I can honestly say American Graffiti is one of the best films in the history of the craft. There is a bitter sweet timeless quality to it that is hard to articulate. It conjures up deep emotions about the brevity of life, that fleeting thing we call youth and the decisions we are confronted with as young people embarking on the threshold of adulthood. So much changes in our lives and those sweet innocent memories return sometimes in the midst of busy lives to make us pause and remember people we once knew. People who will always be young.
Interesting how the movie executive elites tried to crush this movie, and the themes that surrounded it. SF Chronicle trashed it with an F rating, the lowest. Guess the CIA ordered that.
Beautiful way of explaining the feelings most of us have had about the movie at one time or another. I first saw this movie when I was 8 when my dad was taking us to see the Mets at Shea and they announce there was going to be a long rain delay, so he took us to see this movie. I have seen it thru different eyes thru out my life. Your words remind me of the last line from Stand by Me. “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?”
Hard to watch this , having seen the movie when it first came out ,walked out of the theatre and got into my 68 Camaro and cruised the rest of the night , stopping at the A&W to get a root beer when the sun came up, with not a care in the world...in my sixties now , this yt just reminds me of all the years that have passed , the friends lost , the loss of youth ...to see this is to see the ghosts of all that came before , it punctuates the passage of time and reminds how little is left, to be able to live a few of those days over again would be the greatest of gifts.
F-ing hell mate chill out its not that bad!.im bloody old but just look back. i grew up in London we had the best music and much better times.we were lucky,
My mom graduated from high school in 1962, and she loved this movie. I remember my dad got her the soundtrack on vinyl for her birthday back when this came out in the theater. I would listen to it all the time, thinking how cool the music was back then. My mom passed away in 1986 at 44, and when I see this movie, or hear music from it, I think of her. This video was very well done. Thank you, and I miss you mom....
Jelsick, it's not goodbye forever. It's just so long for now. In time you'll see, meet and hug her again. She'll be there to help you over along with your Father. Then you all can go cruising main street together and listen to these songs together.
Those who did not spend their teenage years in the 1960s, as I did, cannot fully understand how special and unique the true "cruising" era actually was. Occasionally I go to a "cruise-in" or some other event that tries to recapture the spirit of that era, and it isn't possible to do so. I feel lucky to have experienced rock & roll before it was corrupted by the British Invasion, lucky to have started working on cars under the patient tutelage of my grandfather and uncle before I was even 10 years old, and lucky that my fondest memories and friendships were built in authentic human interaction, not by "friending" someone on an internet app.
Savadorason1 my nephew is 10 years old and he loves movie his Mother and father took him to this town where they celebrate it every year some parts of the movie the dinner was filmed in San Francisco
Many of the locations haven't changed very much. One thing's for sure, Candy Clark hasn't changed a bit! She's still very beautiful even without the classic bouffant hairstyle! I would compare her to Connie Stevens in a heartbeat! And Sandra Dee! American Graffiti is one of the greatest movies in history and it's one of my very favourites to this day! ~Dutch
*"The millennials of today who never lived in those days missed an incredible time to live and grow up in"* Man, you aint kiddin. This is one of America's all time great movies, and as things continue to change in this nation, for the worse, we will be lamenting even more so for that era.
I said just what you said , and got ran through the ringer over it , the people told me that today's kids got it 100% better these days and I had better wake up and get with the times , I'm happy I did grow up in 70s 80s wouldnt trade it for this bullshit , thanks 🤨🤓
@@Woozler554 They missed polio, a few meat grinder wars, No EPA, and no fault divorce not being create. Life was rough. Hollywood disguised the reality.
".......OK Toad, we'll take em all......" How Brilliant that the re shoot of that scene was done at the exact same time of day this guy REALLY has a touch for these movies and videos obviously an act of love
i am 17 years old i have a 1963 chevy belair all original and i am always cruising to the american graffiti sound track ? yes kids now day thinks i am a little weird but to me there weird !!! WHO COULD NOT WANT TO LIVE BACK THEN !!!!! "WHERE WERE YOU IN 62"
Young man I too at your age was into the 50’s even saw Chuck Berry at the San Diego sports arena in 1976! I use to listen to Wolfman Jack on the radio!! Stay cool enjoy that awesome car keep real Rock and Roll alive!
I've lived in that town (Petaluma) for almost 40 years, and it really hasn't changed all that much. The outskirts have grown a lot, but downtown is still the same as it was when the movie was filmed, which is part of the reason I love Petaluma so much.
My parents were teenagers in 55 in Alameda CA right next to Oakland and used to cruise Mels Drive In.... When American Graffiti came out I remember them talking about it and the car clubs and the music etc I could hear the magic in their voices and see it in their eyes Thank you Lucas for what is actually an important documentary that will last the Ages....
I uncle was born in 1946 and came of age in Atlantic City, NJ through the early 60's. Many stories I've heard him tell that parallel this movie. I'm sorry folks my age (born 1984) and our children will never know a world like this.
@@hilltopmachineworks2131 Awesome! The 55 was always my favorite car and was the second one I owned. Mine was dark blue and looked like the one in the movie with the wheel wells cut out .Loved that look. It would be great to find that car if it's still around. Enjoy yours brother.
I graduated from San Rafael High School in Marin County in 1958. Thank you George Lukas for documenting my high school experience. Been to all of these places including Mel's Diner. The 50's were great. At my high school reunions we all talk about how glad we are to have grown up in the 50's.
I gotta say, there isn't a time when the movie appears that I don't sit and watch it. I can pretty much recite every line. LOL Loved it in 1973, love it today. Gotta give a shout out to "Hollywood Knights" too. A part of American that is gone now but never forgotten.
My Dad may he rest in peace grew up in a small town like this. I watched this movie with him for the first time on VHS. He told me about cruising the main Street on Saturday night it's a great movie
This will always be my favorite movie it brings back so many memories when I was in high school in the 60's. I lot of the kids drove trucks but there were some 55 fords, 57 Chevy, one girl drove a 59 Edsel I drove a 66 mustang [$1450 600 with miles on it] for two months then it was totaled, so I bought a 67 Malibu with the insurance.[ $1700, 800 miles]. I finished high school with this car in 1969. Uncle Sam was calling for Viet Nam so after high school I went in the Airforce. And after basic training, I came home an nd bought a 1970 Dodge Challenger. it had 1200 miles on it $2400.These were some good times in my life.
