It's the 50th anniversary of a movie I'm guessing most of us have seen and loved. And it's become iconic, not only because of its incredible soundtrack, but the stars it launched from a single film - Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams and more. 

But according to creator George Lucas, "American Graffiti" was really inspired by something close to all of our hearts - rock and roll radio. 

Ron Howard remembers the real "graffiti" was what was coming out of those vintage car speakers.

"I asked George about it, and he explained the reason it’s called a musical is because it’s about rock radio. Rock radio is at the center of it, and rock radio is the American graffiti. It’s like the signature on the wall of that era."

The L.A. Times looks back at a seminal movie of an entire generation.

‘American Graffiti’ at 50: An oral history of ‘the quintessential hot rod movie’