Where were you in '62 ???
Better yet, where were you on August 1, 1973 when "American Graffiti" premiered ?
There is so much history attached to this film but we'll begin by naming names starting with George Lucas cutting his teeth as a director for this nostalgic epic. Mix in superstar producer Francis Ford Coppola and an outstanding cast, surrounded by a great rock and roll soundtrack and if that's not the formula for a movie that would gross more than $55 million, well then what is ?
Harrison Ford and Richard Dreyfuss were unknown before making this film, the careers of Ron Howard, Cindy Williams and legendary DJ, Wolfman Jack were enhanced and Suzanne Somers made her debut as "the blond in the thunderbird", a title she would use recently on Broadway. The movie would also spawn the spinoff TV series, "Happy Days" and movies like "The Lords of Flatbush"...
The phenomenal soundtrack of the movie, "41 Original Hits From The Soundtrack Of American Graffiti" which includes everything from "Little Darlin'" by the Diamonds to "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers and comes complete with Wolfman Jack intros is available at Amazon.com...
More August 1 Memories...
1960) Aretha Franklin makes debut doing secular recordings...
1960) Chubby Checker's "The Twist" is released...
1966) Texas Tower gunman, Charles Joseph Whitman mows down 31, 15 fatally...
1969) 110,000 attend Atlantic City Pop Festival starring Janis Joplin, CSNY, Joni Mitchell, Jefferson Airplane, Moody Blues, 3 Dog Night, Canned Heat and others...
1971) George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Badfinger and more appear in "The Concert For Bangladesh" at Madison Square Garden...
1971) "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" debuts as a summer replacement. 3 full seasons will follow...
1973) "American Graffiti" premieres (feature story)...
1973) Thurman Munson and Carlton Fisk duke it out in another Yankee-Red Sox lovefest...
1975) Billy Martin replaces Bill Virdon as manager of the Yankees, otherwise known as "Billy Martin I", a five-chapter series...
1976) Liz Taylor re-divorces Richard Burton for divorce #6...
1981) MTV makes its debut with The Buggles' "Video Killed The Radio Star"...
1986) John McEnroe and Tatum O'Neal say "I do"...
1993) Reggie Jackson enters Baseball's Hall of Fame...
1994) Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley announce they were married 11 weeks earlier...
1995) Westinghouse buys CBS for $5.4 billion...
1996) Michael Johnson picks up his second gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics...
2001) The Vikings Pro Bowl tackle, Korey Stringer dies of a heat stroke at training camp...
Happy Birthday to...
1930) Geoffrey Holder...
1931) Ziggy cartoonist Tom Wilson...
1933) Dom DeLuise...
1936) Yves Saint Laurent...
1937) Alfonse D'Amato...
1950) North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams...
1958) Singer Michael ("No myth") Penn...
1963) Rapper Coolio...
1973) Tempestt ("The Cosby Show") Bledsoe...
1978) Running back Edgerrin James...
Commentary...
Tomorrow night at 7:30 XM Satellite Radio will carry a live concert, a tribute and benefit for Mike Smith, lead singer of the Dave Clark Five who has been paralyzed from the chest down in a 2003 accident at his home in Spain. Among the artists appearing are the Zombies, Billy J. Kramer, Denny Laine of Wings, the Moody Blues and Peter & Gordon. There will be 2 shows at B.B. King's in Times Square. For more information on this most worthy cause, click on to David Hinckley's column in today's New York Daily News: www.nydailynews.com/entertainment ...