It's a special movie for me, since I lived those years & was born with a penchant for cars. It still hurts that those days are gone. The days when you could be a mechanic to hot rod a car, instead of a bloody hacker. I hate all this computerized crap in my car. And cruisin in your coolest "glad rags" on Friday & Saturday night. They live now, only in my memories...may those memories never die for us old road warriors! I also didn't know this 55 - 454 chevy is the same car used in 2-lane blacktop!
I drove a '55 Chevy 2 door hardtop with a souped up 283 cubic inch engine during my high school years in the sixties. Our drag races took place close to midnight, and no one ever stood in front of the cars to start the races. Great movie. It brought back a lot of fond memories of my high school years.
Heavens to Murgatroyd , My '55 was not stock. I purchased a '58 283 engine from a local savage yard and rebuilt it. I replaced the rings, bearings, including cam bearings. Installed a 30-30 solid lifter cam along solid lifters. I installed a four barrel intake manifold along with a Carter four barrel carburetor. I had the valves ground at a local shop, which installed new Corvette solid lifter valve springs matched for the 30-30 cam I had purchased. I also had the heads trued up at a machine shop. Except for the valve job and head grinding, I did the rebuild myself. I was sixteen years old and borrowed a Chilton's repair manual and tools from a local mechanic named Buster Paine. He was the only mechanic in town who would loan tools to teenagers. My little Chevy was clocked by state police doing 127 mph. That was its top end speed. I lived in a dry country and occasionally ran booze. The sheriff's deputies and local police could not catch me, their cars had six cylinder engines. I finally called it quits when a new state policemen assigned to our town, pulled up along side of me and waved me over. I was going flat out. My Sun tachometer was reading over 5000 RPM. My speedometer did not work. The trooper was driving his new Ford cruiser. It had a 426 CI engine.
Absolutely.. the attention to detail is incredible. Love,the film. I do wonder what happened to Mr Lucas’s original 2hour cut of the film, and if we’ll ever see it?
The love the maker put into this is a classic in its own right. I grew up in Stockton and did cruising in my buddy's White 58 Chevy. American Graffiti soundtrack is in my truck. My teenager just watched it 3 times and loves it. Brings back fond memories. Thanks for this tribute.
Great job.Brought tears to my eyes thinking about my dad.(r.i.p.).In 62,mom was 20 and dad was 25.I'm going to show this movie to my son,he needs to see how things were before all the drugs and violence.
Seen this movie a jillion times. This was what my junior and senior year. Brings back good memories of my friends, classmates and the fun we had. Not everyone had a hot road but who cared.
IKR Mhm true, but the early 60s are still considered to be that era, until 1963, in 64 the Beatles ruined everything. Then baby boomers really fucked up the country.
I was born in 1974 surrounded by muscle cars galore, and this film means so much to me that I had to just say thank you so much for making this and sharing for all of us to see!
Thank you so much for this presentation - I lived that area in the North East, (at least six months a year between snowfalls). These were the days when American was innocent and "pure", at least for us Baby Boomers growing up - Vietnam was still far away, Korea was forgotten, my father was alive. Thank you for the memories, Ciao, L (a Disabled Veteran)
@@rootieboy Hi Jeffrey, this is getting really old, were you oppressed, have you really experienced what you are talking about??? I was raised in the Northeast, our racial, gender, denomination, preference(s), etc... heritage did not make any difference of "treatment" to any of us. Then, I served 28 years in our military including a lot of combat time, we were ALL Americans and that is the only thing that mattered to us. If you feel "guilty", it is not my problem. The good thing about America, is that if you do not like it, if you like to criticize my country - you are "privileged", yes, you are privileged of being able leave the United States as opposed to some other countries where you would be captive and would really, I mean really experience what segregation, discrimination, persecution, entrapment, enslavement... is. You are also free to find and move to your utopian country, a country that has a perfect track record... bye bye... Ciao, L
@@lancelot1953 Well, I'm not a nationalist, so I'm ok with actually fixing the problems in our country to make it a better place for those who did in fact not have the right to vote in many states until the 1960s. To those who are still being shot by cops
@@lancelot1953 And just because I wasn't the one being oppressed does not mean I turn the other way when others are. My dad graduated high school in 1962. He's white and understands that racism was very much alive in this "innocent and pure" time you speak of. Just because I can call my country out on injustices does not mean I should leave. The beauty of our country is that we can create change. We can amend laws and the Constitution is a living document, not some solidified 10 commandments.
I Met Wolfman Jack when I was working a fair...He had his road show w/ The Tokens Shangri Las & A Few More....What an honor to exchange stories & get an autograph
Those of us that grew up in the 50s and 60s are still alive and well in 2017, dealing with life. It was great then, but that got us prepared for life now. Embrace life now, it'll prepare you for life 50 years down the road.
I was only 14 when the movie came out but it left a lasting impression on me. Three years later I bought a 56 T-Bird and thought of the movie every time I drove it. I wish Miss Sommers was at my side! The times and cars will never be the same.
I was fresh back from Vietnam when this flick came out. A few years before in 69 I had a 60 Impala ragtop, I'd do anything to have that Jet Smooth (as chevy called it) ride back, I loved it.
In Fed. of 1972 I was one of the original 12 members to join the Mid Michigan Street Rod Association with my 1941 Willis Coupe all black with a 427 L88 4 speed x drag car. In the late summer of 1973 our club was invited to attend the opening show for American Grafitty in Lansing Michigan. We arrived early and displayed our cars out front of the North Side Drive Inn,we recieved free admission,it was a special time for all of us hew owned street rods at the time. I've never forgotten that night with my beautiful wife of 2 years.To those hew made this video,great job well done. Gary Woodruff
matt, that's an interesting bit of info. do you know if mel's was still in business at the time of filming? or was it just sitting there vacant? just a side note--did you have to click on something in order for "+Jeff B" to appear next to the comment that you sent him? i'm fairly new at this, and would like to know how to send my comments directly to people just like that...thanks!
oldiesgeek1 hi oldies, I read online that the Mel's it was filmed at was on the verge of closing for good, but after the movie, there was a huge boom in business. It didn't last much longer after that. There are still Mel's in CA though. I went by one in Hollywood. Also, I replied using my phone. I just held my finger on Jeff's comment and it gave me an option to reply.
thanks for the quick reply--very interesting insight. one other thing i forgot to mention: i wonder if that same Mel's was one of Lucas's hangouts in his teen years? as for the best way to respond to a comment, it sounds like i've been doing it the same exact way that you described. i'm using a smart phone as well...thanks again!
