This is presumably a revisionist move to bring the film in line with the sequel, More American Graffiti (1979), where the filmmakers chose to follow four separate character story lines which each take place in December of a different year (Milner in '64, Toad in '65, Debbie in '66, Steve & Laurie in '67).
Make no mistake: American Graffiti is George Lucas' masterpiece. It's a smart, funny and sensitive film unlike anything else he made before or since. The film is so minutely observed you realize that this is George Lucas' own story. It's what he did in Modesto those final nights before heading off to USC.
In More American Graffiti, John Milner was revealed to have been killed by a drunk driver in December 1964 (reminiscent of the death of James Dean in 1955, though the accident involving Dean did not involve a drunk driver), with the ending scene of the movie driving his trademark yellow Deuce at night along a lonely
The other '55 Chevy sat in Henry Travers' front yard for over a year before it was eventually sold to Sam Crawford, who owned it when it was featured in a May 1976 issue of Street Rodder magazine with other notable "Graffiti" cars. Steve Fitch of Wichita, Kansas bought the Graffiti '55 from Crawford in the late 1970s.
The '32 Ford Deuce Coupe in “American Graffiti” Is an Unforgettable Movie Car. The 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe has a reputation as the ultimate hot rod, and for good reason. It came out during the introduction of the flathead V8 engine and was highly sought-after from both a performance and design standpoint.
The car was owned by Clay and May Daily for more than 30 years and loaned for the film. It still lives in Petaluma, where the movie was filmed. The T-Bird started out red, but Daily painted it white in the late 1960s, as it remains.
Although American Graffiti is set in 1962 Modesto, Lucas believed the city had changed too much in ten years and initially chose San Rafael as the primary shooting location. Filming began on June 26, 1972.
Mike and Sandra Famalette, from Washington state, were the owners of the '58 Chevrolet Impala (Steve Bolander's car) from the movie.
The regular cruise has moved from its sixties location – Tenth Street between G and K Streets – to McHenry Avenue. There is an annual Graffiti Summer event each year. Modesto even boasts roller-skating waitresses at the A&W Root Beer Drive-In, close to the cruise strip, at 1404 G Street.
The American Graffiti 1932 Ford Coupe. Some people well tell you that the "Piss Yellow" coupe in the movie American Graffiti single-handedly brought back Hot Rod cars.
CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, THERE IS NO ACTUAL CONNECTION BETWEEN AMERICAN GRAFFITI AND HAPPY DAYS. You'd think that Happy Days was somehow a spin-off of the movie, but you'd be wrong. It actually began as an unsold pilot in 1971 and aired in 1972 as part of the anthology series Love, American Style.
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Similarly, it makes perfect sense that the gorgeous blonde (Suzanne Somers) who Curt (Richard Dreyfuss) becomes obsessed with is driving around in a 1956 Ford Thunderbird; a car as beautiful as it is unattainable for a guy like Curt, who is stuck in the backseat of his sister's crummy Edsel.
How much did it cost to make American Graffiti?
After Warner Bros. abandoned Lucas's early version of Apocalypse Now (during the post-production of THX 1138), the filmmaker decided to continue developing Another Quiet Night in Modesto, eventually changing its title to American Graffiti.
Did American Graffiti win any awards?
Golden Globe Award for Best New Star of the Year – Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay
What is the plot of American Graffiti?
On the last day of summer vacation in 1962, friends Curt (Richard Dreyfuss), Steve (Ronny Howard), Terry (Charles Martin Smith) and John (Paul Le Mat) cruise the streets of small-town California while a mysterious disc jockey (Wolfman Jack) spins classic rock'n'roll tunes. It's the last night before their grown-up lives begin, and Steve's high-school sweetheart, a hot-to-trot blonde, a bratty adolescent and a disappearing angel in a Thunderbird provide all the excitement they can handle.
