AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973) FIRST TIME WATCHING // Reaction and Commentary // Team Terry!!

[@robertjewell9727]

I've 2 friends in this film and have been dying for reactors to react to American Graffiti. So bravo. I'd like to share it with them if that's cool.

[@ShanelleRiccio]

Do it!!! I loved this!!

[@robertjewell9727]

@@ShanelleRiccio , okay. I'll send their comments if they comment. They are Candy and Paul. Candy was nominated for Best Supporting actress although Tatum O'Neal won, but Tatum's role was really as lead actress not supporting, but since she was only 12 I think at the time the Academy didn't think she could compete as Best Actress. The Academy has weird tendencies in my opinion.

[@robertjewell9727]

@@ShanelleRiccio I sent this to Paul. Candy I sent the first 2 sentences. Hi, Paul. I've an AG reaction video. Are you interested in seeing it? It's edited down and I've been asking some of these reactors to see it and this person did so it might he interesting for you I think.

[@robertjewell9727]

@@ShanelleRiccio okay, Paul's all for it. So posting now. Haven't heard from Candy yet.

[@robertjewell9727]

@@ShanelleRiccio here's Paul's comment so far. His repost will have a lot more comments on his FB page and a lot more people will see it. So far it's gotten several Likes and and some positive comments. Paul Le Mat Robert Jewell I like it and like her. Will repost it on the top so more folks can watch it...

[@hoodwinkiez]

So happy you are reacting to American graffiti. Nobody reacts to this movie and they should.

[@namelessjedi2242]

I cannot believe how many fans of Star Wars and Lucas don’t know this film (or really any of his other work).

[@jonathanross149]

I love a unique reaction.

[@ShanelleRiccio]

Really enjoyed!! This is my exact kind of movie

[@TheJamieRamone]

@@namelessjedi2242 A-THX1138-HEM! ;-)

[@wolfmanjack3451]

@@ShanelleRiccio ,Now and then the right movie at the right time for a weary generation,Vietnam had just ended,the space race was put on hold,unemployment was high. If that wasn't enough the Cold War was escalating in Europe and the middle east..Some people say "If you can remember the 70's you weren't there"..

[@jndaley]

Wolf man Jack was iconic during this era into the mid 70’s.

[@Warlocke000]

He was popular enough to even have a cartoon series in 1984.

[@wolfmanjack3451]

And a song "Clap for the Wolfman".

[@johncarr6337]

We would go for drives and listen to him, Imet him at a car show.

[@eximusic]

Yep, used to listen to his show all the time.

[@jake1976]

My favorite scene is when Curt realizes it's the real Wolfman. Always brings a tear to my eyes, I don't know why.

[@MonsieurBooyah]

the end cards are perfect encapsulation of how fast the 60s went for that whole generation

[@porflepopnecker4376]

Yeah, they're for people who are old enough to have lived through that time and seen where all their friends ended up since then, some living and some dead.

[@KabukiKid]

This was also the first movie to use those little end cards... which were then used constantly in movies going forward.

[@eliberdinner4808]

When my mom (born in '49) was in highschool they were all assigned a soldier to write a letter to in Vietnam, and were given a bracelet with the soldier's name on it. Her soldier never wrote back, but she still has the bracelet.

[@justingans679]

I think Lucas & Co were also protesting the Vietnam War, which was still going on at the time. Hence the tragic end of Toad.

[@jamesknox7171]

The only problem is they did a sequel and John and Terry were both in it.

[@richardbalducci819]

Shanelle, you will love “That Thing You Do”, I guarantee it❗️💜🍸

[@robertpearson8798]

Milners car is a Ford 1932 Coup hotrod, a “little Deuce Coup”

[@roryotoole3279]

With the license plate of THX-138, as in THX-1138 which was George Lucas' first film.

[@kevinramsey417]

You don't know what I got.

[@robertpearson8798]

@@roryotoole3279 Hah, never noticed that one!

[@jimberglund6979]

@@roryotoole3279 Lucas uses those numbers several times throughout other films, too - in A New Hope, Luke (dressed as a stromtrooper) says Chewbacca is a "prisoner transfer from cell block 1138". Lucas also founded the sound company "THX, Ltd." in reference to it.

[@wolfmanjack3451]

I saw this in the theater in '73,all through high school my goal was to own the baddest '55 Chevy on the left coast,2021 I still own my '55 gasser to this day.

[@chuckvt5196]

I was 10 in 1962 and this is exactly how it was, right down to driving right out to the airfield at some small airports. Also, the radio and the disc jockeys were such a HUGE part of teen's lives. Having been drafted myself during the Vietnam war, I can relate to Toad, and the angst was real. Thanks for a great review!

[@robertrouse4503]

My friend, Candy played Debbie, Toad's girl. She later starred aside David Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth.

[@fmellish71]

Love Candy Clark!

[@candicelitrenta8890]

Candy Clark was also in Blue Thunder with Roy Schrieder

[@rong4189]

Wow, that’s awesome!

