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About This Quiz
American Graffiti was nominated for five Academy Awards as it realistically portrayed coming of age at the intersection of the 1950s and 1960s decades. How well do you remember American Graffiti? Find out by taking the quiz below.
The film primarily depicted what culture of the 50s and 60s?
The New Left.
The Beat Generation.
The Hippie culture.
The Cruising culture.
George Lucas grew up when the Cruising culture was at its height. He discovered in college that "cruising" was a "uniquely American mating ritual involving automobiles."
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What was the name of the D. J. who frequently was heard over the radio tying the film together?
Big Daddy.
Wolfman.
Wolfman Jack was cast as himself in the movie. He was the D. J. of choice in Lucas' hometown.
Howard Stern.
Casey Kasem.
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Why was Laurie mad at Steve?
He stepped on her foot.
He said they should see other people while they were apart.
"…I thought that maybe before I leave that we could agree that seeing other people while I'm away can't possibly hurt, you know? … I think it would strengthen our relationship."
He asked for the necklace he gave her back.
He didn't want her to take care of his car for him.
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Richard Dreyfuss played which character?
Steve.
Curt.
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (born October 29, 1947) was given his choice of the two main characters and picked Curt because he felt he identified more with the character. Although American Graffiti was nominated for several awards, Richard Dreyfuss has only been nominated twice: for The Goodbye Girl (1977), which he won, and Mr. Holland's Opus (1995), which he didn't win.
Terry.
Wolfman Jack.
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What color was John's cruiser?
Yellow.
John's yellow car was a 1931 Ford Coupe. It was so difficult to film clear night shots at that point in time that Lucas had to give in and hire a visual consultant to help. Wexler added interior lights to the vehicles and asked stores to leave their lights on, but he was shooting commercials in Los Angeles during the day and had to fly to San Francisco each night.
Blue.
Red.
White.
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Who did Steve give his car to temporarily?
John.
Curt.
Laurie.
Toad.
George Lucas based Terry the Toad off of himself in his pre-driving years (14-15 years old). However, he most identified with Curt because that was the character who went away to college like he did.
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What organization gave Curt a $2000 scholarship?
The Freemasons.
The Moose Lodge.
"He says he's sorry it's so late, but it's the first scholarship the Moose Lodge has given out."
The Fraternal Order of Police.
Knights of Columbus.
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What was the name of the girl Toad picked up?
Debbie.
"What's your name?" "Debbie. You know, I always thought I looked like Sandra Dee."
Wendy.
Susan.
Carol.
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What kind of alcohol did Toad try to buy?
Old Harper.
Marketed off and on throughout history as Old Harper, I. W. Harper is bourbon whiskey that has been produced since 1872. During Prohibition, the company was one of ten allowed to produce whiskey legally for medicinal use.
Corby's.
Old Fitzgerald.
Blatz.
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The guy who tossed the bottle of liquor to Toad also did what?
Sneaked out the back.
Gave Toad the time.
Robbed the store.
The guy Toad finally convinced to buy him liquor ended up robbing the store. George Lucas had a difficult time getting a company to back his script. Many felt its musical montage style and its loosely connected plot would not do well in theaters.
Hit on Debbie.
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Around which diner did the teens flock?
Al's.
The American's Restaurant.
Mels Drive-In.
Mels Drive-In was a California chain restaurant. In the movie, as on the original diners, "Mels" did not have the possessive apostrophe. The Mels seen in the film was at 140 South Van Ness in San Francisco, but has since been torn down.
Rosie's Diner.
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John and Carol got into an argument over what type of music?
Rockabilly.
Psychedelic rock.
Surf music.
"Why'd you do that?" "I don't like that surfin' [music]. Rock and roll's been goin' downhill ever since Buddy Holly died."
Doo-wop.
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Who played Bob Falfa?
Terry McGovern.
Ron Howard.
George Lucas.
Harrison Ford.
Harrison Ford had given up on acting because he had a family to support by the time this movie was cast. He had taken up working as a carpenter to take care of them.
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What was the name of the gang that accosted Curt?
The Kings.
The Spades.
The Pharaohs.
"You know Toby Juarez? … He's a Pharaoh, isn't he?"
The Jokers.
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Why was Steve initially reluctant to call Laurie after their first date?
He didn't want to date his friend's sister.
He was scared.
"You were scared. Dave Ogler told me."
He thought she was too poor.
She had a bad reputation.
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How did the Pharaohs get money for gas?
They mugged someone.
They won a car race.
They robbed a liquor store.
They broke into pinball machines.
The Pharaohs robbed a pinball machine at a miniature golf course for the gas money. When George Lucas spent the $10,000 a studio gave him on a writer for a script that was not what he envisioned, he ended up having to rewrite the script himself and did it in three weeks. Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck helped him polish the script and develop the central plotline between Steve and Laurie right before production began.
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On the walk back to town, what did Debbie keep talking about?
Sports.
The goat killer.
"So, anyhows, the goat killer… whenever he strikes, he leaves a bloody goat's head next to the victim. Isn't that creepy?"
What she is going to wear to prom.
Einstein's theory of relativity.
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Curt spent the night wanting to chase a girl driving what kind of car?
A Nova.
A Thunderbird.
