Monday Open Thread | Memorable Teen Movies: American Graffitti

Posted on November 9, 2015 by rikyrah

american-graffiti-poster-artwork-ron-howard-cindy-williams-richard-dreyfuss-small

American Graffiti is a 1973 American coming of age comedy-drama film directed and co-written by George Lucas starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Harrison Ford, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Wolfman Jack. Suzanne Somers has a cameo. Set in Modesto, California in 1962, the film is a study of the cruising and rock and roll cultures popular among the post–World War II baby boom generation. The film is told in a series of vignettes, telling the story of a group of teenagers and their adventures over a single evening.

The genesis of American Graffiti was in Lucas’ own teenage years in early 1960s Modesto. He was unsuccessful in pitching the concept to financiers and distributors but found favor at Universal Pictures after United Artists, 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros., and Paramount Pictures turned him down. Filming was initially set to take place in San Rafael, California, but the production crew was denied permission to shoot beyond a second day. As a result, most filming was done in Petaluma.

American Graffiti premiered on August 2, 1973 at the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland and was released on August 11, 1973 in the United States. It received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Produced on a $777,000 budget,[1] it has become one of the most profitable films of all time. Since its initial release, American Graffiti has garnered an estimated return of well over $200 million in box office gross and home video sales, not including merchandising. In 1995, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.

 

The American Graffitti Soundtrack

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82 Responses to Monday Open Thread | Memorable Teen Movies: American Graffitti

  2. rikyrah says:
    November 9, 2015 at 8:15 pm

    Complex Pop CultureVerified account‏@ComplexPop
    Dying grandmother shredded $1.1 million, then left it on her deathbed, to spite her heirs: http://trib.al/tAF1Q85

    Reply
  3. rikyrah says:
    November 9, 2015 at 7:55 pm

    Elon James White @elonjames
    I talk with activists just fine when I’m reporting. That’s because I respect their space and have shown I’m trustworthy. I’ve earned trust.

    Elon James White @elonjames
    Wait, is the media being pissy because activists don’t want to talk to y’all? How long were they supposed to deal with being misrepresented?

    Elon James White @elonjames
    The Media has been shitty & told warped/problematic versions of stories for YRS. Now folks don’t wanna deal with y’all. This is YOUR fault.

    Elon James White @elonjames
    Exactly. If you want to report on this earn their trust. Don’t be dicks and then folks won’t tell you fall back. https://twitter.com/IamTheMacrocosm/status/663892782650650625 …

    Elon James White @elonjames
    Ugh. Yeah, that’s how you gain trust. Do you want the real story or do you want a quick quote. Fucking eh… https://twitter.com/thewayoftheid/status/663892821548601344 …

    Elon James White @elonjames
    I have a good rep reporting among activists & there are STILL some who don’t want to deal with me. I don’t threaten them. I say “I get it.”

    Elon James White @elonjames
    I brought a friend of mine down to cover some protests. Black dude. He didn’t show the respect needed. I pulled him out. AS I SHOULD HAVE.

    Elon James White @elonjames
    Respectful is one thing. But if you’re being asked specifically not to do something then you have to respond to THAT https://twitter.com/Journalishm/status/663893660279447552 …

    Reply
  4. rikyrah says:
    November 9, 2015 at 7:55 pm

    Never Catch Me @BernardHayman
    Mizzou protest vs the media is superrrr interesting. Asian dude in that video talking about “documenting it for history, doing his job” etc

    Never Catch Me @BernardHayman
    Versus the protesters asking him to be respectful of them and let them be in control of the way that they’re portrayed in the media

    Never Catch Me @BernardHayman
    Journos understandably upset at being denied access, but I don’t think it’s too much for movements to demand control & care for themselves

    Never Catch Me @BernardHayman
    Black movements & protests are big stories now, and publications making bank on black suffering & visibility w/ zero support for communities

    Reply
  6. rikyrah says:
    November 9, 2015 at 7:07 pm

    PragmaticObotsUnite @PragObots
    Appeals court: State can try ‘Angola 3’ inmate a 3rd time http://wpo.st/iFHm0 #BlackTwitter #BlackLivesMatter #BLM

    Reply
  7. rikyrah says:
    November 9, 2015 at 7:05 pm

    Hundreds of Yale students block traffic protesting ‘white girls only’ frat party
    3:41 p.m. ET

    Hundreds of students at Yale skipped class on Monday to join a cross-campus march protesting recent events surrounding the treatment of minorities at the Ivy League school.