[@scottdettmar]

Wow, she was amazing in "Man Who Fell to Earth". !

[@reesebn38]

@@candicelitrenta8890 Love Blue Thunder!

[@fredgarvin716]

American Graffiti was based on George Lucas' time in Modesto, CA. My dad grew up not far from Modesto and was 21 in 1962. My mom said that the Milner character could have been based on my dad's life back then. He loved hot rods, cruising, and racing when he was young. I'm very nostalgic for this film because of that.

[@fluentinsilence]

The Wolfman on the radio throughout the film is the actual recordings from Robert "Wolfman Jack" Smith, also cameoing in this film. Additionally, when you asked, "Can you feel nostalgic about an era you never lived?" (paraphrasing) - I say yes. This film, Dazed & Confused, virtually every teen 80s film, etc. - you absolutely can. This film is a gem for the youth of the 60s.

[@blowba]

The funny/sad part is 14 year old MacKenzie Philips probably partied harder than the entire cast combined.

[@leroylowe5921]

She was the Lohan the Barbarian of the 70s. Her costar was worried if she could handle the material, then he said "She was funnier than I was!"

[@rustincohle2135]

She was actually 12 in this movie.

[@leroylowe5921]

@@rustincohle2135 yeah, how did I miss that

[@MCraigyboy7]

you mean 12 year old @@leroylowe5921

[@Forever-my4wp]

A few years later Animal House also used the end cards to great hilarity

[@chrisleebowers]

And Fast Times

[@ShanelleRiccio]

Yes i love the way Fast Times parodied this!!

[@Madbandit77]

@@chrisleebowers And Mallrats. All four films were released by Universal Pictures.

[@markpsenicnak719]

If you like this I think you will really like "Dazed and Confused" Great movie and amazing soundtrack.

[@rustincohle2135]

"American Graffiti" blows "Dazed and Confused" out of the water.

[@cthulhucollector]

Have you seen Breaking Away? That is a very good coming of age movie.

[@flinx1241]

I’ll second that recommendation!

[@BoomerandZoomerReacts]

Also check out Vision quest and some kind of wonderful

[@BenDowdy]

And "Foxes".

[@JeffKelly03]

Breaking Away is so, so, so good. One of my all-time favorite films. So funny and genuine and - not to sound cliche - real.

[@roryotoole3279]

CINZANO!!! YES, BREAKING AWAY!

[@josephscally6270]

I have always found this movie interesting for the sheer number of actors who later were so very successful.

[@StephenRansom47]

George is Kurt. The end cards are probably base on people he actually knew. George was a big car freak back in the day.

[@sanjonn]

George is all four.

[@ARC5555Fives]

wait, are you guys talking about George Lucas

[@StephenRansom47]

@@ARC5555Fives Yes, we are 😊… It is believed that he was talking about his own vision of a night in town with his buddies.

[@ARC5555Fives]

@@StephenRansom47 hmm... interesting

[@xenialafleur]

It's always been weird to me seeing Ritchie and Shirley as a couple.

[@dsscam]

Richie and Shirley were also a couple on the episode of Happy Days that introduced Laverne & Shirley before the spinoff. Happy Days was inspired by American Graffiti-

[@Tconlon251_2]

@@dsscamKind of… Before the movie came out, Garry Marshall made a pilot with most of the Happy Days cast, but it was rejected as a series and instead used as an episode of “Love American Style,” an anthology series at the time that reused a lot of rejected pilots. After the movie’s success, ABC went back and picked up the series with a few changes, most notably replacing Harold Gould with Tom Bosley. As an epilogue, the name of the LAS episode was changed from “Love and the Television Set” to “Love and the Happy Days” and footage from the pilot was reused in a Happy Days episode from either Season 2 or 3.

[@jowbloe3673]

Her seeing Ron Howard in a 50s setting without hearing an immediate reference to *Happy Days* was a disappointment. Kids. *EDIT:* . . . and she recognized almost no one else either.

[@DataCab1e]

I suspect she recognized Ron as a director more than an actor.

[@Tuning_Spork]

@Kari Wain Happy Days was more reminiscent of a different coming of age film, "Summer of '42", released in 1971. Richie, Potsy and Ralph were inspired by that movie's main characters.

[@roryotoole3279]

@Kari Wain It's funny, Happy Days was a show that took place in the 50's but was made in the 70's. That 70's Show was a show about the 70's made in the 90's. Ron Howard had already shot the pilot for Happy Days before American Graffiti but it wasn't picked up and wound up on Love American Style. Lucas saw the pilot and cast Howard as Steve. After the success of American Graffiti ABC said "Hey what about that show we had about the 50's with the kid from American Graffiti". Happy Days then went into production.

[@ThreadBomb]

Happy Days took a lot from American Graffiti: Ron Howard, The Fonz, Mel's Diner, and Rock Around The Clock as its opening theme (season one).

[@rickardroach9075]

@@ThreadBomb And the neon style font.

[@bdbaggett1643]

So glad to see you react to this movie. A classic that is too often overlooked. Great job!

