On this day in movie history - American Graffiti (1973):

American Graffiti

directed by George Lucas,

written by George Lucas, Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck,

was released in the United States on August 1, 1973.
Music by Kim Fowley, Karin Green and George Lucas.

Cast:

Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips, Wolfman Jack, Bo Hopkins, Manuel Padilla Jr., Beau Gentry, Harrison Ford, Jim Bohan, Jana Bellan, Deby Celiz, Lynne Marie Stewart, Terence McGovern, Kathleen Quinlan, Ty Crowley, Scott Beach, John Brent, Gordon Analla, John Bracci, Jody Carlson, Del Close, Chuck Dorsett, Stephen Knox, Joe Miksak, George Meyer, James Cranna, Johnny Weissmuller Jr., William Niven, Al Nalbandian, Bob Pasaak, Christopher Pray, Susan Richardson, Fred Ross, Jan Dunn, Charlie Murphy, Ed Greenberg, Lisa Herman, Mark Anger, Kay Lenz, Caprice Schmidt, Joe Spano, Debralee Scott, Ron Vincent, Donna Wehr, Cam Whitman, Jan Wilson, Suzanne Somers, Flash Cadillac, Linda Christensen, Jeannette Dilger, Dennis Falt, Warren Knight, Paul Lambert, Ken Martinez, Rick May, Sam McFadin, Kris Moe, Linn Phillips III, George Robinson.

On this day in movie history - More American Graffiti (1979):

More American Graffiti

directed and written by B.W.L. Norton,

was released in the United States on July 27, 1979.
Music by Gene Finley and George Lucas.

Cast:

Candy Clark, Bo Hopkins, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Mackenzie Phillips, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Anna Bjorn, Richard Bradford, John Brent, Country Joe McDonald, Barry Melton, Robert Hogins, Robert Flurie, Peter Albin, Harold Aceves, Scott Glenn, James Houghton, John Lansing, Manuel Padilla Jr., Ken Place, Mary Kay Place, Tom Ruben, Doug Sahm, Will Seltzer, Monica Tenner, Ralph Wilcox, Carol Ann Williams, Wolfman Jack, Rosanna Arquette, Tom Baker, Eric Barnes, Becky Bedoy, Buzz Borelli, Ben Bottoms, Patrick Burns, Tim Burrus, George Cantero, Chet Carter, Dion M. Chesse, Gil Christner, Don Coughlin, Mark Courtney, Michael Courtney, Denny Delk, Frankie Di, Steve Evans, Nancy Fish, Rocky Flintermann, Michael Frost, Jon Gries, Paul G. Hensler, Julie Anna Hicks, Robert Hirschfeld, Erik Holland, Jay Jacobus, Naomi Judd, Leslie Gay Leace, Delroy Lindo, Dwight Reber, Sandra Rider, Kevin Rodney Sullivan, Morgan Upton, John Vella, Dan Woodworth, Clay Wright, Wayne Coy, Harrison Ford, Darrell Mapson.

On this day in movie history - The Shootist (1976 movie & novel):

The Shootist

directed by Don Siegel,

written by Miles Hood Swarthout and Scott Hale,

based on the novel by Glendon Swarthout,

was released in the United States on July 21, 1976.
Music by Elmer Bernstein.

Cast:

John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, James Stewart, Richard Boone, Hugh O'Brian, Bill McKinney, Harry Morgan, John Carradine, Sheree North, Rick Lenz, Scatman Crothers, Gregg Palmer, Alfred Dennis, Dick Winslow, Melody Thomas Scott, Kathleen O'Malley, Jack Berle, Johnny Crawford, Chuck Dawson, George Dunn, Duke Fishman, Christopher George, Jonathan Goldsmith, Leo Gordon, Charles G. Martin, Jim Michael, Ernesto Molinari, Ricky Nelson, James Nolan, Nick Raymond, Henry Slate, Bob Steele, Ralph Volkie, John Zimeas.

Recommended reading:

The Shootist

By Glendon Swarthout.

Introduction by Miles Swarthout.

Filmed as The Shootist (1976), directed by Don Siegel.

Published by Bison Books.

First published 1975.

ISBN-10: 0803238231

ISBN-13: 9780803238237

Description:

"Such style...such a strong central idea...the showdown is an unremitting as the build-up." – Sunday Times of London.

"This is an extremely well-written Western and gives the reader vivid insight into the workings of the mind of a wanderer and gunman." – Baton Rouge, Louisiana Sunday Advocate.

"The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout is the taleof the Old West's version of the modern 'hit man'. It is a splendid story, well-told and with a really satisfying ending." – Charleston, South Carolina Evening Post.

The Shootist is John Bernard Books, a man of principle and the only surviving gunfighter in a vanishing American West. He rides into El Paso in the year 1901, on the day Queen Victoria died, there to be told by a doctor that he must soon confront the greatest shootist of all: Death. In such a showdown, against such an antagonist, he cannot win. Most men may end their days in bed or take their own lives, but a man-killer has a 3rd option, one which Books decides to exercise. He may choose his own executioner.

As word spreads that the famous assassin has reached the end of his rope, an assortment of vultures gathers to feast upon his corpse--among them a gambler, a rustler, an undertaker, an old love, a reporter, even a boy. Books outwits them, however, by selecting the where, when, who, and why of his death, and writing in fire from a pair of Remingtons the last courageous act of his own legend. The climatic gunfight itself is an incredible performance by an incredible man, and by his creator, Glendon Swarthout.

The Shootist will rank with such classics as Shane and The Ox-Bow Incident, but it is much more than a Western. When, in the final afternoon of his life, J. B. Books crosses a street and enters a saloon to make something of his death, we cross, we enter, with him. He is us.

From a corner of the south window Gillom Rogers spied on the new lodger. The man unpacked his valise and put things in a drawer of the chiffonier, then hung his Price Albert coat in the closet. When he turned from the closet he was in shirt and vest. The boy's eyes rounded. Sewn to each side of the vest was a holster, reversed, and in each holster was a pistol, butt forward. As he watched, sucking in his breath, the man took the weapons out, revolved the cylinders, filled a chamber in one he had evidently fired, and replaced them before hanging the vest, too, in the closet. The pistols were a pair of nickel-plated, short-barreled, unsighted, single-action .44 Remingtons, obviously manufactured to order. The handle of one was black gutta-percha, the other pearl.

Gillom slipped away to take the horse to the livery, letting the breath of revelation out of his lungs. He was seventeen, and spent much of his time in saloons. He was not yet served, but he enjoyed himself and picked up a great deal of miscellaneous information, some of it true, some of it of doubtful authenticity. But the man in corner room was no stranger to him now. He had heard enough scalp-itch, blood-freeze tales to know that only one man carried a similar pair of guns in a similar manner...