I was expecting this one to show up to honor actress *Cindy Williams* who we lost this past January. Turns out it was more high request than memorial, but I'm happy to see it show up either way. R.I.P. Cindy Williams!
@@ocogorecki True. I would be genuinely surprised if they'd heard of her prior to the movie. But since their recommendations come from the viewers and many of *them* are old enough to have heard of Cindy... see where I'm going here? 😉
Wolf man Jack was a icon he had his studio in Del Rio Texas with the radio antenna across the border in Mexico he put out so much power you could hear him all over the country at night
The girl who was with Milner, Carol, was played by MacKenzie Phillips, the daughter of John Phillips and the stepdaughter of Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas. She later starred in the sitcom One Day at a Time. Her TV sister was played by Valerie Bertinelli who later married Eddie Van Halen.
@@paulgallacher5384 Yeah, not when she was a child (but he did give her hard drugs as a child) but he did force himself on her, got her pregnant when she was older.
I am the same age as Valerie & had the biggest crush on her at 15 when she started on that show & then she married one of my guitar gods! She is still sexy & I watch her cooking show
This movie was filmed in 1973 about a cruise night in 1962! It is rumored it inspired the TV series Happy Days and the movie Grease! It is a landmark film that is beyond magical and entertaining! The Wolfman passed on a long time ago, and God Bless Cindy Williams who we lost recently! This movie will never get old!
Actually there was a short skit on Love American style (I think the show was called) that was the actual happy days show pilot. You can find it on RUclips.
@@monty4336 .... You're right! Love And The Happy Days! I totally forgot about that! Ron Howard and Anson Williams played the same parts they would on the show.. It also aired in February 1972, well over a year before American Graffiti and 2 years before the series started.
Wolfman Jack was a real DJ. He got famous broadcasting from a pirate station in Mexico, which broadcast at 250,000 Watts - five times what an American station would ever put out. The signal could be picked up almost everywhere in North America.
I didn’t know he was out of Mexico. I started hearing him on the radio in 1970 after we came back from being stationed in Alaska. No wonder he was not on the radio in Alaska!
@@secolerice He started in Louisiana, but it was the show from Mexico that could be heard in many places that made him famous. That would have been in the early 1960s.
The list of people in this movie who were to become stars is simply amazing. No less than 10 became household names including Harrison Ford(Indiana Jones and Star Wars) and Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws), Susan Summers (the Thunderbird driver) and so many others. Spielberg and George Lucas knew how to find talent. This was filmed near me and it was part of my upbringing as well. Grew up hearing Wolfman Jack on pirate radio stations out of Mexico.
I'm only assuming you didn't mention Ron Howard because he was already a household name well before this movie came out. This movie is just so good. So much young talent.
The movie was made in 1973 but it takes place on the "last day of summer" of 1962. The time was intentional, because the movie is capturing the symbolic end of an era. The end of the doo-wop era (roughly 1955-1962-3) Before the cultural 1960s (Beatles, Vietnam, psychedelic, etc). One of my all-time favorite movies
Totally agree, this night in 1962 marks the end of my generation's innocence. Fun times on your last days in high school. Next would our loss of innocence and idealism: JFK, MLK and RK assassinations, escalation of war in Vietnam, burning of our inner cities, Watergate, and ultimately the loss of trust in our government and of our neighbors. Much more than just a fun nostalgic movie which is why its one of my favorites. And of course the music!
One of my mom's favorite movies. She graduated from high school in 1962, which was the year this movie took place. My dad got her the soundtrack record for her birthday back in the 70s. I listened to it constantly as a kid. She passed in 1986 at 44 years old, and this movie makes me think of her. It's an American classic.
Amen on the life without cellphones! Hate those things, and I don't own one. So many people running red lights with children in the car and one of those dang things stuck to their ear.
Loved midnight special with Wolfman jack. Also Don Kirschner's rock concert I remember seeing Black oak Arkansas on there. Great! Original southern rock band no one seems to know about today.
Sooo many huge stars in this, so early in their careers!! Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, and Richard Dreyfus, huge future tv stars Suzanne Somers, Cindy Williams, and MacKenzie Phillips (daughter of two of The Mamas and The Papas), and the great character actor Charles Martin Smith, all with the inimitable voice of Wolfman Jack on the airwaves. He was a DJ with worldwide fame in the 1960s due to working for a border blaster station across the border in Mexico, where they broadcast at 250,000 watts, heard all over the continent and even in Europe and Russia on some evenings. He then spent the ‘70s and ‘80s as one of the first syndicated radio show hosts heard in stations across the country.
@@michaellockhart554 You are right. I watch Chyna's youtube channel.. she's since found Jesus and I can only take it in small quantities but I love to see Mama Michelle make a cameo every once in awhile. You get to see her in her natural state but I have to say that when she gussies herself up, she still looks pretty good for an old dame!
The red head kid Steve was played by Ron Howard. We all knew him as a child actor on the "Andy Griffith Show/Mayberry RFD", and later as the main lead of the long-running "Happy Days". He has since established himself as one of the most important directors in Hollywood, including films you should react including "Splash", "Cocoon", "The Paper", "Apollo 13" and so many others.
I was born in 1954. So much of this movie touched my heart. The place to go, we called the square. 1972 Parking spots, 3 lanes and turn lane around the Capital. Madison Wisconsin. The place to meet and show off your car. Oh the stories I could tell you when I was young. And at 69 I still have that in me. Now with a 2018 Focus RS. If I lose it.......Then I will be old ! If I can say 1 thing no mater what it is. Keep some of best of your childhood in you when you get older.
My favorite movie!! What I find so interesting is that this was made 10 or 11 years after the time when the film takes place, and our culture had so thoroughly changed over that period. Imagine making a movie today about 2012 with such nostalgia…no way.
yeah.. that's what trips me out. Most nostalgia movies are made from the perspective of the person that writes it.. if you grew up in the 60s then you get shows like The Wonder Years, etc.. This was ten years earlier, but before the era of long hair, free love and progressive rock. So much had changed.. 1982 would be the same way, after Vietnam, recession and disco music.. 2012 feels like not so long ago and aside from some technology and social media sites, not much has changed in our daily lives. Sure the world has changed politically, but I'm not as nostalgic about those years and especially not about the music that was being played.
A short nostalgic period is also between "The Big Chill" and the college years on which the cast was reflecting, something like 13 years. Maybe to younger people things have changed a lot between now and 2012 but I can't imagine it in any way. It is all post-9/11, all within the world of Facebook and Twitter and RUclips so lifestyles are the same. It used to be that there were distinct differences between generations.
Thanks for watching this, guys. It is one of my all-time favorites. It was filmed, for the most part, in Petaluma, California about twenty miles from where I live. The Mel’s Drive-In sequence was filmed in San Francisco. Unfortunately, that restaurant no longer exists. Wolfman Jack was a living legend, the Voice in the Night for my generation. I’m glad you liked it.
Mel's is alive and kicking in Visalia, CA. New owners of course and it sat empty for years but now it's been totally remodeled and the last time I visited (pre covid) it was doing great business.
Movie was set in Modesto, California where Lucas grew up. At the time, he said Petaluma still had the look downtown Modesto once had, so he used it for filming. Throughout high school, my friends and I would head to McHenry Ave to cruise and meet kids from other towns such as Turlock, Manteca, Oakdale, Escalon and Ripon. Cruising was still popular well into the 70s through the 90s; in part popularized by American Graffiti. Not sure if it's still what teens do in the Central Valley, but from post-WWII through 2000, cruising McHenry was a blast for all the "cow-town" teens.
Richard Dreyfus went on to have a very successful movie career (like most of the other then unknown actors in this), and one in particular you should add to your viewing list is Mr. Holland's Opus. As teacher's yourselves, you will greatly appreciate this story of an unintentional high school music teacher.
American Graffiti was made in 1973, but it absolutely captured the late fifties and early sixties. Even as a Canadian that was my life in my teens, cruising on the weekends, getting someone older to get you the booze, always a party or a favourite hangout. I’ve lived a lot since ( I’m 77 ) and without a doubt the 50’s and 60’s were the best decades to grow up in!
@@larryzigler6812 Give it a rest!!!!!!!!!!! Vietnam didn't come about until after 1963. Racism was eradicated because of the youth of that period and started and advanced by Martin Luther King who embraced all races. And pollution was brought about by civilization advancing at a more rapid pace, like propeller driven flight to jet, communication like radio to Tv to the computer and internet that now exist. Every year or decade brings new challenges for mankind to address which you obviously don't recognize!! There is an old saying YOU remind me of; If you're not a cure for the problem--you're part of the problem, and my guess is you are part of the problem!! Lets see, an issue that is not political; oh, I know!! You actually believe that "green house gasses" cause "global warming"!!
This movie is like the “Dazed & Confused” for the 60s. It spawned a lot of careers. Jay was correct: that was Harrison Ford in first big movie role! Also, the popularity of this movie spawned “Happy Days” sitcom starring Ron Howard-the main character in this movie (but of course he was already famous). His girlfriend in this movie is Cindy Williams who played Shirley from “Laverne & Shirley,” (RIP). The girl in the Thunderbird is Suzanne Somers who later starred in the 70s sitcom “Three’s Company.”