[@bdbaggett1643]

@Randy White Agree. Great movie. Saw it when originally released. It seems to be overlooked by the regular YT movie reviewers.

[@stephenmcdonald8474]

So happy that this popped Up! This film is in my Top 3 of all time, and now Miss Shanelle is reacting to it. Thank you so much for doing this. Best soundtrack of all time!

[@stargazer1682]

If you like a good nostalgia movie, you should watch, "Peggy Sue Got Married".

[@LA_HA]

Yes. Awesome Coppola movie

[@versetripn6631]

@@LA_HA Nicholas Coppola (Cage) couldn't have said it better!

[@LA_HA]

@@versetripn6631 Haha

[@rustincohle2135]

Thank you for being the first person on KZbin to react to this masterpiece. Believe it or not, the end title cards (24:40) were actually the ENTIRE point of the film-- as it shapes the context of when the movie was set (1962) and when the movie was made (produced in 1972, released in '73). The explanation: George Lucas based the script on his teen years growing up in the 1950s and early 1960s-- known as the '50s "Americana" years. This time period in American history was considered the years of America's "innocence". The '50s was the first decade following America's victory in World War II. The Second World War and all the businesses on the home front (that created supplies for the war effort overseas) is what pulled America out of the poverty of the Great Depression. All the servicemen came home from the war to start families, which led to the baby boom (the boomer generation), the housing boom (a.k.a. _the growth of suburbia),_ and the economic boom of the 1950s. It was a time period of great economic prosperity in America, and thus a very optimistic time period to grow up in, hence America's "innocence". The story takes place in 1962 for a reason, as it was the last year of America's innocence due to John F. Kennedy being assassinated the following year (Nov 1963). And the suspicion that it may have been a government conspiracy had shaken many Americans' trust in authority overall. And it was all downhill from there. The Vietnam War escalated heavily and America entered the war not long after (1964). The war divided America right down the middle with half supporting it, half opposing it. After '62, America also saw the rises of (or an escalation in the rise) of the Civil Rights movement, the counterculture movement, the experimental drug culture of the '60s and '70s (a.k.a. the _Psychedelic era),_ the women's liberation movement (a.k.a. _women's lib),_ the gay liberation movement, the sexual revolution, the hippie culture, the anti-war movement (Vietnam), the environmental movement etc. It was a time period of great division and a lot of violence surrounded that division (i.e. the Kent State Massacre, Civil Rights protesters being beaten or murdered by police in the '60s, "Bloody Sunday" etc.). And also, the economic boom of the '50s led to a major recession in America in the 1970s-- it was a very pessimistic time period in America when the film was made. The ENTIRE culture of America had shifted in just 10 short years (1962 to 1972). It went from a period of optimism (1962) to a period of pessimism (1972). If you notice, American movies from the 1950s to the early 1960s were very lavish and upbeat (Hollywood was dominated by musicals at the time with the likes of _The Sound of Music, Singin' in the Rain, West Side Story_ etc.). Then by the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, films were incredibly pessimistic in tone. Film was just reflecting the zeitgeist of the times. The whole movie of "American Graffiti" was about change. It wasn't just about the coming-of-age of the young characters-- the film was also a microcosm of the coming-of-age of America as a whole. John Milner (the greaser with the Model-T Ford) was the oldest character of the group (age 20) who only wanted to have fun and didn't want to grow up, but he slowly started to realize that he was getting too old to still be a greaser cruising the strip-- that's why he lamented at the end about losing the race to Harrison Ford. He's getting old and losing his edge. Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss) was very hesitant about leaving for college the next day because it meant leaving his childhood and his high school years behind. At 9:15, you noted Curt trying to open his old high school locker-- the reason it didn't open was because back then school lockers had their combo locks changed at the end of every school year to prevent the lockers' previous owners from stealing from the new owners. The locker was symbolism representing Curt's childhood and his high school years. By not being able to open his locker, Curt was being symbolically "locked out" of his childhood with life forcing him to grow up and to get on that plane for the next stage of his life (college). John Milner complains about listening to a Beach Boys song on the radio, saying _"I hate that surfer sh-t. Rock 'n' roll has been going downhill since Buddy Holly died."_ This marked the beginning of the end of the '50s Americana era (and its upbeat rock 'n' roll music) and marked the transition of American culture to the next era, the late '60s/'70s (with its surfer and counterculture music like the _Beach Boys, CCR_ and *"British Invasion"* bands like _The Beatles_ and _The Rolling Stones_ etc.). Also, Curt's ex-gf says _"Curt's greatest ambition is to shake hands with President Kennedy."_ This line represented America's fleeting innocence in 1962, as they had no idea he'd be assassinated the following year. To reiterate, Curt is hesitant to leave for college cuz he already has nostalgia for his high school years. He likes the familiar and doesn't want to leave everything he knows behind. He fears growing up, he fears change, he fears the mystery and the unknown, he fears the uncertainty of the future. But then, he encounters a mysterious blonde woman in the white T-Bird which excites him greatly. And he spends the whole night chasing after her and gets into misadventures along the way. He never does find out just who she is BUT it does give him a new perspective on life. Spending the whole night following the mysterious woman made Curt realize that there's no reason to fear the unknown, that there can be a lot of excitement in the mystery. When he boards the plane at the end, he looks out the window and sees the blonde driving the white T-Bird on the street below. She represents the unknown but exciting opportunities ahead in Curt's future that he is no longer afraid to tackle head on. It's some really great visual symbolism right there. And unlike the rest of the film which featured upbeat 1950s rock 'n' roll, the film ends with a Beach Boys song following the depressing epilogue-- this was to signify the transition of one era ('50s-early '60s) to the next (late '60s-'70s). There's a lot of symbolism like this throughout the movie, the script has a LOT of subtext on the themes of change. Knowing this context, it's a whole new movie if you ever decide to rewatch it. But yea, soon after '62, the cruising and car culture had disappeared, upbeat '50s rock 'n' roll was replaced by '60s counterculture music, '50s and early '60s optimism was replaced by late '60s and '70s pessimism. That's why we see the depressing title cards at the end of the film with John Milner being killed in a car crash, Terry "the Toad" (the nerd) becomes missing in action while fighting in Vietnam, Steve Bolander (Ron Howard) still living in the same town working a boring job, and Curt living in Canada as a writer-- like many young people, he moved to Canada to avoid being drafted into Vietnam. That depressing ending contextualizes the whole movie, as the themes and subtext of the film was actually about America's drastic change and radical shift in culture within the last decade.