The Mel's in LA is nothing like that Mel's though still cool but parking sucks it's valey " it's right off Hollywood Blvd at highland Ave I'm suprised the original Mel's was in San Francisco , that style diner is always a theme for 50"s movies even Happy Days had there's .
How many times I saw this film. The first was the night in Tokyo when entrance exams of university ended. I grew up in a rural area of Japan, the film did not come to my home town, and I was in the middle of preparing for the exams. This film laps over the days I was going out from my home town to a rather good university in Tokyo. The best film for me.
I grew up with this movie. I’m 47 now. And since I was a kid I used to “floor” the imaginary gas pedal each time Harrison or Paul would hit it. Back in the early 00’s, Me and a few friends at work (as mechanics) used to recite this movie almost word for word.
this film represents our world & brings back many memory's . I drove a 56 Plymouth fury , the chevy boy's could get me off the line drag racing but @ 200 yds I would "eat their lunch" thx to the whole movie crew for this eternal classic...............
I was 13 when this movie came out, growing up in Massachusetts. I’m 64 now ,still have the soundtrack on vinyl,and today my wife and I drove through downtown Petaluma. The buildings still look the same.
I'm glad I took the time to watch this. The first time I saw American Graffiti was at the theatre when I was 12. My parents knew I loved cars so they took me to see it. It is one of my favorite movies. Still watch it every couple of years. I grew up in the Bay Area and knew the movie was filmed in Petaluma. Although the mini-golf scene with Curt and the Pharoahs was filmed in my home town of Pinole. I always wondered where the "Paradise Road" scene was filmed but never took the time to look it up. I didn't realize it was Frates Road in Petaluma until I watched this. I use that road, as I'm sure others do, as a shortcut to Santa Rosa from my home in the Sacramento area. Never would have figured that out on my own.
Me and a bunch of guys from my outfit went to see the movie when it came out. One of them jumps up and shouts "that's my hometown!" during one of the scenes. He was from San Raphael. I still have the car I was driving that summer too!
The fuck you got no technology then you'd be bored to death, and i know what you're thinking (fucking millennial). Just imagine a world without internet lol impossible, shitty tv etc
@@DryTeePiggles You didnt miss what you didnt have. I was born in 1961 so I grew up without the internet. Now that I have it I dont use it that much. People did more things and went more places back then......talked to each other more....listened to music more......read more books......young people are socially retarted nowdays and walk around with their face in their phone screen! I even see young couples in restaurants and they're not talking.....they are playing with their damn phone!!!
Absolutely fantastic post!! American Graffiti is one of my most favorite films of all time. It was great to see then and now shots of filming locations...thank you for the post!!
I first saw this movie at the drive in back in 1977 and couldn't help but do a massive burnout when I left.. it's been my favourite movie since & watch it every chance I get..
I must have been around 13 - 15 when I saw this movie for the first time and it hit me so hard that I watched it maybe more than a hundred times and still, as a 64-year-old pensioner, I'm not bored , I can't say which one had a bigger effect, the little yellow deuche or the music that still makes my leg twitch and other songs bring tears to my eyes in the corner of the eye.
The producers came to the Jr. Highs and high schools in Fremont to get us to be extras for the Fremont Race way. I was sick the day of the filming. One of my friends went. They did not have enough extras so when they showed the stands they would signal them and everyone would move down the stands to make it look like more people were really there. A fun movie. My cousin Valarie and her boyfriend Steve showed up from out of state and took both my brother and I to see it. It was a school night. That never happened. Lol. Loved it and will never forget the fun times
Wow, blown over. Thank you Attia and the ubiquitous "YT algorithm". I was born in 1960 and grew up in small town Norway on the coat tails of Rock'n'Roll history. I never got to watch American Graffiti until decades after it was released, but the movie struck a deep chord in me. I vividly remember an evening in the autumn of 1978, preparing for the next day when I would be leaving for Casablanca in Morocco to join a ship's crew. That didn't faze me (and over the next years I had the opportunity to explore the world), but leaving my home town did. There was an anticipation, a nervousness, a realisation, a sense of something coming to an end: by sunrise I would be on a train heading for Oslo, and what I had known about life -- as a kid and as a teenager -- would soon be just a memory.
im from NZ when i saw tis movie in 74 i was 15 with hair halfway down my back . 2 days later i had a DA and my girlfriend didnt recognise me when we hooked up to see the movie again . i thrashed the double vinyl album and know every single song on it .
Being a car guy myself this is one of my favorite movies of all time. Unfortunately I missed this period in history by 20 years as I turned 18 and 1982.
That must have taken a long time and a lot of work to meld those scenes together like that. I found it fascinating to see how some scenes changed, but others didn't change much at all. This is still one of my all time favorite films. The sequel, although interesting to watch, got a lot more serious and not nearly as much 'fun'. There was some brilliant acting by so many in that cast. They all seemed to really know each other as friends that they had been for years together.
Thank you for posting the THEN and NOW locations for AG. I am surprised that many of the locations still exist. The Paradise road juxtapositions are excellent and I am also glad there is no shopping mall out there.
Brilliantly done !!!! Many congratulations !!!! A fitting tribute to a wonderful picture. I've got a Blu-Ray disc of it, so I can go on watching this lovely picture, forever.
I, from San Francisco and Sonoma County, saw this film when first came ot in theater in Chicago or Madison. No idea what it'd be about. Got excited right off and proclaimed to nearby patrons, '"Hey, I know that place! That's Mel's on Van Ess Avenue,,.and that's downtown Petaluma! Stayed quiet in my seat thereafter, after disinterest in my comment. Loved the film, but have not seen it in its entirety since. 'Bout time I saw it again. Saw SF. premier (late 80s?) of "Let it Ride " with Richard Dreyfuss and Terri Garr. Run cut short. It immediately went to VHS. Two academy award winners unappreciated by public. Jennifer Tilley in there too. What was not to like? Thanking the poster of the video. Excellent.
