American Graffiti Page #20

The manager sits down and leans back, turning a fan to blow on

his large chest. He's a large, friendly looking man; he wears a

Hawaiian shirt. He sucks on a popsicle. Curt stands awkwardly.

MANAGER:

Hey, have a popsicle. The ice box just broke down and they're

meltin' all over the place. You want one?

CURT:

No. Thanks. Listen, ah...

MANAGER:

Have a popsicle.

CURT:

Are you the Wolfman?

MANAGER:

No, man. I'm not the Wolfman.

The manager leans forward and picks up a spool of tape. He holds

it up as a magician would for audience inspection, then puts it

on a machine. A record is about to end. As it does the manager

punches some buttons and the record segues into a Wolfman howl

and then the distinctive Wolfman voice takes over. The manager

adjusts the monitor volume down and sucks his popsicle.

WOLFMAN (voice over)

Who is this on the Wolfman's telephone?

DIANE (voice over)

Diane.

WOLFMAN:

How're you doin', Diane?

DIANE:

All right.

The station manager smiles at Curt, who is watching the tape and

blinking lights of the large console.

MANAGER:

That's the Wolfman.

CURT:

He's on tape. The man is on tape.

WOLFMAN (voice over)

Do you love me? Say you love me, Diane.

CURT:

Well, ah--where does he work? I mean, where is the Wolfman now?

MANAGER:

The Wolfman is everywhere.

CURT:

But I got to give him this note.

MANAGER (taking it from Curt)

Here, let me see the note. (he reads it) Hell, that's just a

dedication. All I gotta do is relay it. And it'll be on the air

tomorrow, or Tuesday at the latest.

CURT:

No, no. See, this is very important. I may be leaving town

tomorrow, and it's very important that I--damn it, that I reach

this girl right now.

MANAGER:

You don't know whether you're gonna leave town or not?

CURT:

Well, I'm supposed to go to college back East tomorrow. And I

don't know if I'm gonna go.

MANAGER:

Wait a minute. Have a popsicle.

CURT:

No, thank you.

MANAGER:

Sit down a minute.

Curt sits down, undecided about leaving and upset about not being

able to get in touch with the lovely creature he saw earlier that

night.

MANAGER:

Listen, it's early in the morning. Now, I can't really talk for

the Wolfman. But I think if he was here he'd tell you to get your

ass in gear. Now, no offense to your home town here, but this

place ain't exactly the hub of the universe, if you know what I

mean. And well--I'll tell you this much--the Wolfman does come in

here now and then, with tapes, to check up on me, you know, and

when I hear the stories he got about the places he goes. Hell,

here I sit while there's a big beautiful world out there, don't

ya know. Wolfman comes in last time talking about some exotic

jungle country, handing me cigars he says was rolled on the naked

thighs of brown beauties. The Wolfman been everywhere and he seen

everything. He got so many stories, so many memories. And here I

sit sucking on popsicles.

Curt looks at him a moment.

CURT:

Why don't you leave?

MANAGER:

Well, I'm no kid anymore. I been here a long time. And the

Wolfman--well, the Wolfman gave me my start and he's sorta become

my life. I can't leave him now. Gotta be loyal to the Wolfman,

you understand.

Curt nods and stands. The manager swivels around and punches some

buttons, putting on a commercial.

He turns back.

MANAGER:

I tell you what. If I can possibly do it tonight, I'll try to

relay this dedication and get it on the air for you later on.

CURT:

That'd be great. Thanks. Really.

He shakes the manager's hand, then wipes it on his pants.

MANAGER:

Sorry, sticky little mothers ain't they? Bye.

CURT:

'Bye.

Curt goes out the door. He starts back out through the maze of

windows and electronic machines. Echoing throughout the rooms,

the Wolfman's raucous voice follows Curt. The Wolfman howls and

Curt turns.

Through the maze of glass, shifting like prisms, he sees the

station manager sitting by the mike--howling! Then, he laughs and

howls again, starting to sing a song called "Bluebirds on My

Dingaling," pounding out the rhythm on the console.

CURT:

Wolfman...

He backs away, leaving the Wolfman, who's on his feet now,

screaming out the end of the song, dancing by himself in the

little glass room, from which his voice radiates out through the

night and around the world...

MEL'S DRIVE-IN

John is working under the hood of the deuce coupe when Falfa's

Chevy drives into the parking lot. The radio is now blasting

"Heart and Soul." Terry moves over toward John's car. John

doesn't look up, although he is quite aware of Falfa's entrance.

Falfa slows down in front of John's car and revs his engine

again. John looks up--Laurie is in the car with Falfa. She looks

determined not to seem as scared as she really is.

TERRY:

Hey, John, let me go with you. Come on.

JOHN:

Naw, man. I can't take you when I'm racin' somebody.

TERRY:

Ah, come on. Just let me go. So I can watch. Or, I'll flag you,

okay?

JOHN:

All right. Go ahead.

Terry starts to climb into the car. John looks over at Falfa in

the rumbling Chevy.

JOHN:

Paradise Road.

Falfa grins and gooses the Chevy, peeling out of Mel's Drive-in.

CRUISING MAIN STREET--FALFA'S '55 CHEVY

Falfa looks over at Laurie, who is watching the road nervously.

FALFA:

All right now, where's this Paradise Road?

LAURIE:

You just follow this street straight out of town. ...Listen, if

you're gonna race John Milner, you can let me out right when we

get there.

FALFA:

Why don't you shut up, baby? You ain't said one word all night

long. What a weird broad. But you're gonna appreciate me soon.

You're gonna be hangin' on for mercy, when I get this sucker

rollin'.

He accelerates the Chevy, shifting up deftly. Laurie looks scared

now.

CRUISING 10TH STREET--STEVE'S '58 CHEVY

Steve is cruising along the almost deserted streets looking for

Laurie. A T-Roadster pulls up alongside and a guy shouts at

Steve.

DALE:

You heading out to Paradise Road?

STEVE:

Paradise Road, I'm not--

DALE:

Some guy named Falfa going up against Milner.

STEVE:

John's racing Falfa?

DALE:

Yeah. Figured something was up, saw them going out of town real

cautious and then--

But Steve is gone. Dale looks surprised as the Chevy roars off

toward Paradise Road.

MEL'S DRIVE-IN--PRE-DAWN

Curt pulls into the parking lot just as the neon sign goes out.

The last cars are leaving as the drive-in shutters up for the

night. Curt stops next to the lighted phone booth and sits in his

car, listening to the Wolfman.

WOLFMAN (voice over)

I got a dedication here that's for a friend of the Wolfman--a

special friend of the Wolfman who's leaving town tomorrow and

wants me to play the next song for a blonde young lady in a

Thunderbird. A white T-Bird, you understand? Now my friend's

named Curt and he wants to talk to you out there, baby. So you

meet him at Burger City, or phone Diamond 3132. Now he's a frind

of mine, you hear, and, little girl, you better call him, or the

Wolfman gonna get you.

The Wolfman howls and Curt smiles, leaning his chin on his hand,

looking around the dark drive-in, wondering about tomorrow.

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