[@LA_HA]

It made me sad when she said her dad was very into this music... from the 60s. Man, it made me think of people in my family who talk about this era and how much they loved it. haha PS. So right about the optimism-pessimism difference of the eras and the people. It's Very true

[@mikejankowski6321]

So well stated.

[@reesebn38]

Well said I hope She read this. I saw this movie in the theater when it came out in 73, I was 9. It was the first film to have a profound effect on me.

[@ShanelleRiccio]

Thanks for taking the time to write this. Most of that oh so important context escapes me, but i did very much love the symbol of Curt not being able to open his locker. I loved that choice, the inevitability of change in his life. So cool to include

[@rustincohle2135]

​@@ShanelleRiccio Thank you for reading... and responding!😀I also forgot to mention that it was very impressive that you included the locker scene in your reaction, especially since that scene feels very insignificant at face value. The vast majority of modern viewers would never pick up on the subtext of that scene. So, it was really cool to see you comment on it. Anyway, I've always loved this movie since I first saw it in middle school (1999 or so-- at that time, I was obsessed with everything George Lucas and Harrison Ford). But of course, being a millennial myself, I didn't actually "get" the film until I spent a lot time researching and analyzing it as an adult. Obviously, the historical context of virtually all older films will elude most modern audiences-- without having lived through said period nor having done research prior to viewing. But back in '73, everybody understood this movie. I love researching history and context related to film because it always adds so much more depth and enjoyment to each movie. And yes, I too have strong feelings of "fauxstalgia" for this time period as well. I don't know how you couldn't while watching this movie. And lastly, "More American Graffiti" is not a bad movie at all. It's not the original but it's not one of the worst movies ever made. If you loved the characters, the sequel is enjoyable enough.

[@shainewhite2781]

This movie made, Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, Charles Martin Smith, Kathleen Quinlan, Bo Hopkins, Cindy Williams, and Candy Clark stars today.

[@CaptainNice]

and Mackenzie Phillips.

[@SGlitz]

@@CaptainNice tragically so

[@dustywaynemusic6297]

Ron Howard was well known as Opie Taylor years before this movie

[@Madbandit77]

Bo Hopkins' first film was actually Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch".

[@scottgorski7931]

The movie came out in 73; I graduated from high school in 75. Because of this movie the music from it made a huge come back in the mid to late 70's. I also think it made us all appreciate our last days in high school and realize we could never get them back. My friends and I have always said you needed to watch this movie multiple times, each time watching for a different reason. 1 just to watch the movie, 2 for the music, 3 for the street scenes and 4 for the cars.

[@namelessjedi2242]

Young George Lucas had a car with a special racing seatbelt installed. He was in an accident and the professional grade belt somehow malfunctioned, throwing him from the car, which as it turned out saved his life. He also had at least one good friend who went to Vietnam and was killed. I think knowing such things helps to better understand the movie and the somewhat dark tone of certain moments and the ending.

[@PuffyCloud_aka_puffeclaude]

I drive past the scene of the crash frequently. Movie may not have been shot in Modesto but they don't care. They celebrate the cruising lifestyle to this day on an annual "Grafitti Night".

[@itsgleneaton4883]

When I watch this film I’m over taken by how real it looks and how authentic the acting is to that period. People today are use to moments that shock you or over the top laughs but the magic of this picture is it’s realism.

[@cbretschneider]

So glad to see you do this movie. It's definitely one of the best films ever made. It's like a window into a time and place.