Thanks for this !! One of the BEST movies EVER made !! I was 13 yrs. old when this movie came out. I wanted a 55 chevy sooo bad..my grandmother had a 54 in her garage that sat for 9 yrs. She gave it to me on my 16 birthday and of course I wanted to take out the straight six and put a Big Block in it (with me and my friends) and then paint it black ! But my Dad said No !! 😂😂 It was all original...it just needed to be rebuilt...it was probably for the better. I would wind up working my butt off for a 69 Chevelle SS....You could by nice muscle cars back in 76 for under $3000. Lol... Amazing ! I have the original LP and even have the original movie poster (from a manager I knew at a movie show) of this movie. Truly a legendary film 🎥 ! P.S. Yes, I sold the 54 (stock) and Chevelle SS when my daughter was born in 86. 😂. Great Times though !! 👍
Bar none best "film vs. locations" documentary I've ever seen. Great research, great montage, thank you! Note: I may be wrong but I think that in the early '70s, Mel's Drive-In was owned and operated by a company by the name of Fosters West, and was very much open for business. While it was used for American Graffiti, the place was only closed to the public during the couple of nights of filming. There is a recount of American Graffiti crew members raiding the kitchen one night and getting in trouble with Mel's management the next day for depleting their pantry. The Drive-In closed down years after the film was released, when Fosters West filed for bankruptcy. The diner was demolished in the fall of 1976. I was 15, living in France and had just become an American Graffiti addict... *sigh* Merci Hervé!
my father said it was filmed in Modesto cause that was the setting, I told him no it was filmed in Petaluma Ca. Where they filmed it was downtown Petaluma, very fitting for the time and a lot of it still has that small town feel. The drag race was out on Old Adobe road. It is much more traffic and such. Great to see it.
VERY well put together! Kudos! As a 71 year old baby boomer as of 12/2/23 I can’t even begin explain how important and enjoyable this movie was when it hit the theatres! Thank you for your endeavor in making this video and bringing back to me great memories of the past! ~Jim~
I grew up in Merced country and this movie bring back all the memories of Friday & Saturday night cruising down main st in Merced. Everything about this movie was very closed to how things went down on cruise night. I remember trying to buy liquor a stores along main street, met up with friends, exchanged passengers, chased each other on back road...like G street; that is were the turn around spot was. There was two turn around areas, one on south end other on north end. If you were lucky you would hit a red light with a car that matched up with yours and everyone one the sidewalks would know what came next! The big race...I didn't do to bad! Thanks for the video...
![American Graffiti (1973) Cast: Then and Now [49 Years After]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/r1MVSnWRc0g/mqdefault.jpg)
I can honestly say American Graffiti is one of the best films in the history of the craft. There is a bitter sweet timeless quality to it that is hard to articulate. It conjures up deep emotions about the brevity of life, that fleeting thing we call youth and the decisions we are confronted with as young people embarking on the threshold of adulthood. So much changes in our lives and those sweet innocent memories return sometimes in the midst of busy lives to make us pause and remember people we once knew. People who will always be young.
Interesting how the movie executive elites tried to crush this movie, and the themes that surrounded it. SF Chronicle trashed it with an F rating, the lowest.
Guess the CIA ordered that.
The way you wrote this puts a lump in my throat...most beautifully written comment I've ever seen online❤️
@@karinkesel5577 Thank you for those kind words Karin.
Beautiful way of explaining the feelings most of us have had about the movie at one time or another. I first saw this movie when I was 8 when my dad was taking us to see the Mets at Shea and they announce there was going to be a long rain delay, so he took us to see this movie. I have seen it thru different eyes thru out my life. Your words remind me of the last line from Stand by Me. “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?”
American Graffiti captured the true essence of that era. American Graffiti just rocked it.
Hard to watch this , having seen the movie when it first came out ,walked out of the theatre and got into my 68 Camaro and cruised the rest of the night , stopping at the A&W to get a root beer when the sun came up, with not a care in the world...in my sixties now , this yt just reminds me of all the years that have passed , the friends lost , the loss of youth ...to see this is to see the ghosts of all that came before , it punctuates the passage of time and reminds how little is left, to be able to live a few of those days over again would be the greatest of gifts.
My gosh. This makes me cry, seriously.
F-ing hell mate chill out its not that bad!.im bloody old but just look back. i grew up in London we had the best music and much better times.we were lucky,
@@MrRonan3 If you grew up in London you just wouldn't get it. It's an American nostalgia thing.
Amen...brother.
I still take da 72' out & cruise it to get the feeling(s) of Days Gone By.....
@@Bob31415 I also was not there when the titanic sunk. but i still watched the film.
My mom graduated from high school in 1962, and she loved this movie. I remember my dad got her the soundtrack on vinyl for her birthday back when this came out in the theater. I would listen to it all the time, thinking how cool the music was back then. My mom passed away in 1986 at 44, and when I see this movie, or hear music from it, I think of her. This video was very well done. Thank you, and I miss you mom....
So sorry for your loss my friend.
Agree sorry for your loss Sir, glad you have something so special to remember her by.
Your comment made me cry, I lost my mom a year ago this February
Jelsick, it's not goodbye forever. It's just so long for now. In time you'll see, meet and hug her again. She'll be there to help you over along with your Father. Then you all can go cruising main street together and listen to these songs together.
Im so sorry you lost your mom at such an early age. That's crappy deal for sure. Grrrrr
Those who did not spend their teenage years in the 1960s, as I did, cannot fully understand how special and unique the true "cruising" era actually was. Occasionally I go to a "cruise-in" or some other event that tries to recapture the spirit of that era, and it isn't possible to do so.
I feel lucky to have experienced rock & roll before it was corrupted by the British Invasion, lucky to have started working on cars under the patient tutelage of my grandfather and uncle before I was even 10 years old, and lucky that my fondest memories and friendships were built in authentic human interaction, not by "friending" someone on an internet app.
Thank you. American Graffiti is one of the best movies ever. It's a way of life that is still in our hearts.
I lived in Petaluma for 20 years after American graffiti. I recognize every part of this video. Thanks for sharing!👍
I used to watch the arm wrestling competitions from Petaluma back in the 70s, Wide World of Sports ABC!
My wife still teases me because this is one of my all time fav. movies that i've seen umpteen million times.
+Savadorason1 you have very good taste in movies , i watch this one often too.
