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.
