Wolfman (voice over)
Here we go with another call out of the station. Can you dig it? Answer the phone dummy.
Man (voice over) Pinkie's Pizza. (movie spelling)
Wolfman : Ah, yeah, listen, you got any more of those secret agent spy-scopes?
Man: Hit parade on the stethoscope?
Wolfman: No. No, the secret agent spy-scope, man. That pulls in the moon, the sky and the planets . . . and the satellites and the little bitty space men.
Man: You must have the wrong number, partner.
Wolfman: "Bye.
I can remember watching American Graffiti and never wondering if there was a real Pinky's Pizza. I always figured it was a fictional pizza joint they made up for the movie. Well.........
Lucas is notorious for bringing something from his past or from an earlier film into his latest creation. Sort of an inside joke that next to no one would ever notice. As I dig delve deeper into the Graffiti rabbit hole I keep finding what could be more of these. Turns out there is a real Pinky's Pizza. In fact there are a few of them around the area where Lucas grew up in and then later filmed American Graffiti.
Makes me wonder where the Lucas family called on pizza night, or is this possibly an homage to where they ate while filming Graffiti??? Some things we may never know.
Oh and did you ever wonder who the uncredited voice of Pinkie's Pizza was????
Jeff
I have a Wolfman Jack demo to promote his syndicated shows that was made in 1970. What's interesting is that it has the EXACT phone call that was later used in Graffiti. For the film, the guy's voice was erased and another (maybe George, but I seriously doubt it) replaced it using a similar Southern accent. On the original call he even says "Hit parade on the stethescope?" There are a coupla major differences: First, the man answers the phone by saying, "Hollywood Mobil" instead of "Pinky's Pizza." Remember Mobil gas stations? I'm willing to bet Pinkys did not exist in Petaluma at the time. It was probably named as a reference to the film several years later. Second difference: the conversations goes on much longer. The guy asks if he's on the radio and if the call is being monitored. He then says, "I've got a coupla things to say if you don't bleep them out on the radio." Wolfman says, "Don't do anything dirty now..." It continues on. Eventually he says, the famous line, "I think you've got the wrong number, partner, but goes on about how he's got a crack/card game goin' on and needs to get back to his game, and says, "Later!" and then hangs up on Wolfman. In this case he appeared to have the upper hand on the DJ NOT like the way it sounds on the soundtrack and movie.
ReplyDeleteNice!!! Kip diggin a bit deeper!! Cool. I can't find a date for Pinky's in San Rafael but the Pinky's in Petaluma says 47 years in buisness so thats about 1965. Not 1962 correct but completely in the range for filming of American Graffiti.
ReplyDeleteI always thought he said "Shakey's Pizza", 'cause that's what we had where I lived back then!
ReplyDeleteThe guy who answers the phone has a distinct English accent then goes all cowboy... ??
ReplyDeleteIf you listen, he sounds just like mike Nesmith from the monkeys.
ReplyDeleteThat's who I thought it was