[@dennisgaunt9089]

Did you catch at the very end, when Kurt looks out of the plane window, he sees the white T-Bird on the road?

[@ShanelleRiccio]

Yeah! I didn’t connect it to the woman at all 😂 i just thought his friends were racing his plane

[@riccileighisreal6889]

Didn’t the tag say Kurt died in Vietnam?

[@dennisgaunt9089]

Terry "The Toad" Fields went missing in action in Vietnam in 1965. Kurt was a writer living in Canada. (Presumably, he moved there to dodge the draft).

[@marksman16]

The one and only Suzanne Somers thighmaster & Three's Company

[@whawaii]

@Dennis Gaunt - Since Kurt ended up being a writer, I find it ironic that the same actor (Richard Dreyfuss) was also portrayed as a writer in the movie "Stand By Me. @Shanelle Riccio - I'd like to suggest doing the movie "Stand By Me".

[@chrissmith7584]

I’m 31, and have vivid memories watching this movie with my dad in high school. Great coming of age story.

[@anthonymunn8633]

The movie elevated Wolfman Jack from a radio legend to a national celebrity in the 70s and 80s.He was everywhere.

[@themoviedealers]

Talk shows, game shows, sitcom appearances, his own albums where he "sang".

[@inthebiscuits]

When my dad describes his high school days he says it was basically just like American Graffiti but with more Chicanos lol, he's Chicano and grew up in east Orange County, California. Have to say though, when he talks about the later Sixties/early Seventies it does sound more like the end title cards, in his neighborhood there was at least one guy on every street who got drafted, he and his younger brother were drafted too except my dad spent his time stateside while my uncle Bobby served in Vietnam.

[@kenbarton2920]

The scene in "Fast Times" when they fall out of the van in a cloud of smoke was very accurate. My experience in the parking lot of Chatsworth High before gym predates this movie by two or three years though we were careful not to stumble out & be noticed.

[@oougahersharr]

In my Dad's family, there were five brothers. Dad was the only one not drafted to Viet Nam service (he had a heart condition and was the only one married and with two children yes, he was only 19 with two children). My uncle Joe was discharged for mental straight out of boot camp. Uncle Johnny wound up in Viet Nam and when eh came back suffered such bad PTSD he drank himself to death. Uncle Bud went AWOL stationed in Hawaii. And Uncle Frank was sent to Germany, not Viet Nam, where he was hit by a train . . . and survived, having been throw from the jeep he was in. My Moms side, only one brother, and he never served due to chronic illness. Yeah, the Viet Nam war was big for almost all American families.

[@atomicwest995]

One of the great things about this movie is how the radio serves as the soundtrack and background noise throughout the entirety of it. With the DJ talking and commercials and everything. It totally immerses the viewer in the world. Without it the movie would have a completely different feel. And on a side note, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD does the exact same thing with the radio. So good.

[@TheNollaigo]

one of the best soundtracks ever and the DJ was the legendary Rock and Roll DJ Wolfman Jack AAAAAAWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO have you watched Stand by Me yet? great coming of age film

[@kenbarton2920]

Born in Glendale, CA in '58: Wolfman Jack, the shared immediacy of radio, no safety belts cruising Van Nuys Blvd, Drive ins & the roller skates, they dotted the land. Saw this one in the theater with my family. Growing up in SoCal we had so much media reflected back at us, kinda blows my mind these days. I must be fortunate for a real nostalgia that might not be so intense without checking out your reaction to this particular movie. I loved this movie as an adolescent, still do, and I really enjoyed how you pointed out modes of behavior, like being comfortable with walking around wherever whenever & there really was a radio playing somewhere you could always hear something. And when it comes to sensuality, or displayed hotness in movies, the scene where Kathleen Quinlan is checking herself in the mirror at the high school dance totally rates.

[@MikeO-hs5xw]

A really great coming of age movie is Stand By Me. LOve the reactions.

[@swampmanwayneblueswayne9802]

I saw it with my mother and father when it came out. We lived in Modesto Cal where this took place ,I remember everyone standing up and cheering when the music started.

[@fredzeppelin3969]

Will she figure out that is Richard Dreyfus?

[@mojavemike6522]

I was 17 when this came out and friends and I went and saw it 3 times in two weeks. We lived that movie for quite awhile.

[@markm4033]

Yes, I was born in 1977 and whenever I hear music from the 50s and 60s, it does give a nostalgia feel even though I never grew up in that generation. Its kind of timeless.

[@stevecunningham2759]

I really appreciate your review and comment style because you include the technical/construction analysis as well as your feelings. You are my favorite KZbin reviewer!

[@cthulhucollector]

I think this is George Ls most competent film.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Lucas should have done SW and moved on to bigger things.

[@JeepersCreepers2013]

I remember we all would listen to the same station getting ready and driving to school in the morning. There was always something to laugh at to start the day.

[@wembleyford]

If this was made today, it'd be a film about 2010. That just does my head in.

[@ShanelleRiccio]

I should make one about my high school years 😂

[@kenbarton2920]

Try being 62, & all these classic movies & music are 50 yrs old.

