In 1973, fresh off the flop of his first feature, “THX 1138,” Universal released George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” — a box-office sensation and cultural touchstone that almost wasn’t. Set in Lucas’ ...

I was 13 years old when “American Graffiti” hit movie theaters in the summer of 1973. A nerdy, awkward kid more in the mold of the movie’s Terry “The Toad” Fields than its more confident drag racing ...