The girl at the hop who mocks Ron Howard ("Joe College strikes out") was Kathleen Quinlan who years later played Jim Lovell's (Tom Hanks) wife in APOLLO 13 which, of course, was directed by Ron.
So many future stars in this movie including Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws), Harrison Ford (Star Wars, Indiana Jones), Cindy Williams (Shirley Feeney of Laverne and Shirley), Ron Howard (Opie on The Andy Griffith Show, Richie Cunningham on Happy Days), Suzanne Somers (Chrissy Snow on Three's Company) Mackenzie Phillips (Julie Cooper on One Day At A Time)
I was one of your many fans who recommended American Graffiti! Thanks for showing it! So many in this movie became famous: Ron Howard, George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Suzanne Somers, Cindy Williams, Wolfman Jack, Richard Dreyfus, Mackenzie Phillips, Harrison Ford. What a lineup for a first movie for many of these actors!
I'm so glad you guys gave this movie a chance and I was happy to see the Wolfman Jack surprise still works. This was the movie that made Star Wars possible. Because of its critical and box office success of American Graffiti, the studio gave George the green light for his next project. The story was inspired by George Lucas's high school years in Modesto, CA and, much like Dazed and Confused, was about the filmmakers nostalgia for an earlier, simpler time and a prelude to a loss of innocence. It's specifically set before the Cuban Missile crisis, the assassination of JFK and the escalation of the Vietnam war. George Lucas loved cars and racing and use to be a speedster like his character John Millner. In fact, Lucas actually had a near death experience in a car accident just 3 days before his high school graduation. John's yellow car is referenced in Star Wars episode 1 the Phantom Menace and the license plate THX 1138 is the name of his first film, as well as Princess Leia's prison cell. American Graffiti has been referenced on The Simpsons (Homer tries to buy a bottle of Ol' Harper) and Kevin Smith was inspired by the Wolfman Jack scene in his 1995 comedy MallRats. It's also worth noting that Francis Ford Coppola (the director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now) produced American Graffiti, and Marcia Lucas (George's wife) edited the movie. It was nominated for Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress for Candy Clark (Debbie.)
Fun Fact: When Charles Martin Smith pulls up on the Vespa in the beginning, his crash into the building wasn't scripted. He genuinely lost control of the bike and George Lucas kept the cameras rolling. Fortunately, the accident and the actor's reaction to it was in keeping with his character. Furthermore, the incident got the first big laugh from the audience in its first public premiere which George Lucas and friends took as a very good sign for the film. Also, when Wolfman Jack makes an on-air prank call to Pinky's Pizza, the voice on the other end belongs to George Lucas.
My highschool boyfriend and I went to see this movie when it came out. He drove a '57 Chevy at the time which nobody paid attention to because most guys were into muscle cars in the '70s. When we came out of the movie we were surrounded by people admiring the car.
A bit of trivia for the car guys. The '55 Chevy that Han Solo drives in the film was a proper, purpose built car which was tuned for drag racing. It was a genuinely fast car that could do everything the film implied it could do and reality, would have absolutely destroyed the '32 Deuce Coup they used for Milner's car. The Ford will always be the poster boy of the film, but the car guys watching the film will have instantly picked up on a couple of little clues that Indy's Chevy was way more serious than just a movie prop car and was indeed a very wicked '55 Chevy. It doesn't surprise me at all that they all wanted a look at your boyfriend's '57 when you came out... I'd have done the same. Ford's Chevy in this film wasn't just a one hit wonder either. Shot with grey primer, stripped out and running its full race configuration, it'd already starred a couple of years earlier in Two-Lane Blacktop, with footage of it actually racing at the strip filmed for the movie. Sure, it wasn't going to win any nationals, but if you found yourself next to it at the lights in your showroom fresh muscle car back then, on the street that Chevy would've been no joke and more than capable of blowing the doors off most things it rolled up next to.
One actor you might not have picked up on is the girl at the hop who is watching and says "Joe College strikes out.' That's Kathleen Quinlan who played Jim Lovell's (Tom Hanks) wife in Apollo 13.
I loved this movie because the radio station played in the background the whole night and became the soundtrack, just as it was when we were growing up. You also picked up on the fact that there was a lot of activity jammed into one night, but that’s the way it was. We were up and moving, and met up with friends, and went to dances, and went cruising around the neighborhood, and hung out at diners and socialized in person. We didn’t sit around inside. Such a great time to grow up.
Dragging Main Street was a HUGE thing all across the country-- Wolfman Jack did a radio show on the weekends... if you didn't have a date, you were likely to be out in cars. So much fun, and so realistic!!
Cruising was awesome, my high school time was in the 80's and we would all drive to Nashville to cruise loops around the ol' Rivergate Mall, good times
This movie is a treasure. When AG came out, we were only 10 or 12 years past when the movie was set. The cars, the music, sock hops, cruising - it all was captured perfectly by Lucas. As the old saying goes, "You had to be there". American Graffiti was, is, the next best thing. (Wolfman Jack was still with us at the time. You might see him introducing a band now and then on The Midnight Special.)
A sock hop was a dance held in the gym. You couldn’t wear shoes on the court so everyone just wore their socks. Hence the sock hop. I’ve heard you mention it in a couple of videos.
The crazy thing about this is it was released only a decade after it takes place (1962, not the '50s). But everything changed so much in that time that they saw it as ancient history almost as much as a modern audience does.
@@Himlee335 The definition of "oldies" seems to keep expanding. It was only 5 years deep when the term started. Last time I listened to an oldies channel, they were mixing doo-wop with grunge and nu metal.
If you wanted to know what was going on, you had to go out and find out, LOL. As a teenager of the 80's, this was still our lifestyle. Driving around at night, "taking a main" (driving up and down Main Street), going to the Dairy Dip and A&W, both drive-ins. We'd jump into a car with other people, but we usually needed to know at least one person that was already in the car. Of course, there was that crazy girl who'd jump into a car full of boys from the town over and drive around with them all night. On Saturday nights at Rick's Recreation there would be live music and we'd go to dance and the kids that were 18 could drink low-point beer.
The Hop was short for a Sock Hop ..A High School dance where everybody takes their shoes off and dances in their socks . Because the shoes back then would scuff up the finish on the Gym floor , where ALL school dances were held . .. A Cherry bomb is a firecracker .. Also known as an M80 .. They had waterproof fuses and would be lit and flushed down the toilet and blow up in the pipe causing water to shoot back up all the toilets ... Sometimes destroying some of them AND the pipe inside the wall .. .. The guy trying to find the girl in the White car is Richard Dreyfuss ( he was also in Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind and several other movies )
This movie with Harrison ford was directed by George Lucas. The story is George Lucas was casting for Star Wars, the casting was being done in groups of three people; Han, Leia, and Luke. They were short a Han for one casting. Harrison Ford was working as a carpenter on the set. Knowing him from American Graffiti Lucas asked him to stand in. The rest is history.
Since you liked this you should try “That Thing You Do.” This was written and produced by Tom Hanks. The story is about a group of teens that make a hit record. And as a bonus Liv Tyler from Lord of the Rings is in it!
Even in the 70s you went cruising or roller skating to meet and mingle. Then also there were parties out on somebodies land like you saw in Dazed and Confused.
This film has been preserved in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." My dad said it perfectly captured his teenage years in the sixties. RIP to the late Cindy Williams - funny and talented and great in this movie. Ron Howard shared some lovely memories of her.
Wolfman Jack was a famous disc jockey (he plays himself in the movie). There are at least two songs about him. There's Todd Rundgren's "Wolfman Jack" and "Clap for the Wolfman" by the Guess Who. Wolfman Jack lends his voice to both songs. But there are two versions of Rundgren's song. The original is just Todd and another version features Wolfman Jack.
Clap for the Wolfman 😍 Loved it ! I was 11 when the movie came out and was living in Santa Cruz. Little did I know that my senior year, I would move to Modesto and met my husband because of cruzing McHenry Avenue, I've always referred to American Graffiti to explain how I met him 😊
This movie had so many future stars in it it's unthinkable. Yes, that was Harrison Ford, also Richard Dreyfuss from Jaws and many other movies, Ron Howard, from Happy Days, and later one of the biggest directors in Hollywood, Cindy Williams from Lavern and Shirley and other things too. And many more that I am just not thinking of right now.
The little girl, Mackenzie Phillips was on a popular sitcom in the 70s/80s. Her father was the Phillips from the Mamas and Papas, and I am pretty sure one of the old guys was Abe Bagota from Barney Miller--another very popular sitcom.
Yes, pay phones could receive calls. Drag racing was a thing. It wasn't unusual to be cruising the strip looking to meet people. There was some mischief from time to time, but it was mostly harmless fun. Many of the people in this movie became huge stars. Even the blonde in the Thunderbird.
"We grew up in the wrong time." Unfortunately, I'm not sure you guys would have had quite the same experience growing up in the 50-60's! Maybe by the 70's-80's, Civil Rights (and the ending of segregated schools) had come far enough along? American Graffiti had a budget of about $750,000 - much of which went to securing the soundtrack (you might notice that Elvis Presley isn't on it. His songs were too expensive). Universal Studios didn't have much faith in it and wanted to release it as a TV movie, but Francis Ford Coppola convinced them to give it a Theater Release. It went on to make $140 million! Although not actually named, the town this movie was set in was based on the town George Lucas grew up in - Modesto California, but was filmed primarily in Petaluma. There's a sequel - More American Graffiti - that catches up with most of the gang. With a cameo from Harrison Ford as Bob Falfa - a California Highway Patrol (CHiP's) officer! It's...uhh, not as good.
