On this day in 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 launch the big-screen careers of Richard Dreyfuss
and Harrison Ford, as 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).

Wolfman Jack (Robert Weston Smith) appears as the D.J. 

Harrison Ford

(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.

Adoline and Charles Ceciliani on the dance floor opening night.

The Division Street Corral was a famous dance hall built by Charles & Adoline
Ceciliani that opened in December of 1948 at S.E.171st and Division in Portland,
Oregon. Famous entertainers who performed there included: Johnny Cash, Hank
Thompson, Bobby Vinton, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Ray Price, Bobby Vee, The
Ventures, Bobby Darin, and many more.

After a suspected arson fire that destroyed parts of the building, the Cecilianis
renovated and eventually leased the corral to renters, including an evangelist,
bingo group and flea market. It was demolished in late March 2007 and is now
the site of a affordable housing development (shown below).

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D Street Salal opened in September 2015 as the Portland Habilitation
Center’s ninth affordable housing project, and third in it’s partnership
with Home First Development.

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