Me too! Oddly, I just saw a yellow '32, driving through Parker, Colorado, and it made me wonder if Dan Greenberg might know the owner. Except for modern style taillights, it looked just like Milner's coupe.
I've loved that car ever since dad showed me that movie for the first time a few years ago. Looks great!
Ted, are you thinking of RPO Z11, possibly 50 or 60, built for racing mid year 63, not considered production for general public use.
Well, in the movie, the 55 is suppose to have some kind of new HiPo engine, so it's good chance that it would be a 409. The car used in the movie actually had a 427, which was released in 1966. Note: There was a 427 based on the 409 that saw some very limited racing in 1963. Some more trivia: The 58 Impala actually had a 348, even though in the movie, Toad replies to Debbie that it has a 327 with 6 Strombergs.
If there are any film buffs here, you should see this. After reading this thread, I racked my brain trying to remember the name of the character who drove the deuce coupe. That led me to Google, which led me . . . . half-way 'round the internet. I landed on this video, the Making of American Grafitti that has entertaining footage of the pre-filming casting process, so you get to see the actors reading, while auditioning for the part, with scripts in their hands, numerous of the scenes. You get to see what the casting director would have seen before hiring what became a wildly all-star cast, at a time when the stars weren't stars yet. Fascinating.
^^^^^^^^^^^Great video, thanks for posting I just wish that they had talked about the 4 main cars in the movie. By the way, did you ever find out the name of the dude who drove the piss yellow/puke green deuce coupe, suppose to be hot stuff??
Milner. That's the name I was trying to remember, anyway. John Milner is apparently his full name, but I never remember anyone calling him John.
Debbie Dunham: Is that tuck and roll? Terry Fields: Yeah! Debbie Dunham: That's bitchin' tuck and roll! You know, I really love the feel of tuck and roll upholstery. Terry Fields: You do? Debbie Dunham: Yeah. Terry Fields: Yeah? Well, get in and I'll let you feel it... I mean, you know, you can touch it... uh... I'll let you feel the upholstery. Debbie Dunham: Okay.
That's a 55 Chevy, top to bottom. Looked up the Paradise Road scene & clicked thru it frame by frame. With the car upside down, the reinforcements for the roll are evident.
Wouldn't/shouldn't the clone have a tube axle? Might not be period correct [for the movie] but the actual car had a tube axle and coil overs/hairpins..And no where in the movie does it say nor imply what the engine is...Prob a 401/390 Ford
Well, I just spent an hour and 16 minutes watching that whole thing. It was a real page-turner; I couldn't put it down. I believe I'll watch the AG movie again tonight. Yes, of course I have it on DVD.
To make it more interesting tonight here is a list of mistakes and bloopers from the movie to look for since you can stop and replay it. Here's an example.... The car that exploded was not a 2-door sedan. It was a 2-door hardtop. This can bee seen just before the explosion. (Research revealed the car's builder and driver glued a piece of wood to the "B" post area of the car to create the 'post' sedan affect.) Want a few more? When Falfa's car blows up, the trunk blows open. When everyone takes another look at it, the trunk is closed. In the scene where Milner is cruising by himself he pulls up next to some guy named Zuto and says "What happened to your flathead?" After Zuto says "Watch out for the cop that's in Jerry's Cherry" look at the passenger seat in Milner's car. There's some guy in there facing Milner. Steve's Impala and Carol's sister's car have the same license plate. When Falfa crashes his 55 he walks away with his hat in his hand, only to be handed back to him by Milner. Terry the Tiger wore white shoes throughout the movie. However, in one scene when he let Debbie in his car the first time, he wore black and white saddle shoes of the 50s. (DVD) While John Milner was talking to Zuto, a second person could be seen in John's car. That was four minutes before he met Carol. (DVD) The neon light installed to the inside header between the sunvisors of the white 1958 Impala were visible as Terry was being harrassed by the "mooner". (DVD) 10:14 into the movie then throughout the movie, a gold-color 1967 Chevrolet Caprice was filmed parked at the curb. (DVD) 10:27 into the movie,a yellow 1956 Chevrolet was cruising the strip. Instantly, the Chevy was unoccupied and parked at the curb, in front of Grand Auto Parts. (DVD) As John was talking to the girl in the Studebaker, he drove past MARIN CAMERA'S a second time within seconds. (DVD) Just as John Milner was about to stop his car to let Carol in for the first time, he passed a dark color 4-door sedan parked at the curb, 14:41. All of a sudden, when Carol ran around