That dance “line dance” was called The Stroll…and they were doing it to the song about it. They’re in Modesto…George Lucas’ hometown in central California. Wolfman Jack was a real radio legend. A car coat is exactly what it sounds like….The Pharaoh’s car coats have the club name on the back. Such a great movie, wasn’t it? And presented in such a unique way! And all the future stars that were in it!
I found it funny that you said, "He was very nice. I could see him going to Canada." The Vietnam War was on-going. It was being implied that Curt was dodging the draft. A lot of people disappeared to Canada for a while during that era. Toad went to Vietnam and became MIA (Missing In Action). Also, originally, the white T-Bird wasn't suppose to be real. It was a metaphor. Lucas was going to have a shot showing the T-Bird disappearing while at a drive-in ended up not having the money to film the shot.
This movie always reminds me of a fabulous weekend in the early eighties in San Diego. A good friend lent me his classic 57 Chevy Bel Aire, baby blue. Wolfman Jack was still broadcasting out of Tijuana and we listened to him while cruising up the Pacific Coast Highway. It was the whole American Graffiti experience and this ex Brit was in hog Heaven ✌️
George Lucas was 29 years old when the film was released. He was nominated for Best Director, and the film also received nominations for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Editting, and Best Supporting Actress for Candy Clark's performance as Debbie.
Some comedy movie requests: Dumb and Dumber, A Fish Called Wanda, The Jerk, Blazing Saddles, Mean Girls, Happy Gilmore, and last but not least the Peter Sellers classic The Party! Love you guys, best reactors!
Ok, these films are "A Day In The Life" movies. This one 60's, Dazed & Confused 70's. Fast Times At Ridgemont High 80's/ even if the film time span is a school year. ALOT of nostalgia.
I graduated in ‘93. From the 50s to the late 90s riding the town, hanging out w friends and just all out having fun was great. There was so much to do but nothing at the same time. Didn’t need phones, texts or anything like that. We made plans during the week and on Friday & Saturday nights we knew where we’d all be and what time & met up. Been out of school a long time & still have very fond memories of my high school days. These type movies bring me back even the mischievous things we did. We didn’t have to worry about being shot or anything like that. We even had a stretch of road out in the sticks where we drag raced on Saturday nights. There’d be hundreds of us either racing or watching. We had 2 lookouts a mile from the spot each way w CB radios on police watch. Great memories! When my daughter turned 16 we talked to her about riding the town etc. She said that sounded so boring and no one did that anymore. They missed out on a lot of fun. Lol
Yes! Such a feel good classic. What I love about this movie is that it's so down to earth, so simple. It's not over the top with some crazy plot. It's just a day in the life portrait of 1962. It makes it feel like you're actually there spending the night with these characters.
As someone else mentioned, this movie lost the Academy Award to "The Sting" which I have been suggesting for ages. Glad you have watched Steel Magnolias and hope you consider more movies that aren't geared towards kids. A return to Tom Hanks would be good. Perhaps "Castaway". Excellent movie. But I'm still pushing for "The Sting".
Notice the teenager with Milner takes the shifter knob much like a famous space baby did in recent times. Also Milner's license plate on the yellow coupe is THX-138 which is a reference to Lucas's first movie THX 1138. This is an inside joke/easter egg which would then continue through Lucas's other films.
The text updates at the end were there to show that after this carefree time the turbulent sixties were about to happen and the characters were going to all grow up.
Its funny seeing Ron Howard so young now that weve seen all the movies he directed like Apollo13, Backdraft. So many young stars here & the spinoffs to come just from this movie, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirly... Long live the sixties!
Not gonna' lie, when I saw that you guys watched this I got a little emotional ❤️ Thank you both SO MUCH for watching this movie that means SO much to SO many of us. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! Love and respect! ❤️🇺🇸🤘
This movie in the early 70's was a throw back for my generation. I as a teen loved it for how it portrayed those before us. When it came out, we weren't living in those times, we were reliving them. We all knew these people...
I saw this movie at the drive-in as a kid. It's a legendary classic with so many stars. Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Bo Hopkins, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and of course, Suzanne Somers in the white Thunderbird. The music, the cars, the drama and the comedy make this an unforgettable experience.
Don't forget Charles Martin Smith as Terry 'Toad' who went on to have a very solid career and Kathleen Quinlan in a small role as Peg in only her second movie
Yeah I lived at Harrah as a teenager about 15 years old loved every minute of it and I got drafted by the by the Air Force and symptoms Vietnam I joined the Airforce so I wouldn't be drafted but I ended up in Vietnam anyhow I was a chopper pilot air-sea rescue
The '60s were the Best time to be a teen. We cruised Harbor Blvd in Fullerton, Whittier Blvd in Whittier, Beach Blvd in Buena Park and Firestone Blvd in Downey (Harvey's Broiler). Boss Radio dj Humble Harv on 93 KHJ ended his shift every night at 9pm with Goin' Home by the Stones which was blasted by hundreds of cars in the balmy SoCal night air. The coolest cars had Vibrasonic stereos and some even had turntables. There were so many of us that Knott's Berry Farm built a fence to keep out the cruisers. We rocked!
Before this movie future director of Splash,Backdraft,Ransom, A Beautiful Mind and several others,was a child star who became a house hold name as Oppy Taylor in the 1960s tv series The Andy Griffith Show. After American Graffiti he became a tv star once more with his role as Richie Cunningham in Happy Days created by Gary Marshal.
This was my life, except it was the 70', with muscle cars, and it was Van Nuys Blvd. Our cars were our 'smartphones', bringing us physically to all our 'contacts'. Like the 50's-60's, we raced cars we actually built, not just bought. We loved our cars, which were major extensions of personalities, and had their own personalities. Cars were a part of our family, and had style. I still love hot rods and go to all the car shows and nostalgia races I can get to. It was a special time well-captured by this awesome movie (which I have watched a million times). People still build clones of Milner's 32 Ford 5-window coupe, and Harrison Ford's black 55 Chevy. BTW, the famous singer, James Taylor, starred in a 70's movie, driving another 'hopped-up' black 55 Chevy - "Two Lane Blacktop" (Also Dennis Wilson from the Beach Boys in that one). Cars were the stars in the late 60's- 70's, with more movies like "The Vanishing Point", "The Gumball Rally", "Cannonball Rally", "Bullitt", and "Gone in 60 Seconds" (original one). Too bad cars are now just computers with wheels that drive themselves if you want to text, take a selfie, or go to sleep.
You guys should look at some older movies by Alfred Hitchcock like "Rear Window" "Vertigo" "North by Northwest" also movies by Billy Wilder such as "The Apartment" and Seven Year Inch".
Awesome movie! Thanks for watching this. This movie was a love letter to Lucas' teenage years. It's also semi-autobiographical, where some of the characters are based on different times during his teen years.
Richard Dreyfus played the guy that hung with the Pharaohs and narrated Stand By Me. He was also in Close Encounters. The Blonde in the T Bird was played by Suzanne Sommers. The redhead kid is Ron Howard (Opie from the Andy Griffith Show). His girlfriend played Shirley on the Laverne & Shirley Show. And yes, Harrison Ford in the '55 Chevy.
The lead Pharaoh was played by Bo Hopkins, who passed away last year. He was in some Sam Peckinpah films, including "The Wild Bunch", "The Getaway" and "The Killer Elite". Hopkins' last film was "Hillbilly Elegy", starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close. Ron Howard directed it.
Interesting fact: this is one year before Happy Days and more from Laverne and Shirley. Where Cindy Williams and Ron Howard would again go out on a few dates. If you haven't checked out both shows. You should. Great movie. Loved the reaction. Also the opening song of the movie and Happy Days are the same.
So glad you’re doing this movie this is an exceptional movie that brings back so many memories even when I saw it in 1973. I think you’re gonna enjoy this one
Blows my mind that this movie is 50 years old. I was 13 when this movie came out. Same age as Mackenzie Phillips. I'm 8 minutes into your review and I keep wondering when you are going to start recognizing some of the actors :)
Wolfman Jack was an iconic radio disc jockey in So. California in the late 50s and early 60s. He broadcast out of Tijuana, Mexico, where he could be on a much more powerful radio station. The maximum power for a AM station in the US was only 50,000 watts. In Mexico they could broadcast at 500,000 watts. The signal coming off from that transmitter was so great that you literally could not turn off your incandescent light bulbs. Cut the electricity to them, and the radio waves would cause the filament to glow again after about two minutes. With that kind of power behind him, the music he played, and his immense entertainment talent, The Wolfman dominated the radio listening thru a major area for years. What you're hearing in this movie is basically the same schtick he used his entire career. One of a kind, certainly, and an idol to radio broadcasters everywhere.
I was so excited to see you reacted to this!! This was one of, if not my Dad’s favorite movies. We lost him in November of 2019 unexpectedly. I think I watched this every night for a few weeks after he passed. My uncle did his first and last name by hand in the American Graffiti style script. It’s on his memorial card and on his headstone.
