Just got home from watching American Graffiti. 50 years and watching it countless times. It never gets old.
Hangs head .... never watched it.... that said, I have only owned a tv for a few weeks That was over 32 or so years ago, went to a few drive in movies as a teen though Ricky
I set up a 20ft inflatable movie screen in my driveway and showed AG a couple weeks ago. Next best thing to seeing it at a drive-in theatre.
We used to actually race on Frates Road east of Petaluma clear into the late 80's we would cruise Petaluma after 4th street in Santa Rosa got shut down with its stupid two lane remodel to stop the cruising. Damn the cops were crooked then to. BS tickets for tires that were new . Going to slow following a damn police car . then impeding traffic following a police car , I snapped a picture of the car n front of me with the Nikon as it happened LOL . I once got a ticket for supposedly smoking the tires up the hill on the north end of town were we turned around in Petaluma . Beat it when the cop said he watched it from the bottom but then pulled me over at the top at the same time he ws never a the bottom I looked before going up that steep hill . Car had 31 x12 McCreary tires on it and not a mark in the street LOL . I had a 3200 stall and that's all he heard that almost cost me licensee if i had lost . Got a bald tire ticket with tires that were two weeks old once rolled them into court and won . Got a ticket for the tunnel ram blocking my vison I had to pay that one . we used to race down by the river near were the Mcphail's sand and gravel plant was right at the end to the main strip we cruised there as a dead end . Had to be fast there and get out or the cops would be on you . Some were I have picture of my 67 Chevelle with a front wheel off the ground in front of the 7-11 in the middle of town leaving against a Cuda . Was very little trouble then and most of it was because the cops pissed people off . I think the big rocking chair is still on Petaluma Boulevard ? I drove down Frates Rd a few Months ago and took a few pictures when I was home form WI to get my Model A PU its all grown up around there . Old Odobe rd was were you tuned back around after a race there . the Old adobe is one of the older buildings in CA . wa snothing out there but frm land in the 60, 70's
A whole lifetime go for me, it seems. Have a copy and watch it every while. Went when it first came out, not yet 16, brought a date even. Now, 65, retired, still nice to reflect.
Our local drive-in played A/G a few weeks ago. This piss yellow deuce coupe was there too! Never saw it before but it was really accurate. Was great so see the movie at a drive-in again.
I was 7-1/2 years old when it was released. I saw it on tv a year or so later and of course I watched Happy Days in prime time. It set the tone for my taste in cars along with Hot Rod Magazine (et al) at that time, which explains an affinity for full fendered Model A’s with slotted mags, street freaks, lo-lo’s, and vans. It was frustrating being too young to participate in that beyond doing so vicariously. When I could drive, it was the early 80’s and I was able to drive a 1969 Pontiac Catalina and I loved it. My parents gave it to my older brother when he was going into the world on his own and he promptly wrecked it. I bought a 1966 Mustang for $500 when you could buy a running driver for that. Even though I was driving o/t cars, I loved reading the Super Chevy 20th anniversary issues for 1961, 1962, 1963, etc. When VCRs came out AG was the first movie I ever bought, same thing when I bought a DVD player. As far as influential films in my life are concerned, it’s in the top five. I can literally pick up the dialog from wherever you stop the movie, it’s a sickness.
Dialogue on AG, me too! I can do the same thing with Thunder Road and do a passable imitation of Robert Mitchum singing the title song.
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