"[52] Variety praised the "zesty choreography and very excellent new plus revived music", and thought Travolta and Newton-John "play together quite well. These items are mandatory, as each batch of grease is issued its own certificate of analysis (COA). Few may have seen Grease 2 on the big screen, but it found its audience on VHS, and many who grew up with it are now its biggest fans. second-best-selling album of the year in the United States, remove the Coca-Cola logos from the scene, Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture, Academy Award for Best Music Original Song, "Grease movie soundtrack earns its second #1 hit", "Year End ChartsYear-end AlbumsThe Billboard 200", "Shrek Has Been Inducted Into the National Film Registry", "Carrie Fisher could have played Sandy in 'Grease', "Carrie Fisher almost played Sandy in Grease", "Grease: 10 things you didn't know about the 1978 hit film", "Henry Winkler on 'Barry,' 'The French Dispatch' and some of his missed career chances", "Frankie Valli Q&A: Looking Back at 50 Years of The Four Seasons", "Grease Is the Word: Twenty Years Later, the Stars Are Still True to Their School", "Famed Animator John David Wilson Dies at 93", "DVD Savant: GREASE and the Curse of Product Placement", "Danny and Sandy finally get their movie-ending 'Grease' kiss, 40 years after it was cut", "Aladdin Is Actually The Second-Most Successful Musical Ever", https://facebook.com/events/s/grease-special-screening/1469003503521816/, "Most Popular Feature Films Released in 1978", "A Slick Version of 'Grease': Fantasy of the 50s", "Grease movie review & film summary (1998)", "Grease review - Travolta and Newton-John's summer lovin' still a blast", "Entertainment Weekly's The 50 Best High School Movies", "Grease: 40th Anniversary Edition - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Review | High Def Digest", "The 51st Academy Awards (1979) Nominees and Winners", "Wanna Sing-A-Long with Grease? The two depart in the Greased Lightnin' car, which takes flight into the sky. Mineo was stabbed to death a year before filming, so the line was changed to refer to Elvis Presley instead. Chicago P.D. Star Marina Squerciatis Bikini Photos, What Happened to Ben Napier? Travolta had very recently lost his girlfriend Diana Hyland and was said to be in a state of mourning while Grease filmed. First and foremost, it benefits from our unending fascination with the reductive, cartoon version of the 1950s that it. ), Matching the success of an original is a tall order for any sequel particularly to a film as huge as Grease, and especially when youre attempting it without the star power of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, but with a new, mostly unknown cast. Oliva has warm memories of working with John, feeling that they worked well together and had chemistry with each other from the moment they met. She also rejects the idea that as a Pink Lady shes the property of the T-Birds. Grease is one of the most iconic films ever made. On the last day of school, Rizzo finds she is not pregnant and reunites with Kenickie. "[60] On Metacritic, it holds a score of 70 out of 100 based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Unlike Sandy, who gets the worlds worst perm, takes up smoking and sews herself into spandex leggings to get the guy, Stephanie has no intention of changing who she is for a man. A couple of years ago, film critic Mark Kermode called for it to return to cinema screens. When Grease hit theaters in June 1978, it was an instant hit and its cast members became instant stars. Some grease manufacturers will stamp the grease shipping box with the letters "DOM" for "date of manufacturer." Newton-John agreed to a reduced asking price in exchange for star billing. Explained director Randal Kleiser to movieline.com, There were a couple of songs we didnt think would pop onscreen. The acting is overall hammy, especially Cynthia and Nancy, who appear to have gone to the TikTok school of acting. They played Danny Zuko, Sandy Olsson, Betty . Which is a damn sight . Even the biggest Grease lovers probably missed the diner snafu where Sandy and her date are seen chatting it up over milkshakes and under a blurred out sign. The complexity of adolescents and hormones and sexuality and all of that other stuff. I laughed, Olivia told Huffington Post. John Travolta was 23 at the time of filming, Olivia Newton-John was 29, and Stockard Channing was 33. The film that exposed our misogynistic culture. It's 35 years since John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John took this classic story of summer love to Number 1, selling over 1.6 million copies. To coincide with a special sing-a-long format of Grease, showing in cinemas across the UK this Valentines Day, we take a look at how BBFC Examiners responded to their first look at the film in summer of 1978. By what name was Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (2023) officially released in India in English? By clicking the I agree button, you agree to us doing so. 2015-02-22 12:59:12. It gave us songs like Grease Lightning, Sandy, and You're The One That I Want. John wasn't thrilled, but it all worked out in the end. They saw this and realized I could