(History) – On this day in 1973, “American Graffiti,” a nostalgic coming-of-
age tale set  in 1962 on the streets and steeped in the car-centric culture of suburban California, was released in theaters across the U.S. The movie 
went  on to become a sleeper hit.   

“American Graffiti” was the second full-length feature film directed by George Lucas (below) who would later become best known for the blockbuster hit
“Star Wars” (1977) and its sequels.