Car cruise honors 'American Graffiti' stars

May 24, 2006

By DANE GOLDEN
ARGUS-COURIER STAFF

Petaluma cemented its place in car cruising history last weekend at "Petaluma's Salute to American Graffiti," hosted by Cruisin' the Boulevard.

The event commemorated the city's star role in the film, shot here in 1972 by director George Lucas and released the following year.

At the event, four stars from the movie pressed their hands into cement to memorialize their participation in the film. The actors Candy Clark, Paul Le Mat, Bo Hopkins and Manuel Padilla Jr. will now have their prints on the sidewalk in front of the new Boulevard Cinemas on C Street, creating a new walk of fame commemorating Petaluma's place in cinema history. And the group hopes to get the handprints of even more stars.

The stars immortalized their handprints at a ceremony held on the lot between McNear's and Lan Mart, home to the Jerry's Cherries Used Car Lot in the movie and location for the scene where the police car's axle was ripped off.

Earlier that day, 180 classic cruisers participated in a car show at the Petaluma Village Premium Outlets. At about 3 p.m., the honorees were driven in a procession led by motorcycle escort from the car show to the cementing ceremony.

Candy Clark, who played Debbie in the film, was driven in a white '58 Chevy Impala similar to the car in which she rode in the film. The two Pharaohs, Bo Hopkins and Manuel Padilla Jr., who played Joe Young and Carlos in the film, were driven in a maroon 1950 chopped Mercury. And Paul Le Mat, who played John Milner in the movie, was escorted in the very same '32 yellow Ford coupe that he drove in the film.

Cruisin' the Boulevard president John Furrer plans to keep the event going into the future, and even hopes to get George Lucas to participate, as well as other actors from the film, like Harrison Ford, Ron Howard, Suzanne Somers and Richard Dreyfuss.

The all-volunteer event raised funds for Petaluma People Services Center's Meals on Wheels program, the Petaluma Police Department's bike helmet safety program and Petaluma Sunrise Rotary's heart defibrillator project.

(Contact Dane Golden at dgolden@arguscourier.com) -->

"Quick, hang a right! Steven -- cut over to G Street -- I just saw a vision. I saw a goddess. C'mon, you gotta catch up to her!"

-- Richard Dreyfuss, from the movie "American Graffiti"