Suzanne Somers, cast as the woman in the white Thunderbird, arrived at the call and found what seemed like 200 other blondes sitting there. The interview was so short she figured she must have been passed over for another actress. She said she was relieved that her agent had bumped her to the front of the line and she wouldn't have to pay for parking or dinner.
A Studebaker.
A Coronet.
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What was the initiation task the Pharaoh's gave Curt?
Tying the axle of a police car to something solid.
Curt's action caused the police car to drive off its axle. The gangs of the '50s were more interested in fighting over turf and girls. They were said to dislike members who became involved in drugs because it made them poorer fighters.
To distract the owners of an arcade while they robbed pinball machines.
To find a way to get them hard liquor.
To spray the windows of a stopped car with shaving cream.
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What did John give Carol as a souvenir?
A mini-piston from his gearshift.
John gave her a mini-piston. Lucas spent a lot of his youth working on cars and did drag racing until he was in a bad accident while attending junior college. The car was mangled, but he had installed a roll bar and was wearing a seat belt.
A ring.
A necklace with a key on it.
A gas cap.
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What was the D. J. eating when Curt went to the radio station?
Peanuts.
Popcorn.
A sandwich.
Popsicles.
"Hey, have a Popsicle. The icebox just broke down, and they're melting all over the place."
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What is the name of the place where John and Bob race?
Paradise Road.
"All right now, where's this Paradise Road?" "Just follow this street straight out of town."
Pomona Canyon.
Maple Grove Dam.
Sonoma Valley.
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How did John get Carol to tell him where she lived?
He acted like he couldn't control himself any longer.
"Carol, I, uh, I don't think that I can control myself any longer tonight. I've got to have you. …If you told me where you lived, well, then I could take you home, but you won't tell me where you live, so here we are…"
He told her he didn't want her dad to kill him.
She was scared during the drag race, and he threatened to do it again.
He promised to take her out on a different night.
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Finish the quote "Oh, excuse me, sir, I got a problem. See, I lost my I.D. ______________________."
"… on the bus."
"… in a flood."
"Oh, excuse me, sir, I got a problem. See, I lost my I.D. in a flood."
"… in the washing machine."
"… on my way here."
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Who ran into Toad and Debbie in the woods?
Steve.
"Steve! …Don't do that. Come on, let's get out of here."
The Goat Killer.
Laurie.
Curt.
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Who was supervising the dance and advised Curt to go to college?
Mr. Carlson.
Mr. Kroot.
Mr. Dorsett.
Mr. Bill Wolfe.
Mr. Bill Wolfe was the teacher who flirted with high school girls and told Curt to go to college and get out of town. American Graffiti was the first film to have a back-to-back soundtrack of rock and roll music playing throughout it.
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How did John say Carol and he were related in front of his friends?
The daughter of his mother's friend.
Niece.
Cousin.
"Uh, this is my, uh, cousin, Carol… I'm, uh, babysitting."
Sister.
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Who wanted to date Steve when he told her he broke up with his girlfriend?
Debbie.
Budda.
"Budda, wait… I've got to get up early in the morning, and, uh, I just don't think it'd work out."
Wendy.
Bobbie.
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What radio station call letters are used throughout the movie?
RCAZ.
XERB.
Wolfman Jack actually broadcast on XERF-AM instead of the XERB call letters used in the movie. XERF, located in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico, was a high-powered radio station that wanted to avoid FCC regulations. By the 1950s, it used a 250,000-watt transmitter that could reach servicemen stationed at sea.
AFRS.
KDKA.
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During the commercials, what song did Bob Falfa start singing to Laurie?
"My Girl."
"A—You're Adorable."
"Magic Moments."
"Some Enchanted Evening."
"Some enchanted evening, you will see a stranger. You will see a stranger across a crowded room."
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How did Toad get the car back?
They reported it to the police.
Toad outsmarted the guys who took it.
John beat up the guys who stole it.
John beat up the guys for Toad. Toad ( played by Charles Martin Smith) was the most difficult part to cast, according to the casting director.
They stole it back while the guys who took it were eating.
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Who rode in John's car with him during the final drag race at Paradise Road?
Carol.
Laurie.
Toad.
No one.
John had seen many accidents and chose to race alone. Paul Le Mat (born September 22, 1945) was a boxer who was just starting in acting. His boxing background made him a good fit for the fight scene with the car thieves.
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What was the outcome of the race?
Bob crashed.
Bob crashed. Lucas wanted to shoot the film in San Rafael because he felt Modesto looked too modern. After one day of shooting, San Rafael canceled the contract, and the whole crew had to move to Petaluma.
John crashed.
No one crashed, and Bob won.
No one crashed, and John won.
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Who left for college on the airplane the next day?
Steve and Laurie.
Curt and Steve.
Curt.
Curt was the only teen to leave on the airplane. After spending years trying to get the movie produced, Lucas finally got Universal to show interest, as long as he could bring a big name to it. Coppola had just finished the Godfather and was more than happy to help Lucas out by producing it.
Steve.
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Which of the four main male characters went missing in action in Vietnam (An Loc)?
Terry Fields.
Just before the closing credits, we read that Terry Fields (Toad) went missing in action. To give mini-bios at the end of a movie about fictitious characters was unique, and started a trend.
John Milner.
Carl Henderson.
Steve Bolander.
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/35
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