do other things. When the size of American paper currency was reduced (from "large size" to "small size") in 1929, the federal government technically made silver certificates even more desirable, by making them. The opening beach scene was shot at Malibu's Leo Carrillo State Beach, making explicit reference to From Here to Eternity. The Travolta to her Newton-John would be a young British actor called Maxwell Caulfield, who played Sandys British cousin, Michael Carrington. They were put there by Channing's costar and movie love interest, Jeff Conaway. Grease is part of the American culture. Were all terribly excited.. First, all Mil-Spec grease must have a manufacturer date and a batch number. However, upon its cinema release, the film did generate some public feedback. In a chaotic hand jive contest, Danny and Sandy dance well, but just before the winners are announced, Sonny pulls Sandy away and Cha-Cha cuts in to win with Danny, as Sandy storms out. Newton-John, a four-time Grammy winner, died in August 2022 at 73 . From the stage show's debut in 1971, to the Hollywood film of 1978, to the numerous rereleases and anniversary celebrations of the twenty-first century, it has enjoyed, and continues to enjoy, success across a range of media. The film is based on the stage musical. Conaway Got Really Friendly With SeveralWomen On Set, Travolta Was In Mourning Over The Loss Of His Girlfriend, Diana Hyland, During Filming, Director Kleiser Needed Pull From Travolta To Land His Directorial Role, No Teens Here, Only Adults Playing Young Roles, Olivia Newton-John Had To Be Cut Out Of Her Iconic Leather Pants, The DirectorDidn't LikeThe Opening Song To The Film. By then, film-goers were growing accustomed to successful movies spawning sequels, and Hollywood was relying on them to hook in an audience already sold on the original. Olivia was 28-years-old and John was 23-years-old when they filmed Grease and the pair were on the edge of superstardom while shooting the movie. Added to the film after filming had wrapped was Olivias ballad, Hopelessly Devoted to You, which received an Oscar nomination. The movie soundtrack became the second-best selling album of 1978. Travolta was the "it" guy, and he knew it. I got to play a different character and wear different clothes, and when I put on that tight black outfit to sing Youre the One That I Want, I got a very different reaction from the guys on the set., Randal Kleiser had previously directed John Travolta in the TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, which is what secured him the position. Remember Olivias tight denims she wore in the finale after she had made her transformation? [17] Jamie Donnelly reprised her role as Jan from the Broadway show, the only cast member to do so; as her hair had begun to gray by this point, she had to dye her hair to resemble her stage character. We sold out the 900 seats in 12 days. The masterminds behind Grease wanted the leading man, John Travolta, to standtaller than the other males in the film. If you remember the blue windbreaker that Danny wears at the beginning of the film, that was done as a tribute to actor James Dean and his film Rebel Without a Cause. Jeff Conaway had a thing for his co-star, actress Olivia Newton-John, during the filming of Grease. So it seemed a no-brainer that Paramount Studios should decide to produce a sequel. I've never seen an uglier large-scale musical. [44] Similarly, in the UK, selected Merlin Cinemas venues also reissued the film during August, but partnered with Macmillan Cancer Support, with a contribution of 1 per ticket sold. With its catalogue of hit songs, iconic characters, memorable quotes and familiar scenes, 'Grease' is truly a behemoth of US and global popular culture. The exterior Rydell scenes, including the front parking lot scenes, the auto shop, the Summer Nights bleachers number, Rizzo's There Are Worse Things I Can Do number, the basketball, baseball, and track segments, and the interior of the gymnastics gym, were shot at Venice High School in Venice, California, during the summer of 1977. And if you liked this story,sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called The Essential List. A musical romance, set in the 1950s, and starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, the film follows the story of a pair of teenagers who fall in love despite their differences. The movie Greasecenters around a bunch of teenagers, but the main characters in the film were anything but. But when the movie was being filmed in 1977, no one knew they were making what would become the highest . [11][12], John Travolta had previously worked with Stigwood on Saturday Night Fever, recorded the top-10 hit "Let Her In" in 1976, and had previously appeared as Doody in a touring production of the stage version of Grease. Overview - Grease is still the word as it celebrates its 40th anniversary with a new 4K release and a brand-new 4K transfer. We added an 11pm show and that one sold out. Other stars included Judy Garlands daughter Lorna Luft as Pink Lady Paulette, and a teenage Pamela Adlon (Louie, Better Things) as her little sister. The temperatures were so high in the Huntington Park High School gym where they