    The “March of Resilience,” which began at 2 p.m. ET, drew huge crowds and interrupted traffic. A video posted to the Yale Daily News’ Twitter feed shows students chanting, “We out here. We been here. We ain’t leaving. We are loved.”

    The Yale Daily News reports that sophomore student Neema Githere posted a personal Facebook status recounting a racist incident at a campus fraternity party the night before Halloween. Members of Yale’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) chapter allegedly refused to admit Githere and her friends to the party, stating that admittance was reserved for “white girls only.” SAE members later denied these allegations.

    The incident drew national media attention and caused tensions to flare between Yale’s student community and its administrators, whom students claim have not done enough to protect minority students. Sally Gao

    http://theweek.com/speedreads/587870/hundreds-yale-students-block-traffic-protesting-white-girls-only-frat-party

    Reply
  8. rikyrah says:
    November 9, 2015 at 6:57 pm

    This Voter Measure Wasn’t Just About School Funding. It Was About Segregation and Racism in a White, Wealthy Dallas Enclave.
    By Laura Moser

    Tuesday was Election Day in Dallas, and one of the most contentious issues citywide involved an ostensibly boring topic: school bonds. Things got particularly heated in the wealthy enclave of Highland Park, where the vote over a $361 million bond has provoked a big debate over the future of Dallas. It wasn’t just about the enormous price tag on the bond package, which supporters said was necessary to raze and rebuild three of the 7,000-student district’s elementary schools, renovate a fourth, and buy land to add a fifth elementary school to the at-capacity district, as well as renovating the schools for the upper grades.

    At the moment, Highland Park’s popular schools are perilously overcrowded, with many classes in the district exceeding the state limit for number of students per class. The new construction, in addition to adding more classrooms, would preserve much-needed green space and bring more parking to the landlocked schools, as well as update their technological infrastructure. (Two of the elementary schools were built in the 1920s, another in 1949. The fourth was built in 1914 and reopened in 1951. So—a long time ago.)

    The bond passed by 10 points—55 to 45 percent, a difference of about 800 votes. But a dark specter loomed over the run-up to the vote, and what appeared to be these totally reasonable expansion proposals.

    According to anonymous emails that circulated in advance of the election, if the bond passed and the schools increased in size, Section 8 housing could spring up in the sliver of Dallas that’s part of the Highland Park Independent School District. And if that happens (spoiler alert: it won’t), who even knows what type of riffraff will crawl into the high-performing, affluent, and overwhelmingly white, schools: “non-English-speaking” students from all over Latin America, Middle Eastern refugees, assorted other low-income scum. As one of the emails put it, “Diversity is an innocuous sounding method of diluting excellence.”

    http://www.slate.com/blogs/schooled/2015/11/04/dallas_highland_park_votes_for_361_million_school_bond_here_s_how_ugly_racist.html

    Reply
  10. rikyrah says:
    November 9, 2015 at 6:38 pm

    Videos show police jolting Alabama student with stun gun, beating him with baton

    By Lindsey Bever November 9 at 4:39 PM

    Police in Tuscaloosa, Ala., have opened an internal investigation after numerous videos were posted online showing officers pulling a University of Alabama student from an apartment, jolting him with a stun gun and beating him with a nightstick.

    Tuscaloosa Police Chief Steve Anderson told reporters Monday that three officers have been placed on leave pending an internal investigation into the weekend incident.

    The incident occurred about 3:20 a.m. Sunday at an apartment complex near the University of Alabama when Tuscaloosa police responded to a complaint about “loud music,” according to police and university officials. Several individuals captured the chaos on film, which started to surface on social media over the weekend, prompting widespread concerns over the officers’ actions.

