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American Graffiti
On their last evening of summer vacation in 1962, high school graduates Curt Henderson and Steve Bolander meet their friends, confident drag-racing king John Milner and unpopular but well-meaning Terry "The Toad" Fields, at Mel's Drive-In in Modesto, California. Set to travel " Back East " with Steve in the morning to start college, Curt has second thoughts about leaving. Laurie, Steve's girlfriend and Curt's sister, is hurt when Steve suggests they see other people while he is away to "strengthen" their relationship.
En route to the high school sock hop, Curt sees a beautiful blonde woman driving a white Ford Thunderbird who mouths "I love you", leading him to desperately search for her throughout the night. Leaving the dance, he is coerced into joining a group of greasers called "the Pharaohs" in stealing coins from arcade machines and hooking a chain to a police car, ripping out its back axle. During a tense ride, the Pharaoh leader tells Curt that the blonde is a prostitute, which he does not believe.
Allowed to take care of Steve's car while he is at college, Terry cruises around the strip and picks up the rebellious Debbie. Telling her he is known as "Terry the Tiger", he spends the night trying to impress her, lying about the car and purchasing alcohol with no ID. The car is stolen while they share a romantic interlude and later, after the alcohol has made Terry violently sick, he attempts to steal it back. The thieves beat on Terry until John shows up and fends off the attackers. Terry eventually admits the truth to Debbie and reveals he rides a Vespa scooter; she suggests it is "almost a motorcycle" and says she had fun, agreeing to meet up with him again.
Seeking cruising company, John inadvertently picks up Carol, a precocious 12-year-old who manipulates him into driving her around all night. He lies to suspicious friends that she is a cousin he is stuck babysitting, and they have a series of petty arguments until another car's young male occupants harass her as she attempts to walk home alone, and John decides to protect her. The racer, Bob Falfa, wants to compete for John's drag-racing crown. During his night of challenging anyone he comes across, Bob picks up an emotional Laurie after a long-brewing argument with Steve.
Leaving the Pharaohs, Curt drives to the radio station to ask the omnipresent disc jockey " Wolfman Jack " to read a message on the air for the blonde. A station employee tells him the Wolfman does not work there and the shows are taped, claiming the Wolfman "is everywhere". He says the Wolfman would advise Curt to "get your ass in gear" and see the world but promises to have the Wolfman air the request. As Curt leaves, he realizes the employee is the Wolfman, who reads the message to the blonde asking her to call Curt at the Mel's Drive-In payphone.
After taking Carol home, John is goaded by Bob into drag racing along Paradise Road outside the city with a crowd of spectators. Terry starts the race and John takes the lead but Bob's tire blows out, causing his car to swerve into a ditch and roll over before bursting into flames. Steve rushes to the wreck as Laurie and Bob crawl out before the car explodes. While John helps his rival to safety, Laurie begs Steve not to leave her and he assures her that he will stay with her in Modesto.
An exhausted Curt is awakened by the payphone and finally speaks to the mysterious blonde, who hints at the possibility of meeting the following night, but Curt replies that he is leaving town. In the morning at the airfield, he says goodbye to his parents and friends; after takeoff, he sees the white Thunderbird driving along the road below, and gazes thoughtfully into the sky.
An epilogue reveals the four male friends' fates: in 1964, John was killed by a drunk driver; in 1965, Terry was reported missing in action near An Lแปc, South Vietnam; Steve is an insurance agent in Modesto, and Curt is a writer living in Canada.