were filming that extras were becomingsick from heat-related illness. Some of the songs were not present in the film; songs that appear in the film but not in the soundtrack are "La Bamba" by Ritchie Valens, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" by Jerry Lee Lewis, "Alma Mater", "Alma Mater Parody", and "Rydell Fight Song". Grease, the American romantic comedy musical, was released in 1978 and filmed in 1977. Stars Marisa Davila Cheyenne Isabel Wells Ari Notartomaso See production, box office & company info Fortunately, there's nothing flat about John Travolta Travolta can't dominate this movie as he did Fever, but when he's on screen you can't watch anyone else. John August signed on to serve as screenwriter. At the end, there was a song that we replaced with Youre the One That I Want, because we needed a song that John and Olivia could sing together that would be kind of bouncy and fun, and the play just didnt have that., The Rydell High sequences were shot at Venice High School in Venice, CA, which was also used in various film and TV productions, among them A Nightmare on Elm Street, American History X, Heathers, Masters of the Universe, and Glee. Well-uh, well-uh, well-uh. It wasnt initially, but it has embedded itself in American culture, John told askjimmycarter.com. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy. If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to ourFacebookpage or message us onTwitter. I went in and I didnt tell her what I was doing, but she had a pink hairdo, and I said, Oh I love the way your hair is, can you do mine like that? While she was working on it, and teasing away, and spraying, I asked her, How did you get into this? It was really helpful.. Even those who might be forgiven for wanting to forget all about the film seem to have softened. When John Travolta belted out the tune of Sandy, he made hearts swoon from coast to coast. Grease just happened to be the perfect transitionary role for Conaway, a seasoned and accomplished stage actor. Maxwell Caulfield has blamed the film for curtailing his career (The party was over it took me a long time to get over it, he said in an interview for a documentary about Grease producer Allan Carr) but has attended screenings and cast Q&As in recent years. This means that the section 5 (a) (1) (B) requirement to submit a pre-manufacture notice ("PMN") to EPA at least 90-days before commencing non-exempt commercial manufacture of a new chemical substance in the United States . It is based on the 1971 musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. When the film was submitted again on video in 1987, the cheeky high school dialogue is again mentioned by Examiners, but thought to be acceptable at the PG rating, the modern equivalent of the A. They were her own, but when the zipper broke she had to actually be sewn into them. After a disastrous beauty class leaves Frenchy with candy-pink hair, she reluctantly decides to return to Rydell to complete her high-school education. Sandy's parents remain in America and enroll Sandy at Rydell where she meets greaser girl clique the Pink Ladies consisting of Frenchy, Marty, Jan and leader Rizzo. [19][20], Elvis Presley was considered for the role of The Teen Angel but died before production. At a Pink Ladies pajama party, Sandy falls ill from drinking, trying a cigarette, and having her ears pierced by Frenchy, while Rizzo, after mocking Sandy's wholesome and chaste personality, departs for sex with Kenickie in his car, during which their condom breaks; they are disturbed by Leo, leader of the rival gang, the Scorpions, and his girlfriend Cha-Cha. Grease was a phenomenal hit with its target teenage audience when it was released in 1977. 1. For many of us who rented the film from the bargain section of our local Blockbuster Video in the 80s and 90s, it felt like a more grown-up and infinitely cooler version of the original. We won't post to any of your accounts without asking first. Or anyones, in fact. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in "Grease." Paramount Pictures. Offered director Randal Kleiser to vanityfair.com, It was the 70s, and at that time it was sort of anything goes. 1 hit songs, including the Oscar-nominated hit, "Hopelessly Devoted to You." His need for pills lasted a lot longer than the film did. On June 16, 1978, "Grease" was released in movie theaters. Patricia Birch, the original film's choreographer, directed the sequel. Check out these secrets about Grease you probably never knew: Grease was originally a broadway musical. However, though Grease centers around high schoolers, none of the main actors were even close to acting their age. It was a Monday night in January and we thought wed sell a couple of hundred tickets and that will be that. It was first released in 1978, and decades later, the movie is still as celebrated as it ever was. Based on the Broadway musical of the same name, its a combination of romance, comedy, music, and dancing that connected with pretty much everyone, and still does. The lead actors in the movie were John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Didi Conn. And then you have these writers who came up with a brilliant story and music. At a carnival, Danny and Sandy each find they have changed for each other: Danny has become a letterman, and Sandy a greaser girl. Even though the '70s are a thing of the past, Grease is still the word. Olivia told Fox News, I kind of remember they did approach John and I to do it, and then it didnt happen. As of 2023, a prequel television series, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, and a prequel film, titled Summer Lovin', are in production.