WAS FALFA BEATING MILNER???? Whether Falfa would have won the drag race in American Graffiti may be pure speculation. In the film it looks like the cars were neck in neck and Milner was starting to take the lead when Falfa's car began to run off the road. It’s ambiguous at best. The original rough draft (dated May 10, 1972) script reads, "Falfa's engine is winding incredibly and he begins to get the edge on John. The cars rocket through the dawn light along the flashing white line until Falfa's car hits the shoulder, his front wheel slips off...etc." So in the script it alludes to Falfa taking the lead at some point. However, things look different in the actual film where it looks to me like Milner is gaining on Falfa BEFORE Falfa hits the shoulder. But ultimately, the fact that Milner was winning is given credence by the actor who played Milner, Paul LeMat. When I spoke with actor, Paul LeMat he said that Milner was winning the drag race and he was told to pretend like he thought he lost. “He’s convinced he was losing the race,” said LeMat. “That’s not the fact or the way we were suppose to film it. Here I was thinking I lost the race but it was obvious to other people like Toad that I wasn’t losing the race.” I asked LeMat, Was Milner winning the race? He responded emphatically, “YES.” "But, I was supposed to act like I thought I was losing. I remember,” he continued, “that I tried to work it out without making him look insane that he was sure that he thought his time had come. Like he has obsessed about it so much. The race was so close that that was it for him. That was bad enough. That was worse. ‘I lost it, I lost it!’ LeMat compared it to a boxing match. “It’s similar to a fighter who wins a whole lot of fights and then he just BARELY wins one. He thinks, oh, my God! Did I lose it? I didn’t knock the guy out and he was beating me up. The other times it was so much easier. LeMatt said I still don’t think that scene works ‘cause I get people [fans] saying to me all the time, ‘You won the race what were you talking about?’ So there you have it: MILNER WAS WINNING! Now, go home and get your shine box!
To see my whole interview with Paul LeMat watch the video below or go to You Tube:
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Another excellent piece, thanks Kip buddy
ReplyDeleteHan Solo shot first! Okay, actually, Milner was winning the entire time. He wasn't killing Falfa but he was edging out, and then the crash happened. And of course we know the reason Falfa crashed, story-wise, is to bring Steve and Laurie back together. I always kinda wish the race continued and we'd see the real winner, who of course would be Milner but... we need a firey ending. Falfa's car was like the Death Star, so to speak (vice versa).
ReplyDeleteOf course how are you gonna beat the fastest car in the valley.
DeleteThere's a loud bang before Falfa's car swerves and hits the shoulder. Tire blowout?
ReplyDeleteI've never seen or heard this mentioned in a discussion of the race. It happens at the 1:00 mark in the youtube "Drag Race at Paradise Road" clip. Give it a look and listen.
See what you think? Btw, nice pinup.
In the scene where Falfa and Milner first race in town, there's a spark from one of Falfa's tires, as though he ran over something. I've wondered if that was intentional. Like being the cause, later, of a blow-out.
DeleteIn the scene where Milner and Falfa first race, in town, there is a spark thrown from one of the rear tires of Falfa's Chevy. I've often wondered if this was intentional, to explain the later blow-out.
DeleteYes, the sound is a tire blowout.
DeleteI always thought it was a tire blowout on the Falfa car, like archfan says.. you hear a bang like a blowout.. anyway after watching the movie countless times over 44 years, John Milners 32 was definitely putting a nose ahead before the crash.. Toad was right.. " you were killin him man!"
ReplyDeleteMan dude, the first time I saw this film was at the Randhurst Cinema in Mt Prospect, IL. I was 12 years old and I don't know what I was left with for sure, other than I wanted to be John Milner. Oh, and I wanted Suzanne Somers ... badly.
ReplyDeleteLeMat was of course winning (maybe), but we are HIS fans and we must not think differently. Why? Because that is the makings of a great screenplay. As our hero, protagonist, at least in that scene, he must be so humble that we respect and love him for it ... I was losing, man ... And he has to really believe it, because like all these type blue collared heroes, Milner is toughest on himself, and sort of an honest rogue. But of course Toad is us, every pimple faced loser of a 12 year old sitting in a Mt Prospect movie theater. And we are just like Toad, yelling out NO JOHN, YOU HAD HIM; YOU'RE THE GREATEST, ALWAYS HAVE BEEN .....
And something that makes this film scene deeper than the average show how humble and heroic the protagonist is scene ... is the fact that George Lucas gives us a peek at what we will come to know as pure genius by somehow letting us feel for that brief minute as Toad and John walk and talk that everything was gonna be okay for Milner. You could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice ... There is more to life than racing cars and hitting up high school cheerleaders. And we want that for John, because this is not a life that can possibly end well, is it? Best case scenario is he stays around town, out-running cops and doing his thing until lung cancer gets him. Or maybe he goes to Nam. But that's not gonna happen, because for one brief second as he talks to Toad, we believe that maybe John will do something more meaningful with his life. And maybe he did! We don't know. All we are sure of is that Milner died in that beautifully ironic way that great Hollywood dreams up so that we can never forget that fake life can be just as fickle as the real variety.
I just watched this film last night ... AGAIN. I still want to be John Milner, and I still WANT Suzanne Somers. I loved reading your blog. I had wondered about LeMat, who he was and what he became, and for some reason I was not at all surprised to discover that he really is a hero. That's fn awesome.
Milner uncapped the headers at the gas station just before the race. How many people noticed just before the race you could see smoke/condensation coming out of Milner`s tailpipes? The headers were not open.
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