So sad we lost Cindy Williams (Laverne and Shirley) recently. So many of these actors became stars. Funny there were a few things like "cruising" that we still did in the 70s. You would meet kids from other schools and I dated a few if the people I met. There was a TV show in the 70s called Midnight Special that featured Wolfman Jack that many of the most popular artists went on and that is how many of us saw them perform. You have reacted to some acts to this show. Happy Days was the TV sitcom that came to TV after this film and featured Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham as a 50s high school student and Henry Winkler as the "greaser" school dropout. His leather jacket is in the Smithsonian. A fun family show you can still find. I wish they still made shows like it. I showed it to my grandkids and they love it. Good clean TV show.
Wolfman Jack was a real radio guy. Apparently my mom got to meet him, she was behind a door and he came in and she tapped him on the shoulder and scared the hell out of him lol. This movie is a classic
Still one of my all time favorite movie soundtracks...so many classics from the late 50's and early 60's...and with the Wolfman Jack bits thrown in, you can just play it over and over and over...good times.
Although set in Modesto, CA, it was shot primarily in Petaluma, CA. Other shooting locations included Mel's Drive-In in San Francisco, plus Sonoma, Richmond, Novato, and the Buchanan Field Airport in Concord. The freshman hop dance was filmed in the Gus Gymnasium, previously known as the Boys Gym, at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley. Speaking personally, as Bay Area native/resident, I recognized the Sears Fine Foods neon sign from the scene where Cindy Williams is talking to Harrison Ford, from their respective cars, while driving. Cool! Sidenote: Cindy Williams and Harrison Ford co-starred in Coppola’s masterpiece on paranoia, The Conversation. Starring Gene Hackman, it takes place in San Francisco, and a bunch of exterior shots were done on location in SF!
Oh fun. Lots and lots and lots of 50's music. Bet editing this must have been difficult with the amount of songs. That was a very young Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws) and Harrison Ford (Star Wars)
So many future stars in this movie including Cindy Williams (Shirley Feeney of Laverne and Shirley), Ron Howard (Opie on The Andy Griffith Show, Richie Cunningham on Happy Days), Suzanne Somers (Chrissy Snow on Three's Company) Mackenzie Phillips (Julie Cooper on One Day At A Time)
Growing up in California, its crazy because if you grew up in the right place, you got to see history like this come back. When I was in High School, there was a place called Frisco's that opened near my house, and they would invite people to "cruise" in their old school cars from this era. And even promoted drag races on a safe course nearby. Memories that make us rich.
Been waiting and recommending a long time… You really knocked it out of the park J and Amber - well done. This movie was filmed in the early 70s before Star Wars but was set in 1962. I was a teenager in the last 70s early 80s and cruising’ until dawn was still a big thing then. Also, just want to give you both props on how great your editing has gotten on the films. It’s been really good for months but seeing a film like this with so many small snippets of great scenes that I’ve seen so many times just makes me realize again how well you’re doing on the reactions and edits… you didn’t miss a thing.
Since it's Women's History Month, a good old flick for the theme would be the 1980 comedy "9 to 5" if you haven't seen it. It stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, & Dolly Parton. The three women became good friends, Fonda and Tomlin just recently finished a series on Netflix that was really good and the two of them are currently out promoting a film with Rita Moreno & Sally Fields... they became very good friends with the making of "9 to 5."
Just some trivia for you: Wolfman Jack was a real person, and also an icon! He was a popular American disc jockey active from 1960 until his death in 1995. Wolfman was the regular announcer and occasional host for The Midnight Special on NBC from 1973 to 1981. I don't need to tell you who Ron Howard is and how he got started, but he was an actor turned producer of many great movies. He got his start as a child actor on The Andy Griffith Show. The character that played Curt was Richard Dreyfus who also played the marine biologist in the movie "Jaws", and so many other great films! Great reaction, you two! Thanks! ✌💙✌
Ron Howard became an award winning Director with movies like Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, and The Da Vinci Code series. He was the redhead that didn't go to college in the end.
This movie started the nostalgia craze and inspired the creation of the TV show "Happy Days", which begat "Laverne & Shirley" (which begat "Mork & Mindy") and added to the craze! The Fonz, "ehh", hoola hoops, the saying "Sit on it!" You see Harrison Ford in his first big roll, Richard Dreyfuss, and Ron Howard who would become the great director we have today!
That's actually a urban myth, American Graffiti inspired ABC to pick up the unsold pilot for Happy Days but didn't inspire the creation of Happy Days. Happy Days was actually inspired from a segment of Love American Style in 1972.
I used to be obsessed with this movie! What a great surprise to see it again. The added pleasure was to watch it with you guys. "Coolie High" was considered the black version of American Graffiti based in the sixties also. That had a phenomenal soundtrack also. Anyway, thank you for this great choice to react to. I had fun watching it with you. 👍
I was expecting this one to show up to honor actress *Cindy Williams* who we lost this past January. Turns out it was more high request than memorial, but I'm happy to see it show up either way. R.I.P. Cindy Williams!
I'm guessing they didn't know who she was prior to seeing this movie.
Too many interruptions the movie was made in the 70s this is a homage to George Lucas hometown memories.
@@ocogorecki True. I would be genuinely surprised if they'd heard of her prior to the movie. But since their recommendations come from the viewers and many of *them* are old enough to have heard of Cindy... see where I'm going here? 😉
Wolf man Jack was a icon he had his studio in Del Rio Texas with the radio antenna across the border in Mexico he put out so much power you could hear him all over the country at night
I remember having such a crush on her when I was a young boy when this movie came out.
That "line dancing" where you moved through both lines with your partner was called "The Stroll". It was a thing in the 50's.
I LOVE watching the stroll.. they used to do it a lot on Soul Train!
It was in grease I guess they forgot.
The girl who was with Milner, Carol, was played by MacKenzie Phillips, the daughter of John Phillips and the stepdaughter of Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas. She later starred in the sitcom One Day at a Time. Her TV sister was played by Valerie Bertinelli who later married Eddie Van Halen.
And the blonde in the T-Bird was Suzanne Somers!
MacKenzie's early life was a very sad story. John Phillips was an asshole.
Didnt her dad used to molest her? I know shes had a hard life.
@@paulgallacher5384 Yeah, not when she was a child (but he did give her hard drugs as a child) but he did force himself on her, got her pregnant when she was older.
I am the same age as Valerie & had the biggest crush on her at 15 when she started on that show & then she married one of my guitar gods! She is still sexy & I watch her cooking show
This movie was filmed in 1973 about a cruise night in 1962! It is rumored it inspired the TV series Happy Days and the movie Grease! It is a landmark film that is beyond magical and entertaining!
The Wolfman passed on a long time ago, and God Bless Cindy Williams who we lost recently!
This movie will never get old!
Inspired Happy Days? Yes. Grease? No. Grease was already a play on Broadway when this movie was in production
Actually there was a short skit on Love American style (I think the show was called) that was the actual happy days show pilot. You can find it on RUclips.
@@monty4336 .... You're right! Love And The Happy Days! I totally forgot about that! Ron Howard and Anson Williams played the same parts they would on the show.. It also aired in February 1972, well over a year before American Graffiti and 2 years before the series started.
@@PlumbPitiful I just rewatched it and forgot that the pilot was more 'adult' making the two main characters shall we say, hound dogs over women. 😄
More like Rebel without a Cause!
Notice that about 12:30 they're dancing in their socks (thus "sock hop"), so as to not mar the wooden floor of the gym.
Wolfman Jack was a real DJ. He got famous broadcasting from a pirate station in Mexico, which broadcast at 250,000 Watts - five times what an American station would ever put out. The signal could be picked up almost everywhere in North America.
I heard it on the X....
I didn’t know he was out of Mexico. I started hearing him on the radio in 1970 after we came back from being stationed in Alaska. No wonder he was not on the radio in Alaska!
@@secolerice He started in Louisiana, but it was the show from Mexico that could be heard in many places that made him famous. That would have been in the early 1960s.
In typical 1980s fashion, Wolfman Jack had a Saturday morning cartoon series in 1984.
Well, it made it all the way to ky. I'd stay up late at night just to listen to him...
The list of people in this movie who were to become stars is simply amazing. No less than 10 became household names including Harrison Ford(Indiana Jones and Star Wars) and Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws), Susan Summers (the Thunderbird driver) and so many others. Spielberg and George Lucas knew how to find talent.
This was filmed near me and it was part of my upbringing as well. Grew up hearing Wolfman Jack on pirate radio stations out of Mexico.
I'm only assuming you didn't mention Ron Howard because he was already a household name well before this movie came out. This movie is just so good. So much young talent.
Cindy Williams (Laverne & SHirley), Mackenzie Phillips (One Day at a Time), Suzanne Somers (Threes Company) and others. All young and mostly unknown.
I wish I had that upbringing… so much
Paul Le Mat did a few good films after this one but I think has been underappreciated.
@@JeffKelly03 I was thinking the same thing! Ron Howard was not only famous since he was a kid but has directed so many amazing films!