    “Needless to say, once I started watching watching it, I was deeply disturbed by what I saw,” Anderson said at a news conference, according to AL.com.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/11/09/videos-show-officer-jolting-alabama-student-with-stun-gun-beating-him-with-baton/

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      November 9, 2015 at 6:19 pm

      It’s a damn shame the DNC & Dems are not following PBO’s BLUEPRINT.

      But today, he has gone on the RECORD and put them on notice that he’s not going anywhere. As a citzien, he will continue being active in communities, ORGAINIZING & advocating citizens to GET, BE & STAY ENGAGED.

      Reply
  12. rikyrah says:
    November 9, 2015 at 6:11 pm

    A “Fully Present, Not Guarded” Shonda Rhimes Sits Down With Oprah This Sunday (Watch Preview)

    On next Sunday’s episode of OWN’s two-time Emmy award-winning series, “Super Soul Sunday,” Oprah Winfrey sits down with Shonda Rhimes, the prolific TV producer, in a conversation that will include her recent 100+ pound weight loss, how saying yes for one year changed her life (the title of her new book is “Year of Yes”), and more.

    Oprah Winfrey on the episode: “After years of rarely venturing beyond her familiar realms of work and family, the self-proclaimed introvert—and mastermind überproducer of the hit TV shows ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ‘Scandal,’ ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ and now the highly anticipated thriller ‘The Catch’—made a decision to say yes to every invitation for one year. Result number one: Shonda’s first book, ‘Year of Yes.’ Result number two (the way more important one!): pure transformation. Shonda neither looks nor is the same as she was a year ago. She’s lost 110 pounds. She’s so much more engaged. As her book chronicles, saying yes to heretofore anxiety-making experiences like speeches, parties and media appearances opened up the world to her. Blowing out your comfort zone can be life changing. This was my fourth interview with Shonda—and the first where I felt like she was fully present, not guarded or distant. She told me she barely remembers our previous encounters because she was overcome with white-hot fear. Anxiety blurred the whole experience. This time, when we finished the interview, she even said yes to lunch.”

    http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/a-fully-present-not-guarded-shonda-rhimes-sits-down-with-oprah-this-sunday-watch-preview-20151109

    Reply
  13. Ametia says:
    November 9, 2015 at 5:59 pm

    Despair, American Style
    Paul Kugman

    SNIP
    So what is going on? In a recent interview Mr. Deaton suggested that middle-aged whites have “lost the narrative of their lives.” That is, their economic setbacks have hit hard because they expected better. Or to put it a bit differently, we’re looking at people who were raised to believe in the American Dream, and are coping badly with its failure to come true.

    That sounds like a plausible hypothesis to me, but the truth is that we don’t really know why despair appears to be spreading across Middle America. But it clearly is, with troubling consequences for our society as a whole.

    In particular, I know I’m not the only observer who sees a link between the despair reflected in those mortality numbers and the volatility of right-wing politics. Some people who feel left behind by the American story turn self-destructive; others turn on the elites they feel have betrayed them. No, deporting immigrants and wearing baseball caps bearing slogans won’t solve their problems, but neither will cutting taxes on capital gains. So you can understand why some voters have rallied around politicians who at least seem to feel their pain.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/09/opinion/despair-american-style.html?_r=1

    Reply
  15. SouthernGirl2 says:
    November 9, 2015 at 4:59 pm

    Keep On Pushing

    Reply
  16. SouthernGirl2 says:
    November 9, 2015 at 4:50 pm

    Shout out to the ride or die non-black students! I salute you!
    #Mizzou #MizzouHungerStrike #solidarity

    Reply
  19. Ametia says:
    November 9, 2015 at 3:40 pm

    BLACK EMPOWERMENT = CONTROLLING WHERE WE SPEND OUR $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      November 9, 2015 at 4:22 pm

      There is absolutely no excuse for what it termed ‘casual racism’ here. NONE
      It’s racial harassment, where these students have to constantly call out the nonsense remarks from ignorant, racist students. They are there to learn, and are constantly being attacked with micro-aggressive, racists comments.

      They won’t call them niggers, but it all the same.