to get into John's car, the dark sedan disappeared and there was a blue 1955 Plymouth in its place. (DVD) 15:57 into the movie: The driver's window in John's coupe had been rolled up ¼ however, in this scene, it was rolled up one inch. (DVD) Carol's sister, Judy, was not one of the people in the pink and white 1955 Studebaker. The number of occupants in the Studebaker varied from four to five people as they cruised Fourth Street, located in San Rafael, California. The young blonde girl driving the Studebaker was also in the lavatory with Laurie and Peg. She then, was talking with Mr. Wolfe as he summoned Curt for help. (DVD) (Continuity) When Terry and Debbie are at the canal and leave the '58 Impala for the field, they leave the car from the drivers side and go to the left. When they return to where the car was parked, they return from the right. At the beginning of the movie, a red first-edition Mustang coupe was parked across the street from Mels drive-in. Ford Motor Company didn't introduce mustangs until April of 1964. 03:03 (DVD) Wolfman Jack's gravely voice announced the Wolfman Jack Show on, what was just advertised as, radio station, XERB, 1090 AM, a powerful Mexican radio station, broadcasting from Tijuana, Mexico. In 1962, Wolfman Jack was working for radio station KCIJ, located in Shreveport, Louisiana from 1961-1963. Wolfman Jack did not begin to work for Mexican radio station, XERB until 1966. 03:25 (DVD) At the beginning of the movie,a guy wearing a brown jacket and khakis entered Mels drive-in then immediately vanished. 03:52 (DVD) While cruising Mels drive-in, the rearview mirror was upside down in a white 1960 Chevy 2-door hardtop Impala. 04:06 (DVD) While talking with Laurie, the cup in Steve's right hand changed position. His fingers had been on the seam. 06:34 (DVD) There had been two black stools and two orange stools at Mel's counter. Suddenly, there were three black ones, a brown one and an orange stool at Mel's counter. 07:18 (DVD) On her way to the dark-green Buick, Budda, the carhop, had been carrying a tray that held a tall, cola drinking mug and a water-type glass. Suddenly the tall cola mug and water glass disappeared and a blue paper cup was on the tray. 08:20 (DVD) While at Mels drive-in, John Milner referred to the school's Welcome Back dance as the "Hop, the Freshman Hop". If the function being held at the high school was a "Hop, a Freshman's Hop", it would have been the freshman students first dance as students at that school so they wouldn't have ever attended a dance there before. Therefore, they couldn't have been welcomed back. 08:53 (DVD) When first introduced to the strip, two patrol cars patrolling side-by-side on Fourth Street in San Rafael had two different paint schemes. One had all four doors painted white. The other only had two doors painted white. 10:08 (DVD) There was a yellow taxicab parked against the flow of traffic on a one-way street, to the left of the car in which Zuto was riding. 10:53 (DVD) The white early-50s DeSoto that was behind Terry's car as he turned the corner then entered the strip, had disappeared. 11:13 (DVD) While cruising the strip with Laura and Curt, Steve drove past the same white, illuminated LOMBARDI'S sigh ten seconds earlier. 12:01 (DVD) The yellow transparent, plastic sun-protective window shade, seen moments earlier in Berton Furniture Company's display window, had disappeared. 13:18 (DVD) There were two boys with shoulder-length 1970s style hair, standing on the sidewalk. 13:45 (DVD) 219. There were several "Sting-Ray" type, banana seat styled bicycles for sale in a sporting goods store. Research revealed the StingRay banana-seat bicycles were not introduced until late 1963. 13:45 (DVD) In spite of the fact Carol had never been in John's car before, she did not attempt to use the outside door handle. Nevertheless, she knew exactly where the inside door handle was located; allowing her to quickly entered his car for the first time. 14:52 (DVD) At the beginning of the dance, nobody was standing around the bandstand. Instantly, many people were standing around the bandstand, watching the band perform. 18:32 (DVD) A nerd wearing a red-stripped sport shirt made sure he would be in the movie. He danced around his male-partner while starring directly at the camera for several seconds. 18:40-18:46 (DVD) Two guys in the lavatory of the school were seen peeing while in the view of the camera. 20:27 (DVD) The red, after-market, rear, side marker-light and fabric spare tire cover revealed the young couple necking in the school's parking lot was sitting in the same exact white 1956 Thunderbird in which the young blonde had been driving throughout the movie. 25:52 (DVD) Carol was a minor. Nevertheless, she was still cruising with John as the revolving clock on Fourth Street in Petaluma read 2:52 in the morning. 