Savadorason1 my nephew is 10 years old and he loves movie his Mother and father took him to this town where they celebrate it every year some parts of the movie the dinner was filmed in San Francisco
I just turned 50
I've watched over 200 times and I actually got to see it in 1973 at the theater on dollar night in Rock Hill S.C.
It's a great movie
Many of the locations haven't changed very much. One thing's for sure, Candy Clark hasn't changed a bit! She's still very beautiful even without the classic bouffant hairstyle! I would compare her to Connie Stevens in a heartbeat! And Sandra Dee! American Graffiti is one of the greatest movies in history and it's one of my very favourites to this day!
~Dutch
YouCantHoldOnTooLong Petaluma california
YouCantHoldOnTooLong still a hottie. .I was 2 when the film came out but I'd still go for her lol
Easily one of the greatest movies ever made. I agree.
Saw her in Ventura a few years ago.
She looks great !!!
The "millenials" of today who never lived in those days missed an incredible time to live and grow up in.
Oh, but the millennials have Rap music, gay "marriage", Antifa, and safe spaces. Don't we all envy them?
That’s definitely an understatement!!!
*"The millennials of today who never lived in those days missed an incredible time to live and grow up in"* Man, you aint kiddin. This is one of America's all time great movies, and as things continue to change in this nation, for the worse, we will be lamenting even more so for that era.
I said just what you said , and got ran through the ringer over it , the people told me that today's kids got it 100% better these days and I had better wake up and get with the times , I'm happy I did grow up in 70s 80s wouldnt trade it for this bullshit , thanks 🤨🤓
@@Woozler554 They missed polio, a few meat grinder wars, No EPA, and no fault divorce not being create. Life was rough. Hollywood disguised the reality.
".......OK Toad, we'll take em all......"
How Brilliant that the re shoot of that scene was done at the exact same time of day
this guy REALLY has a touch for these movies and videos
obviously an act of love
Wow, Paradise Rd was and still is spot on...👍👍👍👍
Indeed...the sunrise justing coming up...
i am 17 years old i have a 1963 chevy belair all original and i am always cruising to the american graffiti sound track ? yes kids now day thinks i am a little weird but to me there weird !!! WHO COULD NOT WANT TO LIVE BACK THEN !!!!!
"WHERE WERE YOU IN 62"
Atta boy chance!!! Love them 63's
I was 3.
A lot of things were better then
Young man I too at your age was into the 50’s even saw Chuck Berry at the San Diego sports arena in 1976! I use to listen to Wolfman Jack on the radio!! Stay cool enjoy that awesome car keep real Rock and Roll alive!
I was 9 years old and living in Albuquerque, New Mexico
I graduated high school in'73... One of my favorite movies , along with #2, and Hollywood Knights, I just got 93 octane flowing through my veins !!!!
I've lived in that town (Petaluma) for almost 40 years, and it really hasn't changed all that much. The outskirts have grown a lot, but downtown is still the same as it was when the movie was filmed, which is part of the reason I love Petaluma so much.
My parents were teenagers in 55 in Alameda CA right next to Oakland and used to cruise Mels Drive In....
When American Graffiti came out I remember them talking about it and the car clubs and the music etc
I could hear the magic in their voices and see it in their eyes
Thank you Lucas for what is actually an important documentary that will last the Ages....
I was 20 when this film was made. My life was never this exciting as these kids had. Loved the movie!
I uncle was born in 1946 and came of age in Atlantic City, NJ through the early 60's. Many stories I've heard him tell that parallel this movie.
I'm sorry folks my age (born 1984) and our children will never know a world like this.
I have a 64 Chevy and still living the moment everytime I go for a drive. Best movie ever.
I have a black 55 Chevy Belair.
@@hilltopmachineworks2131 Awesome! The 55 was always my favorite car and was the second one I owned. Mine was dark blue and looked like the one in the movie with the wheel wells cut out .Loved that look. It would be great to find that car if it's still around. Enjoy yours brother.
I graduated from San Rafael High School in Marin County in 1958. Thank you George Lukas for documenting my high school experience. Been to all of these places including Mel's Diner. The 50's were great. At my high school reunions we all talk about how glad we are to have grown up in the 50's.
"Lucas."
Wth is wrong with you?
The footage of the American Graffiti is very nostalgic, because my parents remember watching this movie a long time ago back when they were young.
I gotta say, there isn't a time when the movie appears that I don't sit and watch it. I can pretty much recite every line. LOL Loved it in 1973, love it today. Gotta give a shout out to "Hollywood Knights" too. A part of American that is gone now but never forgotten.
My Dad may he rest in peace grew up in a small town like this. I watched this movie with him for the first time on VHS. He told me about cruising the main Street on Saturday night it's a great movie
The last fade from past to future on paradise road just as the chevy starts swerving is so ghostly, it matches up so perfectly. Thank you for this..
This will always be my favorite movie it brings back so many memories when I was in high school in the 60's. I lot of the kids drove trucks but there were some 55 fords, 57 Chevy, one girl drove a 59 Edsel I drove a 66 mustang [$1450 600 with miles on it] for two months then it was totaled, so I bought a 67 Malibu with the insurance.[ $1700, 800 miles]. I finished high school with this car in 1969. Uncle Sam was calling for Viet Nam so after high school I went in the Airforce. And after basic training, I came home an nd bought a 1970 Dodge Challenger. it had 1200 miles on it $2400.These were some good times in my life.
One of my top ten movies. More American Graffiti is also on that list.
It's a special movie for me, since I lived those years & was born with a penchant for cars. It still hurts that those days are gone. The days when you could be a mechanic to hot rod a car, instead of a bloody hacker. I hate all this computerized crap in my car. And cruisin in your coolest "glad rags" on Friday & Saturday night. They live now, only in my memories...may those memories never die for us old road warriors! I also didn't know this 55 - 454 chevy is the same car used in 2-lane blacktop!
I wish I could have had the chance to experience those days back then. I do miss tweaking on a carb with a screw driver :)
Man I feel ya. Nostalgia for a time never to return. Kind of sad.
I drove a '55 Chevy 2 door hardtop with a souped up 283 cubic inch engine during my high school years in the sixties. Our drag races took place close to midnight, and no one ever stood in front of the cars to start the races.
Great movie. It brought back a lot of fond memories of my high school years.
Jack LaBloom - they came with a 265 v8 but everyone thought they were 283's, I know I had one......
