How Old Was John Travolta In Grease - [Info(2023)] Blueberry farm

‘Grease’ Casting Director Reacts to Criticism the Actors Were Too Old: ‘It’s a Fantasy’

The casting director behind says the movie was “better for” its use of adult actors playing high schoolers.
In a new oral history of the classic 1978 movie musical published by on Wednesday, casting director Joel Thurm pointed out that Grease “is not a documentary” as he referenced the common criticism that none of the film’s cast members were actual teenagers at the time of filming.
“People might say the cast is too old, but Grease is not a documentary; it’s a fantasy,” Thurm said in the oral history, which covers how the original Chicago-based stage musical was adapted for the big screen.

“It is a non-PC fairytale that is better for the cast not being teens,” Thurm added. “The only thing that was important was that the cast all looked about the same age as each other, which they did.”, who starred as Danny Zuko in Grease, famously stood out as younger than much of the rest of Grease ‘s principal cast during filming in summer 1977 at age 23.

The late, who costarred as Sandy, was 29 at the time Grease was filmed;, who played Rizzo, was the principal cast’s oldest member at 33 during filming, according to a 2016 article about the production.
In The Guardian ‘s oral history, casting director Thurm added that “there wasn’t a question in my mind” that Grease would prove popular after its release in 1978.
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“The critics didn’t matter, since they forgot that audiences go to movies to have fun,” he told the outlet. “The timing was right as we were having a 50s revival with Happy Days on TV and the music put the album on the charts for a decade.” Following Newton-John’s in August 2022, Thurm recalled to PEOPLE that casting the star as Sandy was “very simple,” though the actress about taking the role.

Olivia Newton-John and Didi Conn in Grease (1978). Paramount/Rso/Kobal/Shutterstock “John was already pre-set, and John asked me, ‘What do you think of Olivia?’ I said, ‘She’s wonderful.’ He said, ‘What do you think of her for Sandy? That’s a great idea.’ And once John said that, and that’s who John wanted, I stopped anything else,” he said at the time, later explaining that Newton-John “didn’t jump at the offer.” “She said, ‘Okay, I want to see a screen test with John and myself and then I’ll let you know if I want to do it,’ ” he recalled.

Thurm confessed this was a first for him, telling PEOPLE: “I think I’ve never heard of a case where an actor being offered a role said, ‘I want to see me before I say yes.’ But that’s how smart she was.” : ‘Grease’ Casting Director Reacts to Criticism the Actors Were Too Old: ‘It’s a Fantasy’

Contents

1 How old were the cast members of Grease?
2 How old was Olivia and John in Grease?
- 2.1 Why was the Grease cast so old?
- 2.2 How old was Frenchy in Grease?
3 Who was the oldest while filming Grease?
4 Was Rizzo pregnant in Grease?
5 Where was Grease filmed?
6 What happened to Rizzo from Grease?
- 6.1 How old was Cha Cha when she filmed Grease?
7 How old was Channing in Grease?
- - 7.0.1 How old was the girl from Grease when she died?
  - 7.0.2 How old is Grease 1?
- 7.1 How old was Rizzo during Grease?
8 Was Grease set in 50s?

How old were the cast members of Grease?

Grease fans have finally got closure on why the cast are so much older than highschoolers (Picture: Shutterstock) Finally, Grease fans have been given an answer as to why the principal cast are so much older than the high school students they are portraying.

Released in 1978 and starring John Travolta and Dame Olivia Newton-John as Danny and Sandy, the classic film followed the teenagers’ love story as it unfolded against the backdrop of Rydell High School. While the movie has faced a spate of criticism for being ‘problematic’ in recent years, one element many viewers have struggled to get over is the age of the actors.

Most of the lead stars were in their 20s and 30s while filming Grease with Travolta aged 23 and Newton-John aged 29, despite playing teenagers. However, casting director Joel Thurm has at long last explained why older actors were used, stressing that it was totally intentional. The majority of the cast were in their 20s and 30s despite playing teenagers in the 1978 film (Picture: CBS) Speaking to The Guardian, he said: ‘People might say the cast is too old, but Grease is not a documentary; it’s a fantasy. ‘It is a non-PC fairytale that is better for the cast not being teens.’ He added: ‘The only thing that was important was that the cast all looked about the same age as each other, which they did.’ Well, that’s that then. According to casting director Joel Thurm, casting older actors was planned (Picture: CBS) Sandy star Newton-John died ‘peacefully’ at her ranch in Southern California aged 73 last August, surrounded by family and friends. Travolta led tributes to the late icon on Instagram, sharing a throwback photo of his former co-star.

How old was Olivia and John in Grease?