26:13 (DVD) The dance was still in progress. However, according to the revolving clock on Fourth Street in Petaluma; it was 2:52 in the morning. 26:13 (DVD) Because John didn't like the Beach Boys' song that was being played, using his right hand, he reached but did not lean, towards the center of the dash. Then he went through the motions of turning off his car radio, that was to have been, located in the center area of his dash. However, several magazine interior-photos revealed the fact, the car that he was driving had an eight-grand tachometer and a speedometer in that area of the dash. John Milner's car never had and still does not have a car radio. 27:10 (DVD) Carol instantly vanished from John Milner's car in this scene when Officer Holstein tossed him an equipment violation for 'no license plate light'. The wide-screen DVD revealed she disappeared a few times. 29:25 (DVD) Earlier, the movie's brightly lit marquis revealed the two movies that were playing that evening. However, none of five lobby cards or posters that were displayed outside of the movie theater after John received his equipment violation advertised one of the movies, Swiss Family Robinson. One lobby card to the left of the ticket booth did advertise the other movie, '101 Dalmatians' that was also playing that evening. 29:46 (DVD) The story line took place in 1962. A white 1963 Studebaker Lark sedan has stopped behind Terry's car. 30:43 (DVD) The overhead (RV) interior lights of Terry's car came on ½ second after he opened the door. 32:34 (DVD) Throughout the movie, Terry had been wearing solid-white shoes. When Terry got out of his car to let Debbie inside to "feel and touch" the tuck 'n' roll upholstery, he was wearing black and white saddle shoes of the 50s instead of the white shoes. 32:39 (DVD) Terry had been wearing white socks. When Terry got out of his car to let Debbie inside to feel and touch the tuck 'n' roll upholstery, he was wearing black socks instead of the white socks. 32:39 (DVD) Terry had been wearing blue Levi's. When Terry got out of his car to let Debbie inside to feel and touch the tuck 'n' roll upholstery, he was wearing tan khakis slacks instead of the blue Levi's. The khaki's were very short. They only went to the top of his shoe. 32:39 (DVD) In the gymnasium, Steve and Laurie were standing in front of a two-tone brown wall. Suddenly, they were standing in front of several storage lockers. 33:31 (DVD) There were dozens of people standing behind Steve and Laurie at the dance. Suddenly, all but four people disappeared. 33:31 (DVD) An adult at the dance, Mr. Kroot raised his voice to Steve and Laurie for dancing so close. His loud voice continued for 16 seconds. However, only one person noticed the commotion. 37:17-37:43 (DVD) When the carhop at Mels drive-in brought Terry and Debbie's order to their car, she neglected to bring the two orders of French fries Terry ordered. 40:12 (DVD) Previously, nothing was sticking out the trash can located on the sidewalk, next to the Wells Fargo Bank building, 13:15. In this scene, a large tan-color item appeared sticking out an otherwise-empty trash can. 43:25 (DVD) When Terry got out of his car to allow Debbie to "feel and touch" the tuck 'n' roll upholstery, he was wearing black socks. While catching the booze the thief was tossing him, Terry was again, wearing white socks. 46:30 (DVD) Mr. Gordon saw and talked with Curt and knew he hadn't left for collage. Nevertheless, he proceeded to ask Curt if he left yet. 1:04:25 (DVD) Upon leaving Jerry's Cherries car lot, the headlights on Officer Holstein's patrol car came on before he reached for the switch that controlled them. 1:19:50 (DVD) As Officer Holstein began chasing Joe's Mercury from Jerry's Cherries used-car lot, the brakes on his patrol car were still being applied. 1:19:51 (DVD) Steve was sitting at Mels with his hands clasped and holding his right thumb to his mouth. Instantly, his hands were still clasped but his fingers were entwined in a different position and his left thumb was against his mouth. 1:21:31 (DVD) Steve only had a cup and saucer on the table in front of him. Instantly, there was a knife, fork and spoon placed on a napkin, to the right of his coffee cup. There were two menus near his cup. 1:21:36 (DVD) Budda's boss spoke to her but his name was not listed in the rolling credits. 1:21:55 (DVD) As Joe approached a parking spot at Mels drive-in, reflections of the crew were revealed in the hood of his 1951 Mercury. 1:22:55 (DVD) Curt had two quarter-size spots on the left front leg of Curt's pants that were visible as he approached Joe while at the rear of the used-car lot. Suddenly, those spots disappeared. 1:23:01 (DVD) When Curt crawled around and slid on the dirty used-car parking lot, his pants sustained several dirt marks. However, these dirt marks disappeared and were gone when he got out of Joe's Mercury at Mels drive-in. 1:23:01 (DVD) Curt had not been carrying anything in his front pants pocket. All of a sudden, there was something in has left-front pocket, causing a bulge. 