Our American Graffiti MEMORIES
THE ACTORS REMEMBER THE MAKING OF THE CLASSIC COMING-OFAGE FILM
On a late summer night in 1962, a group of recent high school graduates meet up at Mel’s Drive-In for one last night of hometown hijinx before heading off to college, work or the military. There’s a sock hop, lots of cruising and a drag race. New friends are made as old ones come under scrutiny and, naturally, love is in the air.
The nostalgic period piece became a hit in the summer of 1973 and boosted the early careers of Richard Dreyfuss, Candy Clark, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Suzanne Somers and Harrison Ford. “We’re a tight group and felt a real bonding,” Richard, who played Curt, said.
Candy, who received an Oscar nomination for the role of Debbie, recalled that Richard was recovering from a bad romance during production. “His girlfriend broke up with him right before the shoot,” said Candy, who remembered Richard crying “every night” in his room. “There are certain things I do well.
Falling in love is one of them,” countered Richard, who admits he has “no memory” of his heartbreak.
American Graffiti also marked writer-director George Lucas’ first commercially successful film. “He’s a rare bird,” said Richard, explaining that Lucas shared a percentage of his profits with the cast. “I have made more money from that 1/10 of one gross point than I ever made on any backend deal. He’s amazingly generous.”
LASTING LEGACY
They couldn’t have imagined that American Graffiti would become a classic, but they felt something special during an early cast-andcrew screening of the film. “The lights went down, and “Rock Around the Clock” came up with the view of Mel’s Drive-In,” said Candy. “Everybody stood up and cheered. And I thought, ‘We’ve got a hit!’” —Reporting by Amanda Champagne-Meadows