Heavens to Murgatroyd , My '55 was not stock. I purchased a '58 283 engine from a local savage yard and rebuilt it. I replaced the rings, bearings, including cam bearings. Installed a 30-30 solid lifter cam along solid lifters. I installed a four barrel intake manifold along with a Carter four barrel carburetor. I had the valves ground at a local shop, which installed new Corvette solid lifter valve springs matched for the 30-30 cam I had purchased. I also had the heads trued up at a machine shop.
Except for the valve job and head grinding, I did the rebuild myself. I was sixteen years old and borrowed a Chilton's repair manual and tools from a local mechanic named Buster Paine. He was the only mechanic in town who would loan tools to teenagers.
My little Chevy was clocked by state police doing 127 mph. That was its top end speed. I lived in a dry country and occasionally ran booze. The sheriff's deputies and local police could not catch me, their cars had six cylinder engines. I finally called it quits when a new state policemen assigned to our town, pulled up along side of me and waved me over. I was going flat out. My Sun tachometer was reading over 5000 RPM. My speedometer did not work. The trooper was driving his new Ford cruiser. It had a 426 CI engine.
you sure went through a lot of work to make this. my hat is off to you herve
Absolutely.. the attention to detail is incredible. Love,the film. I do wonder what happened to Mr Lucas’s original 2hour cut of the film, and if we’ll ever see it?
My favorite all time movie.
The love the maker put into this is a classic in its own right. I grew up in Stockton and did cruising in my buddy's White 58 Chevy. American Graffiti soundtrack is in my truck. My teenager just watched it 3 times and loves it. Brings back fond memories. Thanks for this tribute.
Great job.Brought tears to my eyes thinking about my dad.(r.i.p.).In 62,mom was 20 and dad was 25.I'm going to show this movie to my son,he needs to see how things were before all the drugs and violence.
You mean alcohol and cigarettes are not drugs?
Bet you love the Pharoahs. The adults back then hated this crap I bet.
Seen this movie a jillion times. This was what my junior and senior year. Brings back good memories of my friends, classmates and the fun we had. Not everyone had a hot road but who cared.
It's pretty amazing how little the shooting locations have changed in 43 years.
Best 50's film ever made !!! Music was the best also!
+THEKINGSCOMING It's a 1973 film!
Here in America, the good old U.S.A. The "50's" is a "Era of Time" The Best "50's" Film ever made... Not a film made in the 50's....Yikes, Hello
It was actually suppose to be 62,where were you in 62?
IKR Mhm true, but the early 60s are still considered to be that era, until 1963, in 64 the Beatles ruined everything. Then baby boomers really fucked up the country.
Parab, its a period movie. Even though it was released in 1973, the setting was 1962 Modesto (but filmed mostly in Petaluma).
It just hit me what Herve's opening animation parodies... The old Pathe' films!
I was born in 1974 surrounded by muscle cars galore, and this film means so much to me that I had to just say thank you so much for making this and sharing for all of us to see!
One of my favorite period movies. Done so well I wish I lived back then. I wasn't born until '77. Music is killer.
Thank you so much for this presentation - I lived that area in the North East, (at least six months a year between snowfalls). These were the days when American was innocent and "pure", at least for us Baby Boomers growing up - Vietnam was still far away, Korea was forgotten, my father was alive. Thank you for the memories, Ciao, L (a Disabled Veteran)
Innocent and pure...unless you count how Blacks were treated.
@@rootieboy Hi Jeffrey, this is getting really old, were you oppressed, have you really experienced what you are talking about??? I was raised in the Northeast, our racial, gender, denomination, preference(s), etc... heritage did not make any difference of "treatment" to any of us. Then, I served 28 years in our military including a lot of combat time, we were ALL Americans and that is the only thing that mattered to us. If you feel "guilty", it is not my problem. The good thing about America, is that if you do not like it, if you like to criticize my country - you are "privileged", yes, you are privileged of being able leave the United States as opposed to some other countries where you would be captive and would really, I mean really experience what segregation, discrimination, persecution, entrapment, enslavement... is. You are also free to find and move to your utopian country, a country that has a perfect track record... bye bye... Ciao, L
@@lancelot1953 Well, I'm not a nationalist, so I'm ok with actually fixing the problems in our country to make it a better place for those who did in fact not have the right to vote in many states until the 1960s. To those who are still being shot by cops
@@lancelot1953 And just because I wasn't the one being oppressed does not mean I turn the other way when others are. My dad graduated high school in 1962. He's white and understands that racism was very much alive in this "innocent and pure" time you speak of. Just because I can call my country out on injustices does not mean I should leave. The beauty of our country is that we can create change. We can amend laws and the Constitution is a living document, not some solidified 10 commandments.
there will never be a movie like this again .
I Met Wolfman Jack when I was working a fair...He had his road show w/ The Tokens Shangri Las & A Few More....What an honor to exchange stories & get an autograph
Beautifully done! Nice seeing that some places look about the same, but so sad knowing that era is gone forever.
Yes, this is a very good production, as is AG.
I grew up in that era and we just didn't know how good we had it. Then the British drug bands came along and destroyed it all.
@@richardcline1337 CIA provided huge % of the illegal drugs on the street, so that cops had an easy jobs locking up the targeted group.
One of the very best and well written movies I've seen . I believe no other rendition will ever come close to the great status this movie achieved.
Thanks for making this. So awesome to see where this film was made back in 73 and how it looks today.
A wonderful tribute, Mr. Attia. Simply perfect.
Hello. I was came along in '65. Celebrating a birthday today. Wishing everyone born during this time Happy Birthday and so many more
best film i have ever seen im still stuck in the 50s i never left but hey thats not a bad thing
I" 2nd that x/falcon' wish I lived back in the 50s / or early 60s , instead growing up through the 2001-2016 shithole world full of political rips +
Those of us that grew up in the 50s and 60s are still alive and well in 2017, dealing with life. It was great then, but that got us prepared for life now. Embrace life now, it'll prepare you for life 50 years down the road.
BTW I was fortunate enough to be living in Petaluma when AG was filmed there in '72, which was sweet too. So life was pretty cool in the 70s also.
I was only 14 when the movie came out but it left a lasting impression on me. Three years later I bought a 56 T-Bird and thought of the movie every time I drove it. I wish Miss Sommers was at my side! The times and cars will never be the same.
