AG Trivia and Links

American Graffiti Trivia and Links

What movie had the police car destruction scene from American Graffiti as the in-flight movie on a airplane?
Airport 1975 (Thanks, Derrick!)

Movie Extra Information

Dusty Rhodes, LtCol, USAF/Ret, contributed this bit of information:

"Not sure how interested you are, but did you know that several of the extras in the movie were young Airmen from Hamilton AFB?"

I was the Information Officer at Hamilton AFB in Novato, CA in 1972. I received a call from a casting director concerning getting some young men to appear in a movie they were filming in San Rafael, CA, which is adjacent to the base. San Rafael is where the street scenes were shot, between midnight and about 3 AM. It seems that none of the actors in the local area were willing to cut their hair for a "period piece" from the 60's, so they thought about active duty military. I put the pitch out in the base newspaper and several young men took the offer. They had to take "leave" to work in the movie, but they were paid and got a real kick out of it...but none of them had ever heard of anyone who was in the movie. How fleeting fame."

American Graffiti Trivia - #1
(Originally from the Movies Trivia FAQ) ©1993 Murray Chapman

License plate on John Milner's (Paul LeMat) car is "THX-138''. THX 1138 is a film also directed by George Lucas.
There is a rumor that while George Lucas and a co-worker were editing the film, the co-worker asked Lucas for "Reel Two, Dialog Two'', which abbreviated to "R2D2'', a name which surfaced in Lucas' later film Star Wars.

American Graffiti Trivia - #2

Carol's (Mackenzie Phillips') t-shirt says "Surfboards by Dewey Weber".
The name of the airline that carries Kurt (Richard Dreyfuss) away is "Magic Carpet Airlines".
American Graffiti was filmed in only 28 days in the San Francisco Bay area.
There were about 300 pre-1962 cars used in the film.

1973 Academy Award Nominations

American Graffiti nominated for Best Picture.
Candy Clark nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
George Lucas nominated for Best Director.
Gloria Katz and William Huyck nominated for Best Screenplay.
Verna Fields and Marcia Lucas nominated for Best Film Editing.

Some famous lines from the movie...

"Do you want to end up like John? You can't stay 17 forever." - Steve to Curt
"I'll love and protect this car until death do us part." - Terry to Steve
"I just love the feel of tuck and roll upholstery." - Debbie to Terry
"I was a dirty bird. Carol's not grungy, she's bitchin'." - John to Carol
"Rock 'n roll's been going downhill ever since Buddy Holly died." - John to Carol
"Why don't you go kiss a duck." - Steve to principal
"Your car's even uglier than I am!" - Carol to Falfa
"Go ahead, slug me, scar my face. I wouldn't dance with you if you were the last guy left in this gym." - Laurie to Steve
"Joe College strikes out!"- Peg to Steve
"Why should I leave home to find a new home?" - Steve to Curt
"You're the most beautiful, perfect creature I've ever seen and I don't know anything about you!" - Curt to girl in T-bird

Did they make a mistake? Trivia sent in by readers...

I just noticed for the first time a mistake in the film editing. I'm referring to the scene where Curtis meets Wolfman Jack and asks him to read his message online. At the beginning of the scene, when the camera is taking a long shot, you see Wolfman put the left (his left, our right) turntable arm back on its support. Then a few seconds later, when the camera takes a close-up of Wolfman and he is talking to Curtis, the arm is back on the disk and he lifts it and puts it back on its support again! At the end of the dialogue, the arm is back on the disk!
The license plate on Steve's Impala and Carol's sister's car are the same.
Terry the Tiger wore white shoes in the movie, except in one scene when he let Debbie in his car for the first time and he had on black and white saddle shoes.
At 7:18 into the movie on the DVD, you can see the stools at Mel's counter. There are three black ones, a brown one and an orange stool. There had been two black stools and two orange stools earlier in the movie.

"Gee" by the Crows (1953)
I often get a question from movie fans about the song that is playing in the background at Mel's Diner at the 7:10 point in the movie when Toad is chasing Budda, the waitress on roller skates. The song is "Gee" by the Crows and the lyrics follow. Listen to a clip here.

GEE
The Crows
(William Davis/Morris Levy)

Do do-do do, do-do do, do-do do-do-do
Do do-do do, do-do do, do-do do-do-do
Do do-do do, do-do do, do-do do-do-do do
Love that girl

O-o-o-o-o Gee, my o-o Gee, well o-o Gee
Why I love that girl, love that girl

O-o-o-o-o please, listen to me, hear-hear-hear my plea
Why I love that girl

Hold me, Baby, squeeze me
Never let me go
I'm not takin' chances
Because I love her, I love her so-o

My-my o Gee, well o Gee, my-eye o Gee
Why I love that girl, love that girl

O-o-o-o-o please, listen to me, hear-ear my plea
Why I love that girl, love that girl

Why I love that girl

Links to other American Graffiti Sites