      Reply
  28. SouthernGirl2 says:
    November 9, 2015 at 2:19 pm

    People get ready
    There’s a train a comin’
    You don’t need no baggage
    Just get on board
    #Mizzou
    #BlackLivesMatter

    Reply
  30. rikyrah says:
    November 9, 2015 at 1:38 pm

    Denali Parton @eclecticbrotha
    BREAKING: Chris Christie Vetoes Legislation Making It Easier To Vote In New Jersey http://thkpr.gs/3720574 via @thinkprogress

    Reply
  34. SouthernGirl2 says:
    November 9, 2015 at 11:30 am

    When I say Black Lives…. you say MATTER!
    When I say Black Lives…. you say MATTER!
    When I say Black Lives…. you say MATTER!
    #BlackLivesMatter

    Reply
  37. SouthernGirl2 says:
    November 9, 2015 at 11:06 am

    Shout out to Rick!

    White supremacy is mad, y’all. Who gone check us, boo?! “The call for justice is rising like the morning sun”.

    Reply
    • yahtzeebutterfly says:
      November 9, 2015 at 11:00 am

      Shaun King ‏@ShaunKing 9m9 minutes ago
      “ESSENTIAL LESSON: When injustice impacts the finances of white folk in power, they schedule meetings & make decisions very quickly.”

      Reply
  40. SouthernGirl2 says:
    November 9, 2015 at 10:35 am

    Let this be a lesson. Don’t attempt to dismiss folks complaints about racism.

    https://twitter.com/AC360/status/663755815409606656

    Reply
  43. SouthernGirl2 says:
    November 9, 2015 at 10:19 am

    Breaking: Tom Wolfe is resigning as UM System president.
    *********************
    Power of the People!

    Reply
  51. SouthernGirl2 says:
    November 9, 2015 at 9:21 am

    Folks are screaming… Lose your scholarship. This is wayyy bigger than scholarships, buddy. They will NEVER get it.

    Reply
  59. rikyrah says:
    November 9, 2015 at 9:07 am

    Ben Carson, and the failure of black conservatives

    Terrell Jermaine Starr

    I was a 17-year-old teenager growing up on the west side of Detroit when I first read Ben Carson’s biography Gifted Hands.

    ……………………………………………

    In September during his tour of Ferguson, Missouri, where 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by former police officer Darren Wilson, Carson said, “We need to de-emphasize race and emphasize respect for each other.” He added that he was raised to respect police and “never had any problem.”

    This is Carson’s M.O.

    When Carson speaks to the mostly white audiences who support him, he positions himself as a black person who doesn’t “complain” about racism. He argues that we need to move beyond having difficult discussions about race.

    And his messaging during his campaign has been crystal clear: I am who I am because I worked hard, and that is the best way to overcome racism. If you are black and cannot succeed like me, he tells his mostly white audiences, then only you are to blame for your problems — not police brutality, an unfair criminal justice system, or racist hiring practices.

    ……………….

    But Carson, the presidential candidate, doesn’t tell his white supporters about the pitfalls he narrowly avoided; he only talks about the heroic leaps he took in avoiding them. When I read Gifted Hands nearly 18 years ago as a young teenager, I never envisioned Carson becoming a 21st century Nat Turner — but neither could I foresee him dismissing racial injustice entirely. The culmination of Carson’s success, as I now know, was not designed to accommodate any sense of responsibility for those in the black community who didn’t “make it.”

    Instead, it is only tailored to assure white voters that they don’t have to bear any of the racial baggage that comes with being black in America.

    http://theweek.com/articles/585266/ben-carson-failure-black-conservatives

    Reply
  63. rikyrah says:
    November 9, 2015 at 7:52 am

    Oh you mean President Obama’s Job Act that the GOP won’t even bring to the floor for a vote.

    https://twitter.com/tvonetv/status/663688859436326912

    Reply
  64. rikyrah says:
    November 9, 2015 at 7:50 am

    Good Morning, Everyone :)

    Reply
  65. Ametia says:
    November 9, 2015 at 7:42 am

    Good Morning, Everyone. :-)))

    Reply

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