: Just beautiful. [28] Murch suggested making Wolfman Jack's radio show the "backbone" of the film. I'm stayin' right here. As a result, production was moved to Petaluma. [2] Produced on a $777,000 budget,[1] it has become one of the most profitable films ever. 1 What happened to John Milner in American Graffiti? Bob Falfa [11], Lucas was dismayed when he returned to America in June 1971 and read Walter's script, which was written in the style and tone of an exploitation film, similar to 1967's Hot Rods to Hell. 2 What did Suzanne Somers Drive in American Graffiti? "The telephone calls [heard on the broadcasts] in the motion picture and on the soundtrack were actual calls with real people. Terry 'The Toad' Fields : That's great, man, that's really great. I'm too old for you. John Milner : What happened, man? John Milner Paul Le Mat. [to a girl in a Studebaker] "[53] Pauline Kael of The New Yorker was less enthused, writing that the film "fails to be anything more than a warm, nice, draggy comedy, because there's nothing to back up the style. : : Yeah, I know what you mean. Mind your own business, John! . Curt, Steve and Laurie attend the high-school sock hop. We know John Milner (Paul Le Mat) was killed by a drunken driver in 1964, so the movie has to roll back in time to visit him. Carol "The Filming of. Milner was killed on New Years Eve when he was struck head on after a race in the second movie. John Milner The young director's previous film and first feature . Terry Fields : You're talking to the woman I love. . Steve is married to Laurie and they have two children, but he resents her desire to start working. 5 Who is the blonde in American Graffiti? The potential financiers were concerned that music licensing costs would cause the film to go way over budget. Here it is. Don't you think the Beach Boys are boss? Suzanne Somers John Milner The interaction causes Curt to desperately search for her throughout the night. Bob Falfa Directed by George Lucas, this 1973 classic is filled with cruising-for-a-bruising teens, young love, and all of the feels of the last summer before college. There's some punk lookin' for me. Field car? Carol [14], Lucas and producer Gary Kurtz took the script to American International Pictures, who expressed interest, but ultimately believed American Graffiti was not violent or sexual enough for the studio's standards. Its what he did in Modesto those final nights before heading off to USC. : John Milner Despite unanimous praise at a January 1973 test screening attended by Universal executive Ned Tanen, the studio told Lucas they wanted to re-edit his original cut of American Graffiti. : Hey, Laurie, what in hell are you doin' in there? I was a dirty bird, Carol's not grungey - she's bitchin', [John and Falfa arrive at Paradise Road for their drag race. John Milner [11], After paying Walter, Lucas had exhausted his development fund from United Artists. What was the T Bird in American Graffiti? : You would, you grungy little twirp. I thought some of my friends might be here. In the original release, John Milner is listed as having been killed by a drunk driver in June of 1964 in the closing segment just before the final credits. The pickin's are really gettin' slim. [John turns off the radio] No, get up, N-O. Steve and Curt are to travel "Back East" in the morning and start college but the latter has second thoughts about leaving. So if you can track him down, he might know. Shit! ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Download the TMZ App on the Apple App Store, Download the TMZ App on the Google Play Store. [71] In 1997 the city of Modesto, California, honored Lucas with a statue dedication of American Graffiti at George Lucas Plaza. I'm sorta' embarrassed to be this close to ya! You've been number one as long as I can remember. [9] The 1962 setting represents nearing an end of an era in American society and pop culture. C.S.? [22], The final scenes in the film, shot at Buchanan Field, feature a Douglas DC-7C airliner of Magic Carpet Airlines, which had previously been leased from owner Club America Incorporated by the rock band Grand Funk Railroad from March 1971 to June 1971. The character has a flattop in the script, but a compromise was eventually reached whereby Ford wore a Stetson to cover his hair. [43] The 1978 version of the film was used, with an additional digital change to the sky in the opening title sequence. Later at the airfield, he says goodbye to his parents and friends before boarding the plane. John Milner [44][45], American Graffiti received widespread critical acclaim. The atmosphere, the cars, the music. At The Hop/Artists. Alright, boss. Universal wanted Lucas and producer Gary Kurtz to hire an orchestra for sound-alikes. What's that stand for? [16], In addition to Petaluma, other locations included Mel's Drive-In in San Francisco, Sonoma, Richmond, Novato, and the Buchanan Field Airport in Concord. Why is it every girl that comes around here is ugly? So was Pauline Kael, who accused Lucas of misogyny in her New Yorker review (via S-UISH): "Using women (and not only women) as plot functions may be a clue to the shallowness of many movies, even of much better moviesAmerican Graffiti, for example. Listen, are you with him? What did Suzanne Somers Drive in American Graffiti? [10] Universal presidents Sidney Sheinberg and Lew Wasserman heard about the praise the film had been garnering in LA and New York, and the marketing department amped up its promotion strategy for it,[10] investing an additional $500,000 (equivalent to $3.1million in 2021)[33] in marketing and promotion. There is a beautiful melancholia lurking beneath the comedic surface. [4] The characters Curt Henderson, John Milner, and Terry "The Toad" Fields also represent different stages from his younger life. "More American Graffiti" shows the core group of "American Graffiti" experiencing the cultural upheaval of the women's lib and anti-war movement. Two cameras were used simultaneously in scenes involving conversations between actors in different cars, which resulted in significant production time savings. : Terry meets the high-spirited bombshell Debbie (Candy