On August 11, 1973, the nostalgic teenage coming-of-age
movie American Graffiti, directed and co-written by George
Lucas, opened in theaters across the U.S.

Set in California in the summer of 1962, American Graffiti
was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best
Director and Best Picture, and helped well as the former
child actor and future Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron
Howard.

The film’s success enabled Lucas to get his next movie
made, the mega-hit Star Wars (1977).

George Lucas during the filming of the movie.  

Richard Dreyfuss (77)

Harrison Ford (83)

Ron Howard (71)