[@Tayd0g]

Now we got 13 reasons why

[@davedalton1273]

The blonde in the T Bird was played by Susanne Summers. Disclosing that Toad went to war in Vietnam, that Curt probably evaded The Draft by going to Canada and that John was killed by a drunk driver was beyond poignant. !962 was right on the cusp of an enormous cultural and social shift in America. Only one year before JFK's assassination, escalation of the war and the British Invasion, the world as they knew it then, came to an abrupt and wrenching end. I know this because I was there; I lived through it. My friends and I all felt the same way. That information at the end elevated what was a very good film into an elegy for a time and a world gone by. This movie, for me and many others, is a cultural and historical touchstone.

[@karinkesel5577]

You really summarized it all perfectly 👍

[@charliepotatoes001]

Corvette Summer!! Mark Hamill at his best indie style!

[@firhanhidayat2803]

the way that there's always a non stop laughter and screaming in the background really capture the free air of cruisin night ...

[@bigron725]

This movie and The Sting both came out this year ( 73 ) . Two of my all time favorite movies . Had to talk someone older into buying us tickets because they were PG and I wasn't " old enough " .

[@euclid216]

As someone who graduated in the sixties, this is my all time favorite movie. So glad you enjoyed and appreciated it. Did you Know that was the FIRST movie that told four concurrent stories. Much later on, Seinfeld did the same thing for TV.

[@paulchristopher6193]

Another great coming of age movie is Stand by me, great film and soundtrack,

[@porflepopnecker4376]

The first time I saw this movie was on a Boeing 747 over the Pacific Ocean. Years later, I watched "Airport '75" for the first time, and sure enough this was their in-flight movie, too. When studios execs first saw a preview of the film, they told George Lucas that it was "unreleasable." It went on to become a critical and popular smash.

[@Qualimar]

'American Graffiti'! I love that film and you can see it's influence on teen films ever since. Also this is hands down the best soundtrack of any movie. By the way don't be surprised at your nostalgia - remember even in 1974 this was a nostalgic movie, set before the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luthor King and the Vietnam War.

[@MrPHUCKYOURSELF]

I saw this movie when I was 10. It’s one of my moms favorite movies. This was back in 1993. I built and own a 1929 Tudor sedan chopped because of this movie.

[@joemckinley4195]

Maybe I'm a terrible person for saying this...I watch a few reactors and you are the only one I support financially. Your reactions are priceless and informative.

[@norcalboy2572]

Thanks so much for taking the time to discuss trivia! I know this film so well and watch it fairly frequently, but much of the trivia was new info for me :)

[@Zebred2001]

American Graffiti is one of my all-time favorite movies! I can't tell you how important it was to me in my mid-70's teen years. Very evocative of the era and the end-cards underscored the poignancy of life for that generation. There was a sequel called More American Graffiti. Not as good as the original but alright. For a great coming-of-age movie about the 70's check out Dazed and Confused.

[@md9680]

Saw this in a military theater in Kifissia (Athens), Greece in 1975. I had proposed to my wife just a few days before. We still watch it every now and then to renew memories of our time in Greece.

[@brendonm9601]

I didn’t mind the end credit part, it brought you back to reality, made you think that life can change so quickly. It was sobering because after 90 odd minutes you had developed such a connection to those characters

[@meheuck]

It's a very crucial detail that Kurt is a writer in Canada - it indicates that he has stayed there to avoid the draft for the Vietnam War, where Terry the Toad went MIA.

[@JTMS]

Dazed and Confused is another great coming of age one night movie.

[@JeffKelly03]

American Graffiti begat Dazed and Confused begat Superbad. Every generation gets that one iconic “end of the school year party” movie that takes place in a single night. Could probably throw Sixteen Candles in there too, now that I think about it.

[@yw1971]

Also Fandango

[@sixstanger00]

Resident car junkie here: Milner's car is a 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe (produced after the Model A), which was custom built for this film. It's been lowered, front fenders removed, and the top of the cab was chopped off, a few inches of the pillars removed, then the top was welded back (a common modification on hot rods called "chop tops"). The engine was also custom built per Lucas' direction, all the way down to the exhaust headers. The car still exists today in mint condition and only appears at a handful of car shows in the western US. Milner gave Carol the shifter knob from his car, which was shaped like a car engine's piston.

[@izzyryder4969]

"The Hollywood Knights"(1980) is another coming of age film along this same subject line in the same era.

[@rustincohle2135]

"The Hollywood Knights" is a cross of the '50s nostalgia of "American Graffiti" and the slob humor of "Animal House".

[@forsakenjones4695]

that was a disgusting movie...

[@scottski51]

As a college junior... swear to God... I saw this movie (with various buddies and dates) SEVEN TIMES in 3 weeks when it hit the big screen!! Wolfman Jack was a HERO to many of us Central Cal kids and this movie was just.... EXCELLENT !!! We loved the music (immed. bought the double album of classic R&R) and the band at the dance was Flash Cadillac and the Continental Kids, and early R&R cover band, whom I saw in person the next year!

