American Graffiti

RADIO:

On a dark screen an immense amber light appears and an electric

humming begins. The eerie light glows brighter and illuminates a

single huge number--11. We hear static and a large vertical band

of red floats mysteriously across the screen.

Pulling back slowly, we watch the glowing band traverse back and

forth over the amber light and past more numbers appearing--

70...90...110...130. And we begin to hear voices--strange songs,

fading conversations and snatches of music drifting with static.

Pulling back further, we realize it is a car radio filling the

screen and radio stations we're hearing, until the indicator

stops. There's a pause...and suddenly we are hit by a blasting-

out-of-the-past, Rocking and Rolling, turn-up-the-volume,

pounding Intro to a Vintage 1962 Golden Week-End Radio Show--back

when things were simpler and the music was better.

And now a wolf howl shatters through time as the legendary

Wolfman Jack hits the airwaves, his gravel voice shrieking and

growling while the music pumps and grinds...

WOLFMAN:

Awwrigght, baay-haay-baay! I got a oldie for ya--gonna knock ya

right on de flowa--baay-haay-hee-baay!

The Wolfman howls like a soulful banshee as "Rock Around the

Clock" blasts forth.

MEL'S DRIVE-IN--DUSK

A neon drive-in casts long shadows across a vast parking lot as

the sun drops behind a distant hill. A large neon sign buzzes in

the foreground...MEL'S DRIVE-IN, while in the background, "Rock

Around The Clock" blares from the radio of a beautiful decked and

channeled, white with red trim, tuck-and-rolled '58 Chevy Impala

that glides into the drive-in. Main titles appear over action.

Steve Bolander stops the elegant machine and gets out. He looks

around, then walks to the front of the car and leans against the

flame-covered hood. Steve is eighteen, good-looking in a

conservative, button-down, short-sleeved shirt. Most likely to

succeed, president of his graduating class. He looks around the

empty drive-in, then hears a funny little horn.

A Vespa scooter bumps into the lot. A young kid waves at him--and

suddenly grabs the handlebars again as the scooter nearly

topples. Terry Fields ("The Toad") maneuvers the scooter next to

Steve's Chevy but misjudges and ricochets off the trash can

before stopping. Terry grins sheepishly. He's seventeen, short

but plenty loud, both vocally and sartorically in his pink and

black shirt, levis, and white bucks. He looks slightly ridiculous

but always thinks he's projecting an air of supercool.

Steve watches Terry smooth back his shiny ducktail and primp his

waterfall to a perfect cascade over his forehead. He unbuttons

his shirt one more button and lowers his pants to look tough.

Terry walks over and leans against the flamed car, imitating

Steve who pays him no mind. In the background, we hear the

Wolfman howling with the music. The record ends and a barrage of

humor begins from Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman is an unseen

companion to all the kids. Witty and knowledgeable about the

trivia that counts, he's their best friend, confidant, and

guardian angel.

Now, a grey, insect-like Citroen deux-chevaux putters into the

parking lot and stops on the other side of the lot. Steve and

Terry watch Curt Henderson get out.

Curt stands by his little car. He's seventeen, a curly

bespectacled, scraggly kid with a summer-grown moustache and a

paperback stuck in his bermuda shorts. Curt thinks of himself as

the town cynic. In reality, he's a hopeless romantic. He starts

over to his buddies.

TERRY:

Hey, whadaya say? Curt? Last night in town, you guys gonna have a

little bash before you leave?

STEVE:

The Moose have been lookin' for you all day, man.

Steve reaches into his pocket and hands Curt an envelope without

saying anything. Curt opens it slowly and pulls out a check.

CURT (sarcastic)

Oh great...

TERRY:

Whadaya got, whadaya got? (snooping over his shoulder) Wow--two

thousand dollars. Two thousand doll--!!

Steve looks at Curt suspiciously; Curt seems somehow guilty.

STEVE:

Mr. Jenning couldn't find you, so he gave it to me to give to

you. He said he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first

scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out. Oh yeah, he says

they're all very proud of you.

Curt hands the envelope back to Steve

CURT:

Well...ah...why don't you hold onto it for a while?

STEVE:

What's with you? It's yours! Take it! I don't want it.

TERRY:

I'll take it.

CURT:

Steve...Ah, I think we'd better have a talk. I've gotten--

Suddenly a horn honks and they all turn. Laurie Henderson pulls

into the drive-in and waves to them. She is driving the family's

'58 Edsel.

STEVE:

Your sister calls. I'll talk to you later.

CURT:

Now, Steve! Let her wait.

STEVE:

Okay, make it short and sweet.

CURT:

Yeah, well...Listen...(clearing his throat) I...I don't think I'm

going tomorrow.

STEVE:

What! Come on, what are you talking about?

CURT:

I don't know. I was thinking I might wait for a year...go to

city--

Laurie honks the horn a couple of times. Steve ignores her. There

is a long moment and Curt looks uncomfortable.

STEVE:

You chicken fink.

CURT:

Wait, let me explain--

STEVE:

You can't back out now! After all we went through to get

accepted. We're finally getting out of this turkey town and now

you want to crawl back into your cell--look, I gotta talk to

Laurie. (he hands the check back to Curt). Now take it. We're

leaving in the morning. Okay?

Suddenly, there's an ear-splitting roar and they all turn as a

yellow '32 Ford deuce coupe--chopped, lowered and sporting a

Hemi-V8--bumps into the lot. The low slung classic rumbles and

parks at the rear of the drive in.

Big John Milner, twenty-two, sits in his Ford, tough and

indifferent, puffing on a Camel. He wears a white T-shirt and a

butch haircut molded on the sides into a ducktail. A cowboy in a

deuce coupe--simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself.

STEVE:

You wanna end up like John? You can't stay seventeen forever.

CURT:

I just want some time to think. What's the rush? I'll go next

year.

STEVE:

We'll talk later. Steve walks off toward Laurie's Edsel. Laurie

gets out. She's wearing a letterman's sweater with a large "Class

of '62" emblazoned on the shoulder. Steve goes to her and they

hug.

On the radio, the music ends, and the Wolfman's intro tune comes

on. RADIO (singing)

"Here comes the Wolfman--Wolfman Jack!"

WOLFMAN (voice over)

Oh, We're gonna rock and roll ourselves to death baby. You got

the Wolfman Jack Show!

MEL'S DRIVE-IN--NIGHT

As the radio blares "Sixteen Candles," we see that with the

darkness Burger City has come alive. A continual line of hot rods

pulls into the parking lot to check out the parked cars, then

returns to the maindrag. Carhops glide by on roller skates. Curt

and John are fooling around in front of the deuce coupe. A horn

honks and they turn as a '60 Ford with three girls in it slows by

them. A girl leans out the window and smiles.

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