"Grease" debuted in 1978 and grossed more than $340 million at box-offices around the world, becoming the biggest grossing movie musical in film history, a record that still stands today. It was based on the Broadway play of the same name, written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, which opened in 1972 and ran for five years.
In 1997, "Grease" was re-released in cinemas to celebrate its 20th anniversary and it quickly hit the top of the box office again, becoming one of the highest grossing re-releases behind the Star Wars: Special Editions.
After 20 years, it still ranks as one of the top 10 video titles sold in the U.S. in 1997. So far, over 20 million double soundtrack albums have been sold (more than 1.2 million of those sales came in 1996 and 1997). It has been in the top five on the Billboard pop charts for 244 consecutive weeks as of February 1, 1998. It is easy to understand why, with great performances not only from Olivia Newton john and John Travolta, but Sha Na Na, Frankie Valli, Stockard Channing and Danny and the Juniors. Allan Carr, adapter of the Broadway show and producer of the film said "for me, one of the greatest joys of "Grease" - both the film and the soundtrack - is that it has captivated a variety of generations for so many years. Ever since it first opened in 1978, the movie and the music have played continually on TV and radio, at college screenings and karaoke bars, on the family video machine and on car stereos, allowing people of all ages to discover and rediscover the wonderful vibrancy of the actors, the music, the story.
College students still pack campus screenings of the film, and teen-agers cruising the video stores have discovered the film on their own. The young kids, especially those 5 to 12 years old who have heard about "Grease" from their older siblings, have made it their own favorite. They hold Danny and Sandy dress-up parties, and this new audience has their parents and grandparents buy the video and original CD for them.
For the two people who haven't seen the movie, the plot is a little different to the Broadway stage version, mainly with the addition/omission of some songs and the change of American Sandy Dumbrowski to Australian Sandy Olsen to accommodate the film's leading lady, Olivia Newton John.
During a visit to America, Australian Sandy Olsen meets Danny Zuko at the beach and falls in love. She is heartbroken when Summer ends and she has to return home and their last kiss on the beach is a very emotional one. But fate lends a hand - her parents decide to stay in America and she finds herself attending the same school as Danny. But Danny at school is different from Danny at the beach. He is the leader of the T-Birds, a leather clad gang, and has a reputation to keep up. He can't be seen to fall in love with just one chick!
Sandy is upset and seeks solace with some new friends she has made - a female gang called The Pink Ladies. But her prim and proper virginal ways do not fit in and she soon finds herself almost alone. A change must be made. Does she attempt to get her man by turning him into a jock? Or must she get rid of her "Sandra Dee" image?
Singer Olivia Newton-John had done little acting before this film. She appeared in the 1970 film "Tomorrow" - a science fiction musical that pre-dated her initial chart success with 1971's If Not For You. Cast with Newton-John and three male leads in an attempt by Don Kirshner to create another "Monkeys", the film failed miserably; this led Newton-John to demand a screen test for Grease to avoid another career setback. The screen test was done with the drive-in movie scene.
Although Travolta was already famous from the movie Saturday Night Fever and the television sitcom Welcome Back Kotter, Grease reaffirmed his status as a superstar. Newton-John's fame also reached new heights after the movie released. The movie received five Golden Globe Award nominations in 1979 and the highest grossing movie of 1978 and the highest grossing movie musical at the time, surpassing 1965's The Sound of Music.
I have my favorite songs and scenes, #1 has to be Frankie Avalon singing "Beauty School Dropout" and the next would be, "Look at Me I'm Sandra Dee"
Funny how neither one of these are with the films stars...not to say they aren't great but these two are just such fun!
Stockard Channing of course was Rizzo...and made a name for herself in this movie. Originally Lucy Arnaz was asked to play the part but her mother, Lucille Ball, said no.
The soundtrack scored no less than 6 hit singles and cemented Olivia Newton John and John Travolta as the hot singing duo on the charts. Two new songs, "You're the one that I want" written by the original authors of the play replaced the stages finale . The title track, sung by Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons, also topped the charts thanks to the writing skills of Barry Gibb, one third of the smash hit group the Bee Gees. The album was number one on the US charts for a whopping 21 weeks, no small feat given that it was a double album and over 18 months in the Top 40. In the UK, it spent nearly one year in the charts with 3 months at number one!
If it's been a while since you've seen it, maybe it's time to watch it again and introduce your kids and grand kids to Sandy, Danny and all the gang!
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