the original movie of the one Ryan posted I believe.
Visceral yes, watched it all. I was even at the Church parking lot where he ended the movie a few years ago.
Hero? No fking way. Run like that on a track. Luckily no one was killed.

 

My brother asked Paul why the 32 had a stumble from a start he said it was cold out first gear was bad he had to start in second. We talk to him at back to the 50's. I always that the real star car was that bad ass 55.

 

American Graffiti is the reason I own my Merc.

 

Artwork I did some time ago ..............

 

Not to get into the cinematic weeds, but C'etait un Rendezvous is a Short film, not a feature length movie, like AG. Feature films require an Act 1,2,3 story structure, versus just an action-packed narrative.
Dig?

 

I thought we all would have the dvd of the movie.

 

VHS (recorded at home with commercials) is more traditional.

 

American Graffiti is my number one, but Hollywood Knights is a close second!

 

There really is no other hot rod movie that's so well rounded.
Either they totally screw up the car part and/or the acting and story line leaves way too much to be desired.
There's a reason Lucas has had a long and storied career since American Graffiti.

 

Definitely the best mix of cars and story from my perspective. There are other movies that may be better for certain aspects, but AG has something for everyone and is a movie I can watch over and over...and have.

 

Not a single pigeon was hit in that french film !
I am from the San Joaquin Valley, ( MERCED/ATWATER area ), so AG is always a favorite of mine, but I have to include the cult classic, the original Vanishing Point, and the other cool cult classic, Tarrentinos
" Death Proof " Zoey Bell is the real deal, on the hood of that challenger !

 

AG, TLB and Hollywood Knights burned tri 5s into my brain.

 

I am probably the only hot rod guy on the planet who has only seen American Graffiti once at the movies when it came out. I don't do cable. if it was on TV over the years I may have seen bits and pieces, never from start to finish.

there was another TV Movie with some cool cars most notably a 56 Nomad "gasser". I can't remember the name

 

I saw AG at the California Theater in San Bernardino, Ca with my stepdad. I couldn't wait to get my license and start cruising Market St in Riverside. AG is one of the reasons I wanted a Merc.

 

Toad is the only guy in the movie not frustrated in the chic department
Cunningham-frustrated at Shirley
Dreyfus and the blonde from 3s company never met
Indiana Jones lost 2 chicks.
Milner got stuck with the homely girl from One Day At A Time
Toad is the only guy that hooked up

 

I super loved AG,*****
And on the other side of the coin, "More AG" ,sucked so bad ,I was shocked by the waste of good actors an time n $.
Stem from ,what most did not even stay to see,at the very end of AG. That end added crap was Hollywood stupid in it's lowest form,that then made very bad #2 movie,totally missing what made AG great*=> I'm going to us a pun; Happy Days feel good n fun with great sounds vs sad BS with not so great sounds<<<How far off can anyone miss it! I'm sure ,I could of written better sequel,just by writing our stuff ,our hood did, we really did in the 50s n 60s .*
OK, I've ranted enough about #2 AG being a fail in my book*.
I know there are some,that are OK with More AG,and maybe it made me to sad,I really did have good buddy's that died in these times,so the only way I want to remeber them,is having fun an hotrodden it. They lived,not that they died.
I go to a movie to be entertained an walk out feeling good,never to be sad !!!!!!
If you don't think I'm right,try reading any of my "Way Back Story's" here on HAMB.
I've thought about writing a PREQUEL to AG, being they screwed up the sequel so bad. Or just a hole new good early 60s pic.
I really did like Grease,even though I'm not a musicals fan,the other one I liked was West Side Story<the old one,the new remake super sucked on that also. I'm going on 80 this year,get off my grass JD Punk's