The movie was made in 1973 but it takes place on the "last day of summer" of 1962. The time was intentional, because the movie is capturing the symbolic end of an era. The end of the doo-wop era (roughly 1955-1962-3) Before the cultural 1960s (Beatles, Vietnam, psychedelic, etc). One of my all-time favorite movies
Totally agree, this night in 1962 marks the end of my generation's innocence. Fun times on your last days in high school. Next would our loss of innocence and idealism: JFK, MLK and RK assassinations, escalation of war in Vietnam, burning of our inner cities, Watergate, and ultimately the loss of trust in our government and of our neighbors. Much more than just a fun nostalgic movie which is why its one of my favorites. And of course the music!
One of my mom's favorite movies. She graduated from high school in 1962, which was the year this movie took place. My dad got her the soundtrack record for her birthday back in the 70s. I listened to it constantly as a kid. She passed in 1986 at 44 years old, and this movie makes me think of her. It's an American classic.
Sorry for your loss. You will be together again one day.
This was really early 60s notice no British Invasion music. Pre-Beatlemania.
Wolfman Jack played himself in this movie. He also hosted The Midnight Special every week. And yes, life was much better without cell phones IMO.
Amen on the life without cellphones! Hate those things, and I don't own one. So many people running red lights with children in the car and one of those dang things stuck to their ear.
Thankfully gas prices were so low that we could afford to drive across town to see what our friends were up to.
Loved midnight special with Wolfman jack. Also Don Kirschner's rock concert I remember seeing Black oak Arkansas on there. Great! Original southern rock band no one seems to know about today.
Sooo many huge stars in this, so early in their careers!! Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, and Richard Dreyfus, huge future tv stars Suzanne Somers, Cindy Williams, and MacKenzie Phillips (daughter of two of The Mamas and The Papas), and the great character actor Charles Martin Smith, all with the inimitable voice of Wolfman Jack on the airwaves. He was a DJ with worldwide fame in the 1960s due to working for a border blaster station across the border in Mexico, where they broadcast at 250,000 watts, heard all over the continent and even in Europe and Russia on some evenings. He then spent the ‘70s and ‘80s as one of the first syndicated radio show hosts heard in stations across the country.
Nope, Mackenzie is not Michelle's daughter, she is from John's first marriage.
If I'm not mistaken, John and Michelle's only child is Chyna Phillips Baldwin of Wilson Phillips
@@michaellockhart554 You are right. I watch Chyna's youtube channel.. she's since found Jesus and I can only take it in small quantities but I love to see Mama Michelle make a cameo every once in awhile. You get to see her in her natural state but I have to say that when she gussies herself up, she still looks pretty good for an old dame!
@@connieb4372 I rewatched one the other day where Chyna and Owen Elliott talked about their childhood and the history of The Mamas and The Papas
Wolfman Jack was HUGE in the 70's. Even had a song written about him by The Guess Who.
The red head kid Steve was played by Ron Howard. We all knew him as a child actor on the "Andy Griffith Show/Mayberry RFD", and later as the main lead of the long-running "Happy Days". He has since established himself as one of the most important directors in Hollywood, including films you should react including "Splash", "Cocoon", "The Paper", "Apollo 13" and so many others.
The girl who mentioned "Joe College strikes out" to Steve was Kathleen Quinlan who played Tom Hanks wife in Apollo 13.
I was born in 1954. So much of this movie touched my heart. The place to go, we called the square. 1972 Parking spots, 3 lanes and turn lane around the Capital. Madison Wisconsin. The place to meet and show off your car. Oh the stories I could tell you when I was young. And at 69 I still have that in me. Now with a 2018 Focus RS. If I lose it.......Then I will be old !
If I can say 1 thing no mater what it is. Keep some of best of your childhood in you when you get older.
Wolf Man Jack was a real radio DJ during that time period. As a matter of fact, he was the most famous DJ of all time. He plays himself in this movie.
My favorite movie!! What I find so interesting is that this was made 10 or 11 years after the time when the film takes place, and our culture had so thoroughly changed over that period. Imagine making a movie today about 2012 with such nostalgia…no way.
Very good point it seems like things move so much faster now but there would be no night and day comparisons with 2012.
yeah.. that's what trips me out. Most nostalgia movies are made from the perspective of the person that writes it.. if you grew up in the 60s then you get shows like The Wonder Years, etc.. This was ten years earlier, but before the era of long hair, free love and progressive rock. So much had changed.. 1982 would be the same way, after Vietnam, recession and disco music.. 2012 feels like not so long ago and aside from some technology and social media sites, not much has changed in our daily lives. Sure the world has changed politically, but I'm not as nostalgic about those years and especially not about the music that was being played.
So true
A short nostalgic period is also between "The Big Chill" and the college years on which the cast was reflecting, something like 13 years. Maybe to younger people things have changed a lot between now and 2012 but I can't imagine it in any way. It is all post-9/11, all within the world of Facebook and Twitter and RUclips so lifestyles are the same. It used to be that there were distinct differences between generations.
Thanks for watching this, guys. It is one of my all-time favorites. It was filmed, for the most part, in Petaluma, California about twenty miles from where I live. The Mel’s Drive-In sequence was filmed in San Francisco. Unfortunately, that restaurant no longer exists. Wolfman Jack was a living legend, the Voice in the Night for my generation. I’m glad you liked it.
Mel's is alive and kicking in Visalia, CA. New owners of course and it sat empty for years but now it's been totally remodeled and the last time I visited (pre covid) it was doing great business.
Super
Terry, totally agree, it's my Favorite movie also. I did the cruising stuff when I was a teenager. such good memories and great music.
Movie was set in Modesto, California where Lucas grew up. At the time, he said Petaluma still had the look downtown Modesto once had, so he used it for filming. Throughout high school, my friends and I would head to McHenry Ave to cruise and meet kids from other towns such as Turlock, Manteca, Oakdale, Escalon and Ripon. Cruising was still popular well into the 70s through the 90s; in part popularized by American Graffiti. Not sure if it's still what teens do in the Central Valley, but from post-WWII through 2000, cruising McHenry was a blast for all the "cow-town" teens.
Mel's Drive-in was rebuilt at the same Geary Street location - same layout. It's there now.
Richard Dreyfus went on to have a very successful movie career (like most of the other then unknown actors in this), and one in particular you should add to your viewing list is Mr. Holland's Opus. As teacher's yourselves, you will greatly appreciate this story of an unintentional high school music teacher.
The movie is so good that it makes you feel nostalgic for that era even if you didn’t grow up then. Such a classic, thanks for the reaction!
I can back up that claim
American Graffiti was made in 1973, but it absolutely captured the late fifties and early sixties. Even as a Canadian that was my life in my teens, cruising on the weekends, getting someone older to get you the booze, always a party or a favourite hangout. I’ve lived a lot since ( I’m 77 ) and without a doubt the 50’s and 60’s were the best decades to grow up in!
Disagree unless you love pollution, more bigotry and racism, plus Vietnam War.
@@larryzigler6812 Give it a rest!!!!!!!!!!! Vietnam didn't come about until after 1963. Racism was eradicated because of the youth of that period and started and advanced by Martin Luther King who embraced all races. And pollution was brought about by civilization advancing at a more rapid pace, like propeller driven flight to jet, communication like radio to Tv to the computer and internet that now exist. Every year or decade brings new challenges for mankind to address which you obviously don't recognize!! There is an old saying YOU remind me of; If you're not a cure for the problem--you're part of the problem, and my guess is you are part of the problem!! Lets see, an issue that is not political; oh, I know!! You actually believe that "green house gasses" cause "global warming"!!
@@brgilbert2 WOW !!!!!! What drivel !!!!!! COGRATS 🤡
@@larryzigler6812 CAN YOU SPELL "HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE" ???
@@coinneachmaclellan3121 NO !!!!!!! BECAUSE I WAS INJURED BY POLLUTION, A BIGOTED ATTTACK AND AGENT ORANGE IN VIETNAM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This movie is like the “Dazed & Confused” for the 60s. It spawned a lot of careers. Jay was correct: that was Harrison Ford in first big movie role! Also, the popularity of this movie spawned “Happy Days” sitcom starring Ron Howard-the main character in this movie (but of course he was already famous). His girlfriend in this movie is Cindy Williams who played Shirley from “Laverne & Shirley,” (RIP). The girl in the Thunderbird is Suzanne Somers who later starred in the 70s sitcom “Three’s Company.”
Richard Dreyfuss also became a famous figure in Hollywood after this movie, including Jaws & more
Not to mention, Ron Howard is now a huge movie director with hits like Apollo 13, Grand Theft Auto, and The Da Vinci Code.
@@KenOtwell don't forget he was Opie Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show and in the 1963 movie The Courtship Of Eddie's Father .
Happy Days came from an episode of Love American Style "Love and Happy Days".
The girl at the hop who mocks Ron Howard ("Joe College strikes out") was Kathleen Quinlan who years later played Jim Lovell's (Tom Hanks) wife in APOLLO 13 which, of course, was directed by Ron.
So many future stars in this movie including Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws), Harrison Ford (Star Wars, Indiana Jones), Cindy Williams (Shirley Feeney of Laverne and Shirley), Ron Howard (Opie on The Andy Griffith Show, Richie Cunningham on Happy Days), Suzanne Somers (Chrissy Snow on Three's Company) Mackenzie Phillips (Julie Cooper on One Day At A Time)
I was one of your many fans who recommended American Graffiti! Thanks for showing it! So many in this movie became famous: Ron Howard, George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Suzanne Somers, Cindy Williams, Wolfman Jack, Richard Dreyfus, Mackenzie Phillips, Harrison Ford. What a lineup for a first movie for many of these actors!