[@laurab391]

This was the movie I saw with my husband on our first date. Such a fun, great movie. The ending clips of what happens to the characters is explained in the sequel, More American Graffiti. Also very good. You should watch that.

[@billbabcock1833]

When I saw that you were doing American Graffiti it put a smile on my face. This movie came out the year after I graduated from high school and was the launching pad for so many careers. Lucas and Ford went on to Star Wars, Dreyfuss on to Jaws, Howard to directing blockbuster movies, Cindy Williams on to Laverne and Shirley. The 70s changed movies a lot.

[@JohnLeePettimoreIII]

6:47 that wasn't a simple mooning. it was an advanced mooning technique known as _"A Pressed Ham"_

[@TimSmith-uc4pk]

Yup. No TSA back then and no seatbelt laws. Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Richard Dreyfus, Bo Hopkins, Suzanne Sommers, McKenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford and etc, etc.

[@saucermcfly]

I can't believe I didn't consider suggesting DINER as an option. Not a teen film, but the characters are in college, so it's still something of a coming-of-age tale.

[@merkerb]

This movie made me understand why my grandpa was always working on and restoring old cars and got me into that at about age 8. So many beautiful cars in this movie!! I’ve owed and/or restored probably a third of the model cars in this movie with my grandfather

[@wolfmanjack3451]

Finally someone reacted to one of my favorites..great writing and direction,break out roles for just about everyone in the cast.. But,it's the cars that came from all over the country to be a part of this movie,Harrison Ford's '55 Chevy got me hooked on building hot rods and street machines for the last 48 years. The Wolfman was a California 1960's legend,his popularity was in no way exaggerated in this movie.. Thanks for the reaction :)

[@peterbooth1525]

I loved the scene by the lake, the clumsy fumbling, ooh, you're on my hair, reminds me of my first few times.

[@victorsixtythree]

Have you seen Barry Levinson's "Diner"? Another great coming of age movie for sure! With an incredible cast of actors just starting out and who went on to have big careers.

[@RevLimitOffRoad]

My favorite movie of all time. I'm glad I found your channel. I grew up in a small town in Central Texas, then the late '80s to early '90s we still cruised the main drag. Music, hot rods and friendship is what we looked forward to on the weekends. Our lives were just like this movie, but 25 years later (mooning and all)!

[@3DJapan]

3:25 When I went to school at Universal Studios I often had lunch at their version of Mel's Drive-in. Luckily I didn't have to go in the regular entrance with the tourists I got to use the special window around back.

[@gitchegumee]

I graduated in 1977 in Upper Michigan. Car culture and cruising with the radio (or 8 track) blasting was still a huge teen thing. Not surprisingly, the first time I saw it was at our drive in theater a month after graduation, sitting in my 1970 Cuda. My girlfriend at the time was a bubbly blonde named - yes, Sandy. We were young, facing the real life but also desperately trying to hang onto those last fleeting days of our youth (20 year olds were - old...). This is definitely a Memory Lane movie that launched a generation of stars.

[@brandonflorida1092]

"American Graffiti," as a title - If you read graffiti from ancient Rome, wouldn't you get a good feeling for the zeitgeist of the era? I think it means something like that.

[@jamescronan7220]

Fun fact - "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" (The Platters, 1958) was the song for the Ron Howard, Cindy Williams spotlight dance - the same song chosen for the Richard Dryfuss, Holly Hunter dance scene in Spielgberg's "Always" (1989).

[@biguy617]

A great coming at age movies is The Outsiders. Ralph Machio, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, C Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, and Diane Lane,

[@windsorkid7069]

Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead used to say, "If you didn't grow up in the sixties and seventies, you really missed the party." Damn straight!

[@foreignmilk]

i would say this was a pre-cursor to dazed and confused, but really, dazed and confused was a post-cursor to this. either way, if you havent watched dazed and confused, it was to the 70s what american graffiti was to the 50s. definitely worth a watch.

[@peterbooth793]

Of all the relationships in this movie, the one between John and Carol is the most touching. In my humble opinion 😌.

[@karinkesel5577]

Yes!! Adorable 🤗

[@markhuber8105]

Curt living as a writer in Canada was how he avoided the draft for the Vietnam War.

[@ocularnervosa]

In American Graffiti 2 he was a student in Berkley.

[@Nick-wl2xq]

Is that where/when he wrote 'Stand By Me"? (Since he's the writer in that film.)

[@DirtSeven]

Berkeley is worse than Vietnam!

[@roystewart9995]

I'm an Australian and I love this show and I've lost count of how many times I've seen American Graffiti. Thanks Shannelle, loved it, loved it, loved it.

[@lanemyer774]

A real great coming of age movie is "Fandango" from 1985. IMO a little gem that not many people seem to know. And talking about Coppola, "Rumblefish" is a must.