Clark). Very funny. : I bet you got to sneak up on the pumps just to get a little air in your tires! Lucas's net worth was now $4million, and he set aside a $300,000 independent fund for his long-cherished space opera project, which would eventually become the basis for Star Wars (1977). Date of birth Curt is modeled after Lucas's personality during USC, while John is based on Lucas's teenaged street-racing and junior-college years, and hot rod enthusiasts he had known from the Kustom Kulture in Modesto. He played John Milner - a role that would earn him his first Golden Globe Award. "[46] Metacritic calculated a score of 97 out of 100, indicating universal acclaim. : You want me to give it to you? Mud, if anybody sees you. Remembering American Graffiti On Its 40th Anniversary", "Domestic Grosses Adjusted For Inflation", "American Graffiti / More American Graffiti (Drive-In Double Feature) (1979)", "American Graffiti (Special Edition) [Blu-ray] (1973)", "What the Steamship and the Landline Can Tell Us About the Decline of the Private Car", "The 46th Academy Awards (1974) Nominees and Winners", "1973 New York Film Critics Circle Awards", "Film Hall of Fame Inductees: Productions", "AFI's 100 Years100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)", "The Evolution of the Summer Blockbuster", Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Graffiti&oldid=1140476610, American coming-of-age comedy-drama films, Best Musical or Comedy Picture Golden Globe winners, United States National Film Registry films, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, George Lucas, Gloria Katz, and Willard Huyck, Online Film & Television Association Awards, This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 06:44. Sweetheart, if the prize is you, I'm a ready teddy. He began writing a script, completing his first draft in just three weeks. [3] A sequel, More American Graffiti, was released in 1979. [22], The financial success of Graffiti also gave Lucas opportunities to establish more elaborate development for Lucasfilm, Skywalker Sound, and Industrial Light & Magic. Carol The film features characters intended to be Curt and Laurie Henderson's parents, Roger and Penny Henderson. "[13] Walter's script also had Steve and Laurie going to Nevada to get married without their parents' permission. Curt replies that he is leaving town. I ain't goin' off to some goddamned fancy college. Can I put a mattress cover on a TempurPedic mattress? : In 1995, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. Producer Coppola encouraged Lucas to cast Wolfman Jack as himself in a cameo appearance. John Milner On October 14, 2011 By Sam Weisberg In Interviews Paul Le Mat is still most known for the role of John Milner in "American Graffiti," George Lucas' 1973 coming-of-age classic about a group of 1960s California high school graduates, and it's certainly not an unflattering way to be remembered. While John helps his rival to safety, Laurie begs Steve not to leave her, he assures her that he will stay with her in Modesto. Oh. [10], THX 1138 was released in March 1971,[4] and Lucas was offered opportunities to direct Lady Ice, Tommy, or Hair. : I started out as Terry the Toad, but then I went on to be John Milner, the local drag race champion, and then I became Curt Henderson, the intellectual who goes off to college, They were all composite characters, based on my life, and on the lives of friends of mine. Hey! Is American Graffiti based on a true story? Carol [22] 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures made similar offers to the studio. Girl in Cadillac Jump out and flatten their tires. Regardless, Milner does his best to communicate with her. Through a series of vignettes, it tells the story of a group of teenagers and their adventures over the course of a night. [15] As he continued to work on the script, Lucas encountered difficulties on the Steve and Laurie storyline. You gonna go after him? : I'll see ya. Station Attendant [7] Walter rewrote the screenplay, but Lucas nevertheless fired him due to their creative differences. Bob Falfa [6] The filmmaker was also inspired by Federico Fellini's I Vitelloni (1953). [76] The registration plate on Milner's yellow deuce coupe is THX138 on a yellow, California license plate, slightly altered, reflecting Lucas's earlier science-fiction film (THX 1138). : Carol They cruise the Modesto strip while listening to their favorite rock and roll songs, contemplating what lies ahead of them in their adulthood. blue | : [74] Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman conducted the "rear axle" experiment on the January 11, 2004, episode of MythBusters.[75]. : [70] The film's box-office success made George Lucas an instant millionaire. : Let's catch 'em at the light. The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: Internet reviewer MaryAnn Johanson acknowledged that American Graffiti rekindled public and entertainment interest in the 1950s and early 1960s, and influenced other films such as The Lords of Flatbush (1974) and Cooley High (1975) and the TV series Happy Days. Reviews; . Ah, you know, I remember about five years ago, take you a couple of hours and a tank full of gas just to make one circuit. : [9] Because American Graffiti's main cast was for younger actors, the casting call and notices went through numerous high-school drama groups and community theaters in the San Francisco Bay Area. You take care of yourself, man. Ha ha! Lucas had considered doing a documentary about the Wolfman when he attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts, but he ultimately dropped the idea. John Milner is the tritagonist of the film American Graffiti. Actor A soundtrack album for the film, 41 Original Hits from the Soundtrack of American Graffiti, was issued by MCA Records. [5] Universal refused these offers and told Lucas they planned to have William Hornbeck re-edit the film. [28] Jan D'Alquen and Ron Eveslage were hired as the cinematographers, but filming with Techniscope cameras brought lighting problems. [throws a water balloon which misses him and hits Carol]. 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