Candy Clark was the cat's meow.
That was actually the real Wolfman Jack in this movie. Everybody listened to him back in the day! One of my favs!!!!!
I'm so glad you guys gave this movie a chance and I was happy to see the Wolfman Jack surprise still works. This was the movie that made Star Wars possible. Because of its critical and box office success of American Graffiti, the studio gave George the green light for his next project. The story was inspired by George Lucas's high school years in Modesto, CA and, much like Dazed and Confused, was about the filmmakers nostalgia for an earlier, simpler time and a prelude to a loss of innocence. It's specifically set before the Cuban Missile crisis, the assassination of JFK and the escalation of the Vietnam war. George Lucas loved cars and racing and use to be a speedster like his character John Millner. In fact, Lucas actually had a near death experience in a car accident just 3 days before his high school graduation. John's yellow car is referenced in Star Wars episode 1 the Phantom Menace and the license plate THX 1138 is the name of his first film, as well as Princess Leia's prison cell. American Graffiti has been referenced on The Simpsons (Homer tries to buy a bottle of Ol' Harper) and Kevin Smith was inspired by the Wolfman Jack scene in his 1995 comedy MallRats. It's also worth noting that Francis Ford Coppola (the director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now) produced American Graffiti, and Marcia Lucas (George's wife) edited the movie. It was nominated for Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress for Candy Clark (Debbie.)
crazy to think that today the movie would take place in 2013 lol
Thanks so much for the history of this. Appreciated.
Great information! Thanks so much!
Fun Fact: When Charles Martin Smith pulls up on the Vespa in the beginning, his crash into the building wasn't scripted. He genuinely lost control of the bike and George Lucas kept the cameras rolling. Fortunately, the accident and the actor's reaction to it was in keeping with his character. Furthermore, the incident got the first big laugh from the audience in its first public premiere which George Lucas and friends took as a very good sign for the film.
Also, when Wolfman Jack makes an on-air prank call to Pinky's Pizza, the voice on the other end belongs to George Lucas.
Smith directed the Buffy The Vampire Slayer pilot, BTW.
@@Madbandit77 I also like him in The Buddy Holly Story with Gary Busey
Always loved CMSmith in Never Cry Wolf.
@@janecrow1122 an excellent film!
cool trivia about pinky's pizza, thanks!
You'll Love Eddie's,& The Cruisers I & II for the music & the Story
Surprised you didn't recognize that Richard Dreyfuss, the guy who played Curt, was the guy who played Hooper in Jaws.
My highschool boyfriend and I went to see this movie when it came out. He drove a '57 Chevy at the time which nobody paid attention to because most guys were into muscle cars in the '70s. When we came out of the movie we were surrounded by people admiring the car.
A bit of trivia for the car guys. The '55 Chevy that Han Solo drives in the film was a proper, purpose built car which was tuned for drag racing. It was a genuinely fast car that could do everything the film implied it could do and reality, would have absolutely destroyed the '32 Deuce Coup they used for Milner's car. The Ford will always be the poster boy of the film, but the car guys watching the film will have instantly picked up on a couple of little clues that Indy's Chevy was way more serious than just a movie prop car and was indeed a very wicked '55 Chevy. It doesn't surprise me at all that they all wanted a look at your boyfriend's '57 when you came out... I'd have done the same.
Ford's Chevy in this film wasn't just a one hit wonder either. Shot with grey primer, stripped out and running its full race configuration, it'd already starred a couple of years earlier in Two-Lane Blacktop, with footage of it actually racing at the strip filmed for the movie. Sure, it wasn't going to win any nationals, but if you found yourself next to it at the lights in your showroom fresh muscle car back then, on the street that Chevy would've been no joke and more than capable of blowing the doors off most things it rolled up next to.
Finally a reaction channel reacting to something unique, different, and special. We need more of this.
I can not agree more!
You mean like some... More American Graffiti?
Yep. These two guys do some really good stuff.
@gyrene_asea4133 Now if someone would do "Patton"
One actor you might not have picked up on is the girl at the hop who is watching and says "Joe College strikes out.' That's Kathleen Quinlan who played Jim Lovell's (Tom Hanks) wife in Apollo 13.
The young girl is McKenzie Phillips. The daughter of John Phillips of the mamas and papas.
I loved this movie because the radio station played in the background the whole night and became the soundtrack, just as it was when we were growing up. You also picked up on the fact that there was a lot of activity jammed into one night, but that’s the way it was. We were up and moving, and met up with friends, and went to dances, and went cruising around the neighborhood, and hung out at diners and socialized in person. We didn’t sit around inside. Such a great time to grow up.
You're absolutely right. Funny that we never ran into one another!
The only kids in the 60s to listen to the radio all night and not hear a single song by Elvis.
@@leroylowe5921 RCA wouldn’t allow Elvis recordings to be used in the movie or soundtrack album. 🤷🏻♀️
@@joannwoodworth8920 true
Dragging Main Street was a HUGE thing all across the country-- Wolfman Jack did a radio show on the weekends... if you didn't have a date, you were likely to be out in cars. So much fun, and so realistic!!
Cruising was awesome, my high school time was in the 80's and we would all drive to Nashville to cruise loops around the ol' Rivergate Mall, good times
This movie is a treasure. When AG came out, we were only 10 or 12 years past when the movie was set. The cars, the music, sock hops, cruising - it all was captured perfectly by Lucas. As the old saying goes, "You had to be there". American Graffiti was, is, the next best thing. (Wolfman Jack was still with us at the time. You might see him introducing a band now and then on The Midnight Special.)
A sock hop was a dance held in the gym. You couldn’t wear shoes on the court so everyone just wore their socks. Hence the sock hop. I’ve heard you mention it in a couple of videos.
The crazy thing about this is it was released only a decade after it takes place (1962, not the '50s). But everything changed so much in that time that they saw it as ancient history almost as much as a modern audience does.
I remember seeing Rock n Roll High School (from '79) in 1982 and it felt like ancient history
Very true graduated in 72. And we tried singing the oldies driving around. Oldies in 1972? 😂😂😂
@@Himlee335 The definition of "oldies" seems to keep expanding. It was only 5 years deep when the term started. Last time I listened to an oldies channel, they were mixing doo-wop with grunge and nu metal.
If you wanted to know what was going on, you had to go out and find out, LOL. As a teenager of the 80's, this was still our lifestyle. Driving around at night, "taking a main" (driving up and down Main Street), going to the Dairy Dip and A&W, both drive-ins. We'd jump into a car with other people, but we usually needed to know at least one person that was already in the car. Of course, there was that crazy girl who'd jump into a car full of boys from the town over and drive around with them all night. On Saturday nights at Rick's Recreation there would be live music and we'd go to dance and the kids that were 18 could drink low-point beer.
The Hop was short for a Sock Hop ..A High School dance where everybody takes their shoes off and dances in their socks . Because the shoes back then would scuff up the finish on the Gym floor , where ALL school dances were held . .. A Cherry bomb is a firecracker .. Also known as an M80 .. They had waterproof fuses and would be lit and flushed down the toilet and blow up in the pipe causing water to shoot back up all the toilets ... Sometimes destroying some of them AND the pipe inside the wall .. .. The guy trying to find the girl in the White car is Richard Dreyfuss ( he was also in Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind and several other movies )
One of my favorites is mr. holland’s opus you would love the music this one
@@davidgarabrandt9316 Excellent movie .. He did so many movies that it is hard to remember them all ..
This movie with Harrison ford was directed by George Lucas. The story is George Lucas was casting for Star Wars, the casting was being done in groups of three people; Han, Leia, and Luke. They were short a Han for one casting. Harrison Ford was working as a carpenter on the set. Knowing him from American Graffiti Lucas asked him to stand in. The rest is history.
That Ron Howard took over directing "Solo:A Star Wars Story" is just surreal if you think about it.
@@richardrobbins387 OHHH that is sooo good! Nice grab sir!
@@CallegriaofSoulbound
Also found out that Cindy Williams was almost Princess Leia for a minute. Would've been a different look.
Since you liked this you should try “That Thing You Do.” This was written and produced by Tom Hanks. The story is about a group of teens that make a hit record. And as a bonus Liv Tyler from Lord of the Rings is in it!
I'd love to see you check out “That Thing You Do.”
Even in the 70s you went cruising or roller skating to meet and mingle. Then also there were parties out on somebodies land like you saw in Dazed and Confused.
This film has been preserved in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." My dad said it perfectly captured his teenage years in the sixties. RIP to the late Cindy Williams - funny and talented and great in this movie. Ron Howard shared some lovely memories of her.
Wolfman Jack was a famous disc jockey (he plays himself in the movie). There are at least two songs about him. There's Todd Rundgren's "Wolfman Jack" and "Clap for the Wolfman" by the Guess Who. Wolfman Jack lends his voice to both songs. But there are two versions of Rundgren's song. The original is just Todd and another version features Wolfman Jack.
