American Graffiti (1973)

American Graffiti is a 1973 film directed by George Lucas. Set in 1962 in a small-town in Northern California, it follows a group of middle-class teenagers on the last night of the summer vacation after their graduation from high school. The events take place against a background of commentary and period music spun by disc jockey Wolfman Jack.

The film focuses on vignettes about the four young men: Curt (Richard Dreyfuss), Steve (Ron Howard), Terry (Charles Martin Smith), and John (Paul Le Mat). Curt is not sure if he wants to go off to college, despite receiving a lodge scholarship, much to Steve's consternation. Steve, on the other hand, is not sure about his relationship with steady girlfriend Laurie, Curt's sister. Curt spends the whole night riding around in other people's cars obsessing about a mysterious blond driving a white Ford Thunderbird.

John splits his time between trying to pick up girls, "baby-sitting" a precocious 14-year old girl, and defending his reputation as the fastest drag racer in town. Harrison Ford appears in a few scenes as a 'out of town' racer trying to beat John's unbroken record. While racing he crashes his car with Laurie next to him, both survive but the car is wrecked. Steve lends his car to Terry while he plans to go to college, Terry uses his car to pick up a girl and spends the rest of the film trying to impress her.

The Last Picture Show (1971)

The Last Picture Show is a 1971 film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, adapted from a 1966 novel by Larry McMurtry.

Set in the semi-fictitious town of Anarene, Texas in the early 1950s (November 1951 - November 1952), it is about the coming of age of two young men, best friends Sonny Crawford (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane Jackson (Jeff Bridges).

Cybill Shepherd, making her screen debut, plays Duane's girlfriend Jacy Farrow, and their friend and mentor Sam the Lion, owner of the town's only movie theater, is played by Ben Johnson. The movie also features Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, Eileen Brennan, Clu Gulager, Sam Bottoms, Sharon Ullrick, Randy Quaid and John Hillerman.

The screenplay was adapted by James Lee Barrett, Peter Bogdanovich, Larry McMurtry and Polly Platt (uncredited) from the novel of the same name by McMurtry. It was the first successful film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, who had already built a reputation as a film critic. It was filmed in black and white by cinematographer Robert Surtees at the suggestion of Orson Welles and shot mostly at eye level--a technique used by the director to give the viewer the feeling of being a part of the situation.

Bogdanovich expertly used music to give more subtle insight into the characters. Many of them were shown in different scenes and situations listening to music that reflected some aspects of their own personalities. A number of the songs were written and recorded by Hank Williams.