One thing I always wondered is the lack of wide whitewall tires. I know the movie was shot on a shoe string budget, but how about Portawalls? I thought the '58 Impala would have white walls. There's a car get-together in Spring, Texas (north of Houston) every saturday evening. Just last night someone was mentioning trying to get the Showboat Drive-in to play American Graffitti. http://www.theshowboatdrivein.com/
Nothing did more to start the rebirth of traditional hotroding , then this movie. I lived in T J in the 70's and got to drive my model "a" to the drive in , The drive in had a giant Mexican hat for a roof, we would order some fries and a beer, and then cruize another lap down the boulevard. The local hot rod club was the " Dukes"'s , these guys where lost in the fifties, they kept their cars traditional and still wore their pompadors . I worked after school washing dishes, and saved up enough to buy a model "a" coupe from them . My dad got pissed that I bought the car , but I think I was lucky to owne my first hot rod when I was fifteen. Maybe this will start some first hot rod stories.
I grew up in the San Fernando Valley Garduated in 60 drafted in 63. Wide white walls were not Kool at that time . Blackwall mostly if you wanted a narrow white wall you used a fake thing commonly called micky mouse white walls.
When chrome reverse came out I asked a guy why he didnt have whites on he said it was to show off the chrome wheels. so around here in minnesota when chrome wheel started showing up they were all blackwalls
I was just in Petaluma last month, made a point to visit some of the significant filming locations of AG .. this is the car lot above as it is today ..
today the same intersection.. my photo from the drivers right, the above photo from the drivers left ..
I don't know what it is about that movie that makes it so good but every time I watch it , it still gives me goosebumps. Hands down one of the best car movies made along with TWO LANE BLACKTOP. My two cents worth, Rob.
Yeah, Suzanne Sommers didn't look THAT good in real life! THAT is a film technique. You get a quick glimpse. That's IT! Fanstasy runs wild!
Very cool...I always thought it would be cool to get a poster of Tony Hopkins just as he is blasting past those guys on the beach with a good lead, that would be stellar.
Mithcell, I was THERE when 45s were the deal in the '50s & have a ton. It's COOl to hear that younger people just have to HER the music of the pre-Beatles era . . and they AUTOMATICALLY get it!! WHAT a time, and it stretched into the early '60s, 'til the British Invasion changed the music scene a bunch. BUT, we still had groups like the Beach Boys that had a foot in the '50s sound!! Thank the Lord!!!
No to get too far off topic, but I was out in the garage with my 8 year old son a while back and had one of those bargain-rack oldies CD's in the shop stereo. He about flipped out when he heard Dick Dale's "Miserlou" play. We had to listen to it about six time until he's let it go on to the next track. I think good music is good music, regardless of era...
The Jalopy Journal