He also lent his voice to The Stampeders' version of Hit The Road Jack.
Clap for the Wolfman 😍 Loved it ! I was 11 when the movie came out and was living in Santa Cruz. Little did I know that my senior year, I would move to Modesto and met my husband because of cruzing McHenry Avenue, I've always referred to American Graffiti to explain how I met him 😊
This movie had so many future stars in it it's unthinkable. Yes, that was Harrison Ford, also Richard Dreyfuss from Jaws and many other movies, Ron Howard, from Happy Days, and later one of the biggest directors in Hollywood, Cindy Williams from Lavern and Shirley and other things too. And many more that I am just not thinking of right now.
The little girl, Mackenzie Phillips was on a popular sitcom in the 70s/80s. Her father was the Phillips from the Mamas and Papas, and I am pretty sure one of the old guys was Abe Bagota from Barney Miller--another very popular sitcom.
Don't forget " The Wolfman".
Ron Howard did Cinderella Man and Apollo 13, among many others. Just trying to think of ones they’ve seen.
@@drdr76 "... and I am pretty sure one of the old guys was Abe Bagota from Barney Miller..."
Similar look, but that was definitely NOT Abe VIGODA.
Don't forget the blonda in the T Bird was Suzanne Sommers from Three's Company!
Yes, pay phones could receive calls. Drag racing was a thing. It wasn't unusual to be cruising the strip looking to meet people. There was some mischief from time to time, but it was mostly harmless fun. Many of the people in this movie became huge stars. Even the blonde in the Thunderbird.
And pay phones were in booths.
some mischief ? The reason a lot of the people i hung out with did a lot of crusing was for stop light drag racing. lol
"We grew up in the wrong time."
Unfortunately, I'm not sure you guys would have had quite the same experience growing up in the 50-60's! Maybe by the 70's-80's, Civil Rights (and the ending of segregated schools) had come far enough along?
American Graffiti had a budget of about $750,000 - much of which went to securing the soundtrack (you might notice that Elvis Presley isn't on it. His songs were too expensive). Universal Studios didn't have much faith in it and wanted to release it as a TV movie, but Francis Ford Coppola convinced them to give it a Theater Release. It went on to make $140 million!
Although not actually named, the town this movie was set in was based on the town George Lucas grew up in - Modesto California, but was filmed primarily in Petaluma.
There's a sequel - More American Graffiti - that catches up with most of the gang. With a cameo from Harrison Ford as Bob Falfa - a California Highway Patrol (CHiP's) officer! It's...uhh, not as good.
That dance “line dance” was called The Stroll…and they were doing it to the song about it.
They’re in Modesto…George Lucas’ hometown in central California.
Wolfman Jack was a real radio legend.
A car coat is exactly what it sounds like….The Pharaoh’s car coats have the club name on the back.
Such a great movie, wasn’t it? And presented in such a unique way!
And all the future stars that were in it!
I found it funny that you said, "He was very nice. I could see him going to Canada." The Vietnam War was on-going. It was being implied that Curt was dodging the draft. A lot of people disappeared to Canada for a while during that era. Toad went to Vietnam and became MIA (Missing In Action). Also, originally, the white T-Bird wasn't suppose to be real. It was a metaphor. Lucas was going to have a shot showing the T-Bird disappearing while at a drive-in ended up not having the money to film the shot.
This movie always reminds me of a fabulous weekend in the early eighties in San Diego. A good friend lent me his classic 57 Chevy Bel Aire, baby blue. Wolfman Jack was still broadcasting out of Tijuana and we listened to him while cruising up the Pacific Coast Highway. It was the whole American Graffiti experience and this ex Brit was in hog Heaven ✌️
George Lucas was 29 years old when the film was released. He was nominated for Best Director, and the film also received nominations for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Editting, and Best Supporting Actress for Candy Clark's performance as Debbie.
Ron Howard , played Opie on the Andy Griffith show then went on and played Richie Cunningham on Happy Days !! Did ya’ll not recognize him??
Some comedy movie requests: Dumb and Dumber, A Fish Called Wanda, The Jerk, Blazing Saddles, Mean Girls, Happy Gilmore, and last but not least the Peter Sellers classic The Party! Love you guys, best reactors!
My dad said this movie perfectly captured his teenage years. He was 18 in 1962. Watching this movie makes me feel close to him. #misshimeveryday
Same for me. I watched this with my parents when I was 14 in 1984 and they said this was as close as I was going to get to living then.
Another great movie with a killer soundtrack with the cast just "hanging out with each other" that you need to react to is "The Big Chill"
The Big Chill is one if my most FAVORITE movies! The music in it is fantastic!
Ok, these films are "A Day In The Life" movies. This one 60's, Dazed & Confused 70's. Fast Times At Ridgemont High 80's/ even if the film time span is a school year. ALOT of nostalgia.
I graduated in ‘93. From the 50s to the late 90s riding the town, hanging out w friends and just all out having fun was great. There was so much to do but nothing at the same time. Didn’t need phones, texts or anything like that. We made plans during the week and on Friday & Saturday nights we knew where we’d all be and what time & met up.
Been out of school a long time & still have very fond memories of my high school days. These type movies bring me back even the mischievous things we did. We didn’t have to worry about being shot or anything like that.
We even had a stretch of road out in the sticks where we drag raced on Saturday nights. There’d be hundreds of us either racing or watching. We had 2 lookouts a mile from the spot each way w CB radios on police watch. Great memories!
When my daughter turned 16 we talked to her about riding the town etc. She said that sounded so boring and no one did that anymore. They missed out on a lot of fun. Lol
Yes! Such a feel good classic. What I love about this movie is that it's so down to earth, so simple. It's not over the top with some crazy plot. It's just a day in the life portrait of 1962. It makes it feel like you're actually there spending the night with these characters.
As someone else mentioned, this movie lost the Academy Award to "The Sting" which I have been suggesting for ages. Glad you have watched Steel Magnolias and hope you consider more movies that aren't geared towards kids. A return to Tom Hanks would be good. Perhaps "Castaway". Excellent movie. But I'm still pushing for "The Sting".
Notice the teenager with Milner takes the shifter knob much like a famous space baby did in recent times.
Also Milner's license plate on the yellow coupe is THX-138 which is a reference to Lucas's first movie THX 1138. This is an inside joke/easter egg which would then continue through Lucas's other films.
The text updates at the end were there to show that after this carefree time the turbulent sixties were about to happen and the characters were going to all grow up.
Its funny seeing Ron Howard so young now that weve seen all the movies he directed like Apollo13, Backdraft. So many young stars here & the spinoffs to come just from this movie, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirly... Long live the sixties!
Not gonna' lie, when I saw that you guys watched this I got a little emotional ❤️ Thank you both SO MUCH for watching this movie that means SO much to SO many of us. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! Love and respect! ❤️🇺🇸🤘
This movie in the early 70's was a throw back for my generation. I as a teen loved it for how it portrayed those before us. When it came out, we weren't living in those times, we were reliving them. We all knew these people...
I saw this movie at the drive-in as a kid. It's a legendary classic with so many stars. Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Bo Hopkins, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and of course, Suzanne Somers in the white Thunderbird. The music, the cars, the drama and the comedy make this an unforgettable experience.
WOLFMAN JACK!!!!! How could you forget the Wolfman?
@@maxsparks5183 My bad, he definitely deserved mentioning. He was an institution unto himself.
And except for Ron Howard none of these actors were known at the time. That’s what’s so amazing about this movie.
Don't forget Charles Martin Smith as Terry 'Toad' who went on to have a very solid career and Kathleen Quinlan in a small role as Peg in only her second movie
Yeah I lived at Harrah as a teenager about 15 years old loved every minute of it and I got drafted by the by the Air Force and symptoms Vietnam I joined the Airforce so I wouldn't be drafted but I ended up in Vietnam anyhow I was a chopper pilot air-sea rescue
The Wolfman was a legend!! You can probably catch some clips of him when he used to host the Midnight Special on TV back in the day.
The '60s were the Best time to be a teen. We cruised Harbor Blvd in Fullerton, Whittier Blvd in Whittier, Beach Blvd in Buena Park and Firestone Blvd in Downey (Harvey's Broiler). Boss Radio dj Humble Harv on 93 KHJ ended his shift every night at 9pm with Goin' Home by the Stones which was blasted by hundreds of cars in the balmy SoCal night air. The coolest cars had Vibrasonic stereos and some even had turntables. There were so many of us that Knott's Berry Farm built a fence to keep out the cruisers. We rocked!
So cool seeing a Young Wolfman Jack. I miss the old days of Amazing Radio DJs!
Wolfman Jack was probably the most famous DJ in radio history. He was on the radio for around 35 years.
Love this movie! Another amazing soundtrack is “The Graduate”!🤘🔥
The Graduate is a good movie all the way around.
They definitely need to check out The Graduate.. a quirky movie with a great soundtrack!
Before this movie future director of Splash,Backdraft,Ransom, A Beautiful Mind and several others,was a child star who became a house hold name as Oppy Taylor in the 1960s tv series The Andy Griffith Show. After American Graffiti he became a tv star once more with his role as Richie Cunningham in Happy Days created by Gary Marshal.
Happy Days was loosely inspired by this film...