[8][9]. On Monday, Paramount+ announced the start of production on a new Grease prequel musical series, titled Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies . At night, teens are making out, one teen couple is in the back seat of a car, they are fully clothed. Wiki User. Those pants were no joke, though. Making the film was a fun but distant memory as she went on to have a successful 40-year career in theatre and voice-overs, including working on Sesame Street. [42], A further re-issue for its 40th anniversary in 2018 grossed $1 million. Our producer brought the concept of a sequel in summer school to the powers-that-be and Paramount said Nah. Closer Weekly is part of the a360media Entertainment Group.Copyright a360media 2023. Grease was the biggest box office hit of 1978, pulling in almost $400 million and costing only $6 million to produce. (At one point there were plans for a four-film franchise and a spin-off TV series. [3] The film depicts the lives of greaser Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and Australian transfer student Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John), who develop an attraction for each other during a summer romance. As reshoots were deemed too expensive and time-consuming, optical mattes were used to cover up or blur out the Coca-Cola references. Forty years ago, Grease the movie had America singing and dancing their way into and out of theaters, their inspiration coming (not surprisingly) from the cast, particularly John Travolta as Danny Zuko and singer Olivia Newton-John as Sandy Olsson. In the stage version, The T-birds wield real switchblade knives but in the movie, these are replaced by much more kid-friendly pocket combs. The references to Troy Donohue, Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Annette Funicello are from the original stage version. There's a few new bonus features as well, but the real draw here is the updated image. Annette Charles played Cha Cha, and she is probably best known for her flag-waving roll in the infamous car race scene. Sandy, watching from afar and rejoicing for Danny's victory, concludes she still loves him and enlists Frenchy's help in changing her attitude and looks to impress him. Seeing that I really was older, I think that added to the isolation of Rizzo.. Greaseis one of the most iconic films ever made. The message in modern coming-of-age films is often to be true to oneself in an environment where fitting in is everything. The classic 1978 musical stars John Travolta and the late Olivia Newton-John. "[53] Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times was negative, writing, "I didn't see Grease onstage, but on the testimony of this strident, cluttered, uninvolving and unattractive movie, it is the '50smaybe the last innocent decade allowed to usplayed back through a grotesquely distorting '70s consciousness. [17] Coincidentally, Frankie Avalon and Randal Kleiser had both appeared in 1966's Fireball 500, the latter as an extra. "'Grease': Grin and Grimace". Before accepting the role, Newton-John requested a screen test for Grease to avoid a career setback. lakers celebrity seating chart 2019 bottle caps candy root beer only bottle caps candy root beer only [33] Despite losing the opening weekend, it topped the box office the following weekend with a gross of $7,867,000 and set a record gross in its first 19 days, with $40,272,000. This movie is a musical, drama, romance, and comedy. Oh, 50s housewives were jaded and just took pills all the time? It is based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. Their offices overlooked filming, and the cast was known to be so loud that the movie stars could not think straight and get theirwork done. His role contained no spoken dialogue and required Lamas to bleach his hair to avoid looking like one of the T-Birds.[22][17]. The film Grease was released in 1978, and directed by Randal Kleiser. Watch Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies: Now Streaming, Watch Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies: Grease Is The Word, Watch Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Official Trailer), Watch Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies (UK Official Trailer), Watch Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Teaser), Watch Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies (UK), Watch Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies: Meet The New Rydell Cliques, All of the episode titles are quotes from the original film. We trusted each other, and had the kind of shorthand that happens when youve already worked together., Stockard Channing genuinely needed to be cast: At the time I had no money and I had a mortgage, she admitted to Broadwayworld.com.