[@laudanum669]

@Lane Myer "Rumblefish" is a great suggestion, such a good movie with a stellar cast. As a kid growing up in the 70's I read everyone of the S.E. Hinton books.

[@wagonmaster1974]

@@laudanum669 Susie Hinton and my sister were friends. She is a few years older than I. Due to that friendship and my obsession with classic and musclecars, She asked if I'd allow a couple to be used in "The Outsiders." Well, duuuh, of course. For that, I got to be an extra in the drive in scene and I got pretty much front row observational seating during the filming. Got to meet the cast and Coppola. The highlight of my life, so far, save for marriage and children. All of Susie's young adult books were turned into movies. The Outsiders, Tex, That Was Then, This Is Now and Rumblefish. They are all good, but "The Outsiders" will always be my favorite. Susie gave me a first run, first edition copy of the book, which she autographed. I still have it - well protected.

[@kevinwallis2194]

I was in high school when this came out, and watched it un a theatre. I had already been crusing the strip and street racing my first car, a 64 GTO.

[@protovision2010]

fantastic movie + reaction! Check out "Dazed and Confused" (1993), great "1970's last day of school" movie, fantastic cast, most of them before they were famous (Mcconaughey, Affleck, etc)

[@tetsuoishiki4677]

The update at the end was inspired. John talked about a drunk driver killing a friend. Terry acting tough and then becoming a war correspondent. Funny how Richard Dreyfus also played a writer waxing nostalgic in Stand By Me. Also Steve and Laurie went on to play Richie Cunningham and Shirley Feeny.

[@ramonalfaro3252]

Breaking Away is a great coming if age movie!

[@mscommerce]

This is THE coming of age movie, that kicked off a whole host of them in the two decades to follow. There were a couple before, but this one raised the genre to an artform.

[@steveg5933]

Wolfman Jack was a class act. Picked up nationally.

[@RTSOB1]

He became something of a radio legend because of his days at XERF out of Del Rio, Texas. The studios were in Del Rio but the transmitter was across the border in Acuna Coahuila, Mexico, thus escaping the FCC regulations of that time which restricted AM stations to 50,000 watts. Because it broadcast from Mexico where there were no regulations, XERF pumped it out at ten times that amount (500,000 watts - a so called "Border Blaster") and Wolfman Jack could be heard almost anywhere in the western Hemisphere.

[@Madbandit77]

@@RTSOB1 "The Wolfman is everywhere."

[@terrycharnley]

Great that you reacted to and liked this movie. It was George's second directing gig after his debut, THX 1138. He doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves I don't think for other films that he has directed and before Star Wars. He will always be known for Star Wars, even though he has produced and created so much and is responsible for amazing effects in many films with Industrial Light & Magic, but never once has he complained that he will only be remembered for Star Wars. He is proud and fiercely protective of Star Wars, but American Graffiti is thoroughly entertaining and there is probably no other rocking soundtrack on earth! Point of interest, George Lucas was a car enthusiast in his youth and he was nearly killed in a horrific hod rod accident. He was also considered a perennial underachiever. After his recovery, his friend challenged him to do a quirky teenage coming of age comedy, that was what you just saw.

[@danishhald]

You’re so freaking cute. This is a great movie. There are so many actors in this that went on to have productive careers, one way or another.

[@larrystuder8543]

I think one reason this film is so universal, is that we can each pick out someone and say, " he is me.". I was a Terry the Toad, who wound up like a Kurt.

[@misterkite]

This needs to be followed up with Fast Times at Ridgemont High. edit: which itself needs to be followed up by Dazed & Confused.

[@kimwatchesstuff]

Fast times was set in the 80s, Dazed first.

[@misterkite]

@@kimwatchesstuff I was just going in production order.

[@eurofritz4617]

@El Vato "Volare"!

[@deedee67888]

This movie is what made me fall in love with this music. The soundtrack is one of my favorites. Great reaction!

[@robertmccauley754]

Shanelle! You gotta see Dazed and Confused. Similar story, maybe not as strong on character but same vein.

[@65g4]

My father loved this film when he was in his twenties and introduced me to it when i was in my twenties and i loved it and i still love it. One of my favourite films of all time.

[@dannyjoe3343]

Been a long time since i've seen this. I forgot about Richard Dreyfus bein' in it. Made me think of Speilberg's " Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind". He's great in that too.

[@LA_HA]

It's fun to see Cindy "I was almost Princess Leia" Williams arguing with Harrison "I hate being Han Solo" Ford. I think she would have made a really great Leia

[@nickf8989]

It doesn't matter what she's talking about, I love watching and listening to her.

[@josearroyo8008]

After this dazzed and confused would be great if you were following a theme

[@rong4189]

This was filmed mostly in Petaluma Ca. just north of San Francisco. The opening scene at Mel’s Drive In was a real drive-in in San Francisco. Edit: I commented before the end of your video. Good job! I was eleven when this movie came out and loved it, and I believe this movie was a big reason for the HUGE 50’s nostalgia craze that came soon after its release, AND the real reason Happy Days became such a huge success. At least that’s the way I remember it.