2. A couple of high school grads spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.
Synopsis
It's the last night of summer in 1962, and a number of friends are meeting at Burger City for one last hurrah. They include:
-Steve Bolander (Ron Howard), The recently-graduated Class President.
-Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss), another recent graduate and Steve's best friend, who was awarded the local Moose
Lodge's first scholarship.
-Laurie Henderson (Cindy Williams), who is heading into her Senior Year in high school, and was the head cheerleader, as
well as Steve Bolander's girlfriend. She is also Curt's younger sister.
-Terry "The Toad" Fields (Charles Martin Smith), a rather nerdish and socially awkward kid with glasses and a mutual friend
of Steve and Curt.
-John Milner (Paul Le Mat), a young man and high school graduate in his early 20s who spends most of his days fixing cars for
a living and racing a yellow deuce coupe, said by some to be the fastest car in the Valley.
At Burger City, Curt confides to Steve that he is considering not heading East for college the next day. Steve is upset by this,
but Curt feels that maybe he needs to get his feelings in order. After their discussion, Steve tells Terry that he is going to give
him his 1958 Chevrolet Impala until he comes back from college. As Terry only has a little Vespa scooter, the opportunity to
have a hot set of wheels makes him ecstatic.
After the formalities, Steve gets into Laurie's car, and tells her that he thinks they should see other people while he is away.
Laurie tries to hide the fact that this upsets her, but becomes very quiet considering the ramifications.
Meanwhile, Curt and John talk about how it seems every girl that comes by is ugly or has a boyfriend. "Where is the dazzling
beauty I've been waiting for all my life?" bemoans Curt. John's conversation turns to how the strip that they cruise on keeps
shrinking, remembering when a tank full of gas was needed to complete a full circuit.
3. It is then that the group decides to split up. John heads off cruising in his yellow deuce coupe, while Terry heads out in Steve's
car. Curt decides to accompany Steve and Laurie to the "Freshman Hop," a sock-hop in the school gymnasium.
As Milner heads off to cruise around, he encounters a couple of his buddies also cruising down the streets, who tell him of a
"very wicked '55 Chevy looking for him," as well as alerting him to cops watching for speeders.
Steve, Laurie and Curt have pulled up to a stop light, with a white '56 T-Bird next to them. As Curt looks, a blonde driving the
vehicle smiles at him, and seems to mouth the words "I love you," before taking off. Curt is taken by the vision of this
'goddess,' and pleads with his friend and sister to follow the Thunderbird. However, his words fall on deaf ears.
Milner soon after encounters a Studebaker, full of girls. When he asks if any of them wants to ride with him, one of the girl's
sisters volunteers. However, it is only after she gets into his car does he realize what he's gotten himself into. The girl, named
Carol (Mackenzie Phillips), is easily a very young girl, and John is determined to not have her along with him for the rest of
the night.
Meanwhile, Steve, Laurie and Curt have made it to the sock-hop. Laurie's friend Peg (Kathleen Quinlan) confides that Laurie
will be fine without Steve, but Laurie is still upset and confused about Steve's wish to see other people. Steve meanwhile, has
explained his plans to some of his own friends, who laugh that he will use the opportunity to "screw around." Curt meanwhile,
roams the halls of the school and comes across his old locker. He tries the combination, only to find that it has been changed.
After Steve and Laurie meet up after talking to their friends, Steve wishes to dance, but Laurie refuses, her anger over his
decision boiling to the surface. Curt meanwhile, meets one of his teachers who is chaperoning the dance. Mr. Wolfe (Terence
McGovern) and Curt then discuss the teacher's past, how he went to a college in Middlebury, Vermont, and only stayed one
semester. Wolfe contends that he wasn't the adventuresome type, and Curt explains how he might not be as well. The teacher
encourages Curt to not stay, but to go out and explore life.
Back in the yellow deuce coupe, John and Carol continue to be at odds with each other. Carol explains how she and her friends
used shaving cream to coverup someone's windshield as a gag, and shows John that she still has a can with her at that moment.
They then fight over the music on the radio, with John being irritated by the Beach Boys song "Surfin' Safari" on the radio.
John's night is further complicated when Officer Holstein (Jim Bohan) pulls him over. Holstein gives Milner a ticket, claiming
one of his taillights is out, and claims that he received reports of John speeding, but is going to let him go this time, promising
that one day soon, he's going to catch him in the act. After Holstein leaves, John gives Carol the ticket to put in a pouch on the
driver's side door, which already contains plenty of tickets from "the law."
Terry meanwhile, has pulled up to a light, next to a black '55 Chevy. The driver is Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford), who shouts over
to Terry that he's looking for John Milner, and to let John know that he's looking to race him. After the encounter with Falfa,
Terry notices a blonde walking the streets. After saying that she resembles Connie Stevens, the girl stops to talk to Terry. Terry
claims he's known as "Terry the Tiger," and offers to let her feel the tuck-and-roll upholstery of the Impala. The girl, named
Debbie (Candy Clark), gets in, and the two drive off.
Back at the sock-hop, Steve and Laurie are chosen to lead a spotlight snowball dance, and put on smiling faces for the rest of
the students. As they dance together, Laurie continues to argue quietly, before beginning to cry, and telling Steve to "go to
hell," as the song "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" fills the gymnasium.
Curt meanwhile, has run into his ex-girlfriend, Wendy (Deby Celiz). With nothing else to do at the school, he asks if he can tag
along with her and her friend Bobbie (Lynne Marie Stewart). Wendy agrees, much to the ire of her friend.
Back in the gymnasium, as the music picks back up, Steve and Laurie are now dancing intimately, when a teacher named Mr
Kroot (Mark Anger) tells them to "break it up." Steve gets smart and tells Kroot to 'kiss a duck,' as well as calls him a 'marble-
head.' Kroot tells Steve that he is suspended, but Steve smilingly tells Kroot that he graduated last semester, and by all
accounts, Kroot can't do anything to him. As Kroot storms off, Steve and Laurie laugh at the moment. After the incident, they
decide to go to The Canal to be alone, their relationship appearing to have been patched up.