Before you judge other generations, imagine the way a person your age reacted to kids like this back in the 60s.
I was fresh back from Vietnam when this flick came out. A few years before in 69 I had a 60 Impala ragtop, I'd do anything to have that Jet Smooth (as chevy called it) ride back, I loved it.
The time period this movie so lovingly pays homage to is only 11 years prior.
In Fed. of 1972 I was one of the original 12 members to join the Mid Michigan Street Rod Association with my 1941 Willis Coupe all black with a 427 L88 4 speed x drag car. In the late summer of 1973 our club was invited to attend the opening show for American Grafitty in Lansing Michigan. We arrived early and displayed our cars out front of the North Side Drive Inn,we recieved free admission,it was a special time for all of us hew owned street rods at the time. I've never forgotten that night with my beautiful wife of 2 years.To those hew made this video,great job well done. Gary Woodruff
It's too bad Mel's drive in was demolished because it would be a cool place to visit.
Jeff B that's not the same Mel's. The one used in the film was in the Bay area of CA, and was demolished shortly after the film.
matt, that's an interesting bit of info. do you know if mel's was still in business at the time of filming? or was it just sitting there vacant? just a side note--did you have to click on something in order for "+Jeff B" to appear next to the comment that you sent him? i'm fairly new at this, and would like to know how to send my comments directly to people just like that...thanks!
oldiesgeek1 hi oldies, I read online that the Mel's it was filmed at was on the verge of closing for good, but after the movie, there was a huge boom in business. It didn't last much longer after that. There are still Mel's in CA though. I went by one in Hollywood. Also, I replied using my phone. I just held my finger on Jeff's comment and it gave me an option to reply.
thanks for the quick reply--very interesting insight. one other thing i forgot to mention: i wonder if that same Mel's was one of Lucas's hangouts in his teen years? as for the best way to respond to a comment, it sounds like i've been doing it the same exact way that you described. i'm using a smart phone as well...thanks again!
The Mel's in LA is nothing like that Mel's though still cool but parking sucks it's valey " it's right off Hollywood Blvd at highland Ave I'm suprised the original Mel's was in San Francisco , that style diner is always a theme for 50"s movies even Happy Days had there's .
Candy Clark still looks good!!
paktype She does look pretty darn good yet. Still recognizable as herself.
I see that
She played the receptionist in Zodiac also.
I'm in love...
She looks like my wife now! No wonder I love Candy
How many times I saw this film. The first was the night in Tokyo when entrance exams of university ended. I grew up in a rural area of Japan, the film did not come to my home town, and I was in the middle of preparing for the exams.
This film laps over the days I was going out from my home town to a rather good university in Tokyo. The best film for me.
I grew up with this movie. I’m 47 now. And since I was a kid I used to “floor” the imaginary gas pedal each time Harrison or Paul would hit it. Back in the early 00’s, Me and a few friends at work (as mechanics) used to recite this movie almost word for word.
What a great movie saw it at the drive-in where else in my 55 Chevy 2 door post with high school sweetheart. Those were the days.
this film represents our world & brings back many memory's . I drove a 56 Plymouth fury , the chevy boy's could get me off the line drag racing but @ 200 yds I would "eat their lunch" thx to the whole movie crew for this eternal classic...............
“ Jesus, What a night! “ lol!! One of the funniest lines in the movie!
Thank you for doing this. Getting to see were this Iconic movie was filmed and helped a lot of careers
Cool.. My car is the 56 Vette that was shown right after the yellow coup.
Saw the Original film when it came out in 1973 at a Drive-In in Australia. Best film ever !
What more can you say except this deserves a giant thumbs up!
I'd say 99% throughout the movie there's music being played.
I was 13 when this movie came out, growing up in Massachusetts. I’m 64 now ,still have the soundtrack on vinyl,and today my wife and I drove through downtown Petaluma. The buildings still look the same.
I'm glad I took the time to watch this.
The first time I saw American Graffiti was at the theatre when I was 12. My parents knew I loved cars so they took me to see it. It is one of my favorite movies. Still watch it every couple of years.
I grew up in the Bay Area and knew the movie was filmed in Petaluma. Although the mini-golf scene with Curt and the Pharoahs was filmed in my home town of Pinole. I always wondered where the "Paradise Road" scene was filmed but never took the time to look it up.
I didn't realize it was Frates Road in Petaluma until I watched this. I use that road, as I'm sure others do, as a shortcut to Santa Rosa from my home in the Sacramento area. Never would have figured that out on my own.
Me and a bunch of guys from my outfit went to see the movie when it came out. One of them jumps up and shouts "that's my hometown!" during one of the scenes. He was from San Raphael.
I still have the car I was driving that summer too!
this movie gave me my music and my loves....simply fantastic.It changed my life. Thank you George Lucas !!!!
I wish I was alive back in the 50's and 60's
I was not supposed to be born when I was...
The fuck you got no technology then you'd be bored to death, and i know what you're thinking (fucking millennial). Just imagine a world without internet lol impossible, shitty tv etc
I was there,it was freakin' great !!! Great cars,girls,burgers and crusin' main...
Fonix I'd be happy with out devisee
@@DryTeePiggles
You didnt miss what you didnt have.
I was born in 1961 so I grew up without the internet.
Now that I have it I dont use it that much.
People did more things and went more places back then......talked to each other more....listened to music more......read more books......young people are socially retarted nowdays and walk around with their face in their phone screen!
I even see young couples in restaurants and they're not talking.....they are playing with their damn phone!!!
Absolutely fantastic post!! American Graffiti is one of my most favorite films of all time. It was great to see then and now shots of filming locations...thank you for the post!!
Still cool 40 years latter thanks for the post
I first saw this movie at the drive in back in 1977 and couldn't help but do a massive burnout when I left.. it's been my favourite movie since & watch it every chance I get..
Holy heck, the deer heads are still in the liquor store after all these years!
I must have been around 13 - 15 when I saw this movie for the first time and it hit me so hard that I watched it maybe more than a hundred times and still, as a 64-year-old pensioner, I'm not bored , I can't say which one had a bigger effect, the little yellow deuche or the music that still makes my leg twitch and other songs bring tears to my eyes in the corner of the eye.
