American Graffiti

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Richard Dreyfuss	Curt Henderson
Ron Howard	Steve Bolander
Paul Le Mat	John Milner
Charles Martin Smith	Terry 'The Toad' Fields
Cindy Williams	Laurie Henderson
Candy Clark	Debbie Dunham
Mackenzie Phillips	Carol
Wolfman Jack	XERB Disc Jockey
Bo Hopkins	Joe Young
Manuel Padilla Jr.	Carlos
Beau Gentry	Ants
Harrison Ford	Bob Falfa
Jim Bohan	Officer Holstein
Jana Bellan	Budda
Deby Celiz	Wendy
Lynne Marie Stewart	Bobbie Tucker
Terence McGovern	Mr. Bill Wolfe
Kathleen Quinlan	Peg
Tim Crowley	Eddie
Scott Beach	Mr. Gordon
Suzanne Somers
Paul LeMat

Director	George Lucas
Producer	Francis Ford Coppola; Gary Kurtz
Writer	George Lucas; Gloria Katz

Here's how American critic Roger Ebert described the unique and lasting value of George Lucas' 1973 box-office hit, American Graffiti: "[It's] not only a great movie but a brilliant work of historical fiction; no sociological treatise could duplicate the movie's success in remembering exactly how it was to be alive at that cultural instant." The time to which Ebert and the film refers is the summer of 1962, and American Graffiti captures the look, feel, and sound of that era by chronicling one memorable night in the lives of several young Californians on the cusp of adulthood. (In essence, Lucas was making a semi-autobiographical tribute to his own days as a hot-rod cruiser, and the film's phenomenal success paved the way for Star Wars.) The action is propelled by the music of DJ Wolfman Jack's rock & roll radio show--a soundtrack of pop hits that would become as popular as the film itself. As Lucas develops several character subplots, American Graffiti becomes a flawless time capsule of meticulously re-created memory, as authentic as a documentary and vividly realised through innovative use of cinematography and sound. The once-in-a-lifetime ensemble cast members inhabit their roles so fully that they don't seem like actors at all, comprising a who's who of performers--some of whom went on to stellar careers--including Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips, Charles Martin Smith, Candy Clark, and Paul Le Mat. A true American classic. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com