1:23:02 (DVD) The word "IN" was lot operating on the reverse side of Mels drive-in's, curbside neon sign. 1:24:13 & 1:34:10 (DVD) Wolfman Jack told his listeners, he was crying and his tears almost shorted himself 'out' when he leaned down towards the microphone. Wolfman Jack's microphone was positioned a boom, at eye-level, about two feet from his face. His tears couldn't have come close to the microphone which he was using that night. 1:27:15 (DVD) License plate GLD 204 that previously appeared on Bob Falfa's Chevy, was now on a brown early model Plymouth coupe. 1:29:50 (DVD) License plate DBN 649 that previously appeared on Curt's Citroen was now on a 1947 Chevy sedan. 1:31:50 (DVD) Throughout the movie, John had a pack of cigarettes rolled in his right shirtsleeve. A few seconds into the fight with the two thugs, there were no cigarettes in his shirtsleeve. 1:32:06 (DVD) The cigarettes John kept rolled in his shirtsleeve, reappeared. 1:32:09 (DVD) Wolfman Jack's Popsicle was wet and rounded from sucking on it. However, only a half-inch stick exposed. That was another (his third) Popsicle. 1:39:20 (DVD) Instantly, the Popsicle Wolfman Jack had been sucking, was dry. It was his forth Popsicle. 1:39:21 (DVD) The clock on the wall of the broadcasting booth advanced five minutes, from 4:50 to 4:55 in just two minutes and forty-four seconds. 1:37:23-1:40:07 (DVD) The number for the pay telephone next to Mels drive-in, was DIamond-3132(5). (Wolfman Jack accidentally left out the final number five when he announced the telephone number over the air. The original screenplay revealed the telephone number should have been DIamond - 31325) 1:42:28 (DVD) Suddenly, the bruises previously seen on Terry's face and nose disappeared. 1:43:16 (DVD) There was no fuel tank on Bob Falfa's car as it rolled over. However, the fuel tank reappeared then blew sky-high during the explosion. 1:44:30 (DVD) The car that exploded has a State Farm Insurance bumper sticker. Bob Falfa's car did not have any stickers or decals. 1:44:30 (DVD) During the Paradise Road scene, John Milner and Bob Falfa raced at 045-degree, northeasterly direction. The wind was from the east. The smoke blew towards Paradise Road. During the explosion, the wind was from the west. The smoke was blowing away from Paradise Road. 1:44:30 (DVD) While waiting in the parking lot of Mels drive-in for a phone call from the mysterious blonde, Sherri Beeman, Curt's head had been resting on the seatback, directly in line with his left shoulder. Instantly, his head was positioned in line with his right shoulder. 1:46:35 (DVD) The airline hostess as they were called in the 60s, standing at the top of the staircase, had been watching the crew filming the gang as they said their good-byes to Curt. She only stopped watching for ten seconds, while a man ascended the staircase. She starred at the camera forty-seven of fifty- seven seconds. 1:48:48 (DVD) The rolling credits stated American Graffiti was filmed in the counties of Marin and Sonoma. However, Buchanan airfield was located in Concord, Contra Costa County. 1:51:15 (DVD) The rolling credits stated American Graffiti was filmed in the counties of Marin and Sonoma. Although, Mels drive-in was located in San Francisco County. 1:51:15 (DVD) The rolling credits stated American Graffiti was filmed in the counties of Marin and Sonoma. However, the miniature golf-arcade was located in Pinole, Contra Costa County. 1:51:15 (DVD)
You call that a paint job? I bet you have to sneak up to the pumps just to get some air in your tires" Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Well the like the car real well, but I would not call it a clone if it were mine, I would just call it mine. Anyway nice car, good to see one without a straight axle for a change. It is built the way that a five five should be built.
I can see some of the goofs, but damn, talk about pickin' nits...... No way, it was depicted as fast car!
San Francisco. Me and my big sister were actually at Mel's when they crashed those cars for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner although that was not '62 and the Roadster Club was not at all prepared for the crash.
Some people care, because they asked why the motor wasn't shown in the movie. Not that movies are always so careful, but showing the engine would have been an anachronism.
From what I remember, when they filmed the "Mel's" scenes for A.G., it was permanently closed and was to be razed after the filming was done.
We have been watching a series staged in Kentucky lately, it is actually filmed in the correct town (familiar with the area). They are using vehicles that are correct but if you look close they sometimes they don't have the correct tags. We chuckle because we know, but that's the film industry, its about the drama and the bottom line.
The Jalopy Journal
