By the time American Graffiti arrived in theaters in 1973, George Lucas was still a young filmmaker finding his place in Hollywood. He had already directed THX 1138 in 1971, but Star Wars was still years away. American Graffiti was his second feature film, inspired by the teenage years he spent cruising the streets of Modesto, California, and it would become the first film released under the Lucasfilm name.
What makes the movie even more interesting today is its cast. Lucas and producer Francis Ford Coppola filled the film with young actors, many of whom were still largely unknown or working their way through smaller roles. Harrison Ford was still doing carpentry work and had his first significant film role as Bob Falfa, while Suzanne Somers and Charles Martin Smith had only appeared in smaller films and television roles. Before some of these actors became household names, they were simply part of one summer night in 1962. Here are five faces you may recognize now, but probably would not have known then.
1. From Bob Falfa to Han Solo
Harrison Ford was still working as a carpenter when he landed the role of Bob Falfa in American Graffiti, his first significant film role. The pay was low enough that he almost turned it down, but the part gave him the chance to work with George Lucas, who would cast him as Han Solo just a few years later. Ford even convinced Lucas to let him keep the cowboy hat he wears in the film instead of cutting his hair for the role.
2. Yes, That Guy in the Blue Checkered Shirt Is Ron Howard
By the time he made American Graffiti, Howard was already familiar to television audiences as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show, but at 18 he was trying to move beyond his child-star image. He took on the role of Steve Bolander as a chance to play a more realistic young adult, rather than the wholesome child audiences had grown up watching. It was also around this time that Howard was becoming increasingly interested in directing, a path he would soon pursue himself.
3. The Future Jaws Star Was Already Here
Richard Dreyfuss was already working as an actor when he appeared in American Graffiti, but his big breakthrough was still ahead of him. Just two years later, he would play marine biologist Matt Hooper in Jaws, the role that turned him into a major movie star. Looking back, Dreyfuss said he did not even realize he was making something special while filming American Graffiti. He thought they were simply making a small teenage movie.
4. The Mysterious Blonde in the Thunderbird
Suzanne Somers is barely in American Graffiti. She plays the mysterious blonde in the white Thunderbird who catches Curt’s attention at a traffic stop, a role so small that she was not even credited in the film. Years later, Somers would become a household name as Chrissy Snow on Three’s Company, making this blink-and-you-miss-her appearance a fun glimpse at one of her earliest screen roles.
5. The Actor Who Almost Missed American Graffiti
Charles Martin Smith had just turned 18 and was taking a break from acting when his agent told him he had missed the casting for a movie with several teenage roles. Smith had been backpacking through Europe and returned just in time to audition for Terry “The Toad” Fields. He screen tested and got the part, later calling American Graffiti a great experience that they all believed in, even though they thought the small movie might go unnoticed.
