1973. It was the ten year anniversary of JFK's assassination. The US was still in Vietnam. College students were dying and being beaten during protest demonstrations. Watergate was happening. Rock stars from the psychedelic era of music were dropping like flies. America had officially completed the decade long process of losing it's innocence. It was gone. Then something funny happened. A young film maker who was trying to make a name for himself in Hollywood made a movie that was supposed to be simple. It wasn't supposed to be important. But it was. That movie was "American Graffiti".<br /><br />"American Graffiti" is a story about one night in the lives of a group of small town teens. They are all on the verge of something great, but none of them know it yet. That something is called growing up. This night is their farewell to innocent youth. It is an obvious parallel to what America was about to go through. Within a couple of years, most of the people that the film's characters represent would be affected by the chaotic events that occurred in this country. But on this night, none of that existed. These kids were still dealing with the all important activities of cruising, muscle cars, going steady, street racing, the choice between beach music and rock & roll, and whether or not they should wait a year before going off to college. It is the last great American night.<br /><br />Why is this film so important? It was made during a troubled time in America. People seemed to have lost pride in themselves and in their country. We had changed. This simple little movie changed that. It reminded us of what we used to be like. It reminded us of what we could be again. It was about good times. And the country needed a good time. We needed to go cruising for girls (or boys) while listening to Wolfman Jack crank out rock & roll classics. We needed to play pranks on each other without the fear of violent retribution. We needed to be innocent again. The movie did not make us innocent again, but it reminded us that we could be.