The producers came to the Jr. Highs and high schools in Fremont to get us to be extras for the Fremont Race way. I was sick the day of the filming. One of my friends went. They did not have enough extras so when they showed the stands they would signal them and everyone would move down the stands to make it look like more people were really there. A fun movie. My cousin Valarie and her boyfriend Steve showed up from out of state and took both my brother and I to see it. It was a school night. That never happened. Lol. Loved it and will never forget the fun times
This is in my top 3 movies of All Time!! And that is all I am going to say, don't need to say no more!
Wow, blown over. Thank you Attia and the ubiquitous "YT algorithm". I was born in 1960 and grew up in small town Norway on the coat tails of Rock'n'Roll history. I never got to watch American Graffiti until decades after it was released, but the movie struck a deep chord in me. I vividly remember an evening in the autumn of 1978, preparing for the next day when I would be leaving for Casablanca in Morocco to join a ship's crew. That didn't faze me (and over the next years I had the opportunity to explore the world), but leaving my home town did. There was an anticipation, a nervousness, a realisation, a sense of something coming to an end: by sunrise I would be on a train heading for Oslo, and what I had known about life -- as a kid and as a teenager -- would soon be just a memory.
It has a place in my heart. Such a great movie.
im from NZ when i saw tis movie in 74 i was 15 with hair halfway down my back . 2 days later i had a DA and my girlfriend didnt recognise me when we hooked up to see the movie again . i thrashed the double vinyl album and know every single song on it .
Being a car guy myself this is one of my favorite movies of all time. Unfortunately I missed this period in history by 20 years as I turned 18 and 1982.
wow,what a beautiful 14 minutes that was,really brought back memories of my favorite movie....thanks for posting
I meet my wife of 30 years cruisin' State Street Salt Lake City. I've loved this movie since I was 13.
That must have taken a long time and a lot of work to meld those scenes together like that.
I found it fascinating to see how some scenes changed, but others didn't change much at all.
This is still one of my all time favorite films. The sequel, although interesting to watch, got a lot more serious and not nearly as much 'fun'.
There was some brilliant acting by so many in that cast. They all seemed to really know each other as friends that they had been for years together.
Thank you for posting the THEN and NOW locations for AG. I am surprised that many of the locations still exist. The Paradise road juxtapositions are excellent and I am also glad there is no shopping mall out there.
Outstanding. You really had to live through this to fully appreciate it.
Brilliantly done !!!! Many congratulations !!!! A fitting tribute to a wonderful picture. I've got a Blu-Ray disc of it, so I can go on watching this lovely picture, forever.
A Masterpiece about at masterpiece, well done!
I, from San Francisco and Sonoma County, saw this film when first came ot in theater in Chicago or Madison. No idea what it'd be about. Got excited right off and proclaimed to nearby patrons, '"Hey, I know that place! That's Mel's on Van Ess Avenue,,.and that's downtown Petaluma! Stayed quiet in my seat thereafter, after disinterest in my comment. Loved the film, but have not seen it in its entirety since. 'Bout time I saw it again. Saw SF. premier (late 80s?) of "Let it Ride " with Richard Dreyfuss and Terri Garr. Run cut short. It immediately went to VHS. Two academy award winners unappreciated by public. Jennifer Tilley in there too. What was not to like? Thanking the poster of the video. Excellent.
The wave off at the end put the perfect closing to this. Good job.
I have watched this movie sooo many times. It's amazing that so many locations really haven't changed. Especially the drug store
This Is & will always be my FAVORITE CAR MOVE EVER !!!
Thanks for this !!
One of the BEST movies EVER made !! I was 13 yrs. old when this movie came out. I wanted a 55 chevy sooo bad..my grandmother had a 54 in her garage that sat for 9 yrs. She gave it to me on my 16 birthday and of course I wanted to take out the straight six and put a Big Block in it (with me and my friends) and then paint it black ! But my Dad said No !!
😂😂 It was all original...it just needed to be rebuilt...it was probably for the better. I would wind up working my butt off for a 69 Chevelle SS....You could by nice muscle cars back in 76 for under $3000.
Lol... Amazing !
I have the original LP and even have the original movie poster (from a manager I knew at a movie show) of this movie.
Truly a legendary film 🎥 !
P.S. Yes, I sold the 54 (stock) and Chevelle SS when my daughter was born in 86.
😂. Great Times though !!
👍
Fantastic comparison of then vs. now, going so far as to filming the "now" at roughly the same time of day as the movie. Great job.
Bar none best "film vs. locations" documentary I've ever seen. Great research, great montage, thank you!
Note:
I may be wrong but I think that in the early '70s, Mel's Drive-In was owned and operated by a company by the name of Fosters West, and was very much open for business. While it was used for American Graffiti, the place was only closed to the public during the couple of nights of filming. There is a recount of American Graffiti crew members raiding the kitchen one night and getting in trouble with Mel's management the next day for depleting their pantry. The Drive-In closed down years after the film was released, when Fosters West filed for bankruptcy. The diner was demolished in the fall of 1976. I was 15, living in France and had just become an American Graffiti addict... *sigh*
Merci Hervé!
Graduation class of 1973 ,had a lot of fun, now we're 69 years old.miss the 70s.
my father said it was filmed in Modesto cause that was the setting, I told him no it was filmed in Petaluma Ca. Where they filmed it was downtown Petaluma, very fitting for the time and a lot of it still has that small town feel. The drag race was out on Old Adobe road. It is much more traffic and such. Great to see it.
There will never be another Wolfman Jack !
I'll Never forget the 1st opening night at the Theater, Greatest movie I ever saw.....
its remarkable how so much of the film locations still look so much the same compared to other movie filming locations. !!! awesome.
VERY well put together! Kudos! As a 71 year old baby boomer as of 12/2/23 I can’t even begin explain how important and enjoyable this movie was when it hit the theatres! Thank you for your endeavor in making this video and bringing back to me great memories of the past! ~Jim~
This is a fantastic video! Neat that so little has changed since the filming!
I grew up in Merced country and this movie bring back all the memories of Friday & Saturday night cruising down main st in Merced. Everything about this movie was very closed to how things went down on cruise night. I remember trying to buy liquor a stores along main street, met up with friends, exchanged passengers, chased each other on back road...like G street; that is were the turn around spot was. There was two turn around areas, one on south end other on north end. If you were lucky you would hit a red light with a car that matched up with yours and everyone one the sidewalks would know what came next! The big race...I didn't do to bad! Thanks for the video...