One of the most important cinematic influences of our lifetime is a "cute little movie". I love it, I would be the same way if I weren't familiar.
This was my life, except it was the 70', with muscle cars, and it was Van Nuys Blvd. Our cars were our 'smartphones', bringing us physically to all our 'contacts'. Like the 50's-60's, we raced cars we actually built, not just bought. We loved our cars, which were major extensions of personalities, and had their own personalities. Cars were a part of our family, and had style. I still love hot rods and go to all the car shows and nostalgia races I can get to. It was a special time well-captured by this awesome movie (which I have watched a million times). People still build clones of Milner's 32 Ford 5-window coupe, and Harrison Ford's black 55 Chevy.
BTW, the famous singer, James Taylor, starred in a 70's movie, driving another 'hopped-up' black 55 Chevy - "Two Lane Blacktop" (Also Dennis Wilson from the Beach Boys in that one). Cars were the stars in the late 60's- 70's, with more movies like "The Vanishing Point", "The Gumball Rally", "Cannonball Rally", "Bullitt", and "Gone in 60 Seconds" (original one). Too bad cars are now just computers with wheels that drive themselves if you want to text, take a selfie, or go to sleep.
You guys should look at some older movies by Alfred Hitchcock like "Rear Window" "Vertigo" "North by Northwest" also movies by Billy Wilder such as "The Apartment" and Seven Year Inch".
Awesome movie! Thanks for watching this. This movie was a love letter to Lucas' teenage years. It's also semi-autobiographical, where some of the characters are based on different times during his teen years.
Richard Dreyfus played the guy that hung with the Pharaohs and narrated Stand By Me. He was also in Close Encounters. The Blonde in the T Bird was played by Suzanne Sommers. The redhead kid is Ron Howard (Opie from the Andy Griffith Show). His girlfriend played Shirley on the Laverne & Shirley Show. And yes, Harrison Ford in the '55 Chevy.
The lead Pharaoh was played by Bo Hopkins, who passed away last year. He was in some Sam Peckinpah films, including "The Wild Bunch", "The Getaway" and "The Killer Elite". Hopkins' last film was "Hillbilly Elegy", starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close. Ron Howard directed it.
Wolfman Jack was a famous radio DJ, and the rock band "Guess Who" wrote a song about him called "Clap For The Wolfman" which was a hit in the 70's.
Interesting fact: this is one year before Happy Days and more from Laverne and Shirley.
Where Cindy Williams and Ron Howard would again go out on a few dates.
If you haven't checked out both shows. You should.
Great movie. Loved the reaction.
Also the opening song of the movie and Happy Days are the same.
So glad you’re doing this movie this is an exceptional movie that brings back so many memories even when I saw it in 1973. I think you’re gonna enjoy this one
Blows my mind that this movie is 50 years old. I was 13 when this movie came out. Same age as Mackenzie Phillips. I'm 8 minutes into your review and I keep wondering when you are going to start recognizing some of the actors :)
I saw this movie in the theater 4 times when I was 13. It started a huge 50's craze in the early 70s, including the show Happy Days.
Wolfman Jack was an iconic radio disc jockey in So. California in the late 50s and early 60s. He broadcast out of Tijuana, Mexico, where he could be on a much more powerful radio station. The maximum power for a AM station in the US was only 50,000 watts. In Mexico they could broadcast at 500,000 watts. The signal coming off from that transmitter was so great that you literally could not turn off your incandescent light bulbs. Cut the electricity to them, and the radio waves would cause the filament to glow again after about two minutes. With that kind of power behind him, the music he played, and his immense entertainment talent, The Wolfman dominated the radio listening thru a major area for years. What you're hearing in this movie is basically the same schtick he used his entire career. One of a kind, certainly, and an idol to radio broadcasters everywhere.
The movie was made in 1973 , but it’s about the 50s and early 60s car cruising!
I was so excited to see you reacted to this!! This was one of, if not my Dad’s favorite movies. We lost him in November of 2019 unexpectedly. I think I watched this every night for a few weeks after he passed. My uncle did his first and last name by hand in the American Graffiti style script. It’s on his memorial card and on his headstone.
So sad we lost Cindy Williams (Laverne and Shirley) recently. So many of these actors became stars. Funny there were a few things like "cruising" that we still did in the 70s. You would meet kids from other schools and I dated a few if the people I met. There was a TV show in the 70s called Midnight Special that featured Wolfman Jack that many of the most popular artists went on and that is how many of us saw them perform. You have reacted to some acts to this show. Happy Days was the TV sitcom that came to TV after this film and featured Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham as a 50s high school student and Henry Winkler as the "greaser" school dropout. His leather jacket is in the Smithsonian. A fun family show you can still find. I wish they still made shows like it. I showed it to my grandkids and they love it. Good clean TV show.
Wolfman Jack was a real radio guy. Apparently my mom got to meet him, she was behind a door and he came in and she tapped him on the shoulder and scared the hell out of him lol. This movie is a classic
Wolfman Jack was fabulous!! Everyone was blaring him on their radio!! We had the greatest teenage years ever, my generation knew how to have fun!!
I used to love listening to Wolfman Jack on the radio and then on the Midnight Special show. He was an iconic voice for sure!
Still one of my all time favorite movie soundtracks...so many classics from the late 50's and early 60's...and with the Wolfman Jack bits thrown in, you can just play it over and over and over...good times.
Although set in Modesto, CA, it was shot primarily in Petaluma, CA. Other shooting locations included Mel's Drive-In in San Francisco, plus Sonoma, Richmond, Novato, and the Buchanan Field Airport in Concord. The freshman hop dance was filmed in the Gus Gymnasium, previously known as the Boys Gym, at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley.
Speaking personally, as Bay Area native/resident, I recognized the Sears Fine Foods neon sign from the scene where Cindy Williams is talking to Harrison Ford, from their respective cars, while driving. Cool!
Sidenote: Cindy Williams and Harrison Ford co-starred in Coppola’s masterpiece on paranoia, The Conversation. Starring Gene Hackman, it takes place in San Francisco, and a bunch of exterior shots were done on location in SF!
Oh fun. Lots and lots and lots of 50's music. Bet editing this must have been difficult with the amount of songs. That was a very young Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws) and Harrison Ford (Star Wars)
So many future stars in this movie including Cindy Williams (Shirley Feeney of Laverne and Shirley), Ron Howard (Opie on The Andy Griffith Show, Richie Cunningham on Happy Days), Suzanne Somers (Chrissy Snow on Three's Company) Mackenzie Phillips (Julie Cooper on One Day At A Time)
this is my favorite movie of all time , it has the music , cars , and good story line .
Growing up in California, its crazy because if you grew up in the right place, you got to see history like this come back. When I was in High School, there was a place called Frisco's that opened near my house, and they would invite people to "cruise" in their old school cars from this era. And even promoted drag races on a safe course nearby. Memories that make us rich.
Been waiting and recommending a long time… You really knocked it out of the park J and Amber - well done. This movie was filmed in the early 70s before Star Wars but was set in 1962. I was a teenager in the last 70s early 80s and cruising’ until dawn was still a big thing then. Also, just want to give you both props on how great your editing has gotten on the films. It’s been really good for months but seeing a film like this with so many small snippets of great scenes that I’ve seen so many times just makes me realize again how well you’re doing on the reactions and edits… you didn’t miss a thing.
Yeah.. in the late 80s cruising was still a thing too. I never did it because I didn't have a car, but all the cool kids did it on the weekends.
Since it's Women's History Month, a good old flick for the theme would be the 1980 comedy "9 to 5" if you haven't seen it. It stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, & Dolly Parton. The three women became good friends, Fonda and Tomlin just recently finished a series on Netflix that was really good and the two of them are currently out promoting a film with Rita Moreno & Sally Fields... they became very good friends with the making of "9 to 5."
Just some trivia for you: Wolfman Jack was a real person, and also an icon! He was a popular American disc jockey active from 1960 until his death in 1995. Wolfman was the regular announcer and occasional host for The Midnight Special on NBC from 1973 to 1981. I don't need to tell you who Ron Howard is and how he got started, but he was an actor turned producer of many great movies. He got his start as a child actor on The Andy Griffith Show. The character that played Curt was Richard Dreyfus who also played the marine biologist in the movie "Jaws", and so many other great films! Great reaction, you two! Thanks! ✌💙✌
Ron Howard became an award winning Director with movies like Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, and The Da Vinci Code series. He was the redhead that didn't go to college in the end.
This movie started the nostalgia craze and inspired the creation of the TV show "Happy Days", which begat "Laverne & Shirley" (which begat "Mork & Mindy") and added to the craze! The Fonz, "ehh", hoola hoops, the saying "Sit on it!"
You see Harrison Ford in his first big roll, Richard Dreyfuss, and Ron Howard who would become the great director we have today!
That's actually a urban myth, American Graffiti inspired ABC to pick up the unsold pilot for Happy Days but didn't inspire the creation of Happy Days. Happy Days was actually inspired from a segment of Love American Style in 1972.
I used to be obsessed with this movie! What a great surprise to see it again. The added pleasure was to watch it with you guys. "Coolie High" was considered the black version of American Graffiti based in the sixties also. That had a phenomenal soundtrack also. Anyway, thank you for this great choice to react to. I had fun watching it with you. 👍