Did Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta date in real life? – Despite numerous rumours to the contrary – and some steamy pictures of the pair kissing at a party in 1978 (below) – there has been no romance between the two stars. Speaking on the Mamma Mia No Filter podcast in 2018, 72-year-old Olivia Newton-John revealed why she couldn’t date John Travolta during filming and why it helped the chemistry on screen.

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“I think it was good, because I think it kept the tension there and the chemistry. It might have been a real disaster had we decided to date or we had a falling out or something. Olivia Newton John and John Travolta kiss at the ‘Grease’ party at Paramount Studios circa 1978 in Los Angeles, California. Picture: Getty Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta pictured on the set of ‘Grease’ in 1978. Picture: Getty “We were both with other people when we were filming and I think, respectfully, it just didn’t happen,” she explained. “So I think it was just as well that it didn’t happen.

Where are the cast of Grease now over 40 years later? Grease is getting an official prequel TV series about the Pink Ladies School cancels Grease musical production after students complain it’s “offensive”

“I think you saw that in ‘ You’re the One That I Want,'” Travolta said, referring to the highly charged duet Sandy and Danny performed at the end of Grease : “There’s almost resolve that tension right there.” But another cast member from the movie revealed that just because they didn’t date, it didn’t stop John Travolta having a huge crush on Olivia Newton-John. John Travolta And Olivia Newton John – You’re The One That I Want John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John pictured at dinner at the Palm Restaurant in Beverly Hills in April 1978. Picture: Getty Didi Conn, better known as the character Frenchy in Grease, revealed the Saturday Night Fever star had the hots for his co-star.

10 secrets about Grease you probably never knew When Andy Gibb and Olivia Newton-John sang a sizzling duet of Bee Gees hit ‘Rest Your Love On Me’

She explained: “Randal Kleiser, the director, thought: ‘Maybe I should make an alternative ending’, and they fly up into the sky and instead of looking back, Danny looks at Sandy and pulls her closer to him and gives her the juiciest kiss and Olivia.” “You see for a moment she’s surprised and then she responds. It’s juicy and it’s great” – see video below Sandy and Danny finally get their movie-ending ‘Grease’ kiss John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John pictured in New York on December 12, 2012. Picture: Getty “They weren’t acting in that moment, it was like he had his chance and he was going to take it. It was real, it really was.”

Why was the Grease cast so old?

Grease casting director FINALLY reveals why stars were too old Published: 18:41 BST, 7 April 2023 | Updated: 21:08 BST, 7 April 2023

It’s a question that has vexed fans of the movie Grease for years: Why are the main actors so much older than the high schoolers they are portraying?
The film, which featured leads and the, was released in 1978 but was set at a Los Angeles–area high school exactly two decades earlier.
Travolta was actually one of the younger members of the cast, as he was still in his early 20s, while several of the major supporting actors were well into their 30s despite playing youths in their late teens.
However, a new oral history of the classic musical that was published by this week is shedding new light on the film’s unorthodox casting.
Grease’s casting director Joel Thurm, who would been pivotal to assembling the final cast, has finally answered the question.

Clearing it up: The casting director for Grease has spoken out about the ages of the film’s primary cast after fans have puzzled over why they were so much older than their high school characters for years; Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta seen in Grease (1978) Ballpark figure: According to casting director Joel Thurm, the film ‘is not a documentary; it’s a fantasy.’ He said the actors just need to look about the same age as each other; (L–R) Didi Conn, Dinah Manoff, Stockard Channing and Jamie Donnelly

According to him, using older actors was a completely intentional choice on the creative team’s part.
Thurm pushed back on common criticisms of the actors’ ages, noting that the stylized comedy is ‘not a documentary.’
‘People might say the cast is too old, but Grease is not a documentary; it’s a fantasy,’ he clarified.

‘It is a non-PC fairytale that is better for the cast not being teens,’ Thurm explained. ‘The only thing that was important was that the cast all looked about the same age as each other, which they did.’

The choice to eschew strict realism meant that Travolta and his costar Michael Tucci, who was eight years older than him, could both sport the kind of five o’clock shadows that most high school boys can only dream of growing.
Principal photography on Grease commenced in the summer of 1977, the year before the film was released, and Travolta — who played Danny Zuko — was already 23 at the time.
Newton-John — who was six years older than her co-lead, which was reportedly a source of concern for her — would have been around 29 at the time of filming when she played the visiting Australian student Sandy Olsson.
Tucci, who played a member Sonny LaTierri, a member of Danny’s T-Birds gang, was over 30 by the time shooting began.
‘By the time the film came around, I was in my early 30s and too old for the role,’ Tucci admitted to The Guardian.

Mismatch? Travolta was among the youngest at 23, while Newton-John was older at 29. She reportedly worried about the age difference Nailed it: Michael Tucci (top R) was one of the oldest and over 30, which he thought meant he wouldn’t work for the film, though he scored a role thanks to his presence in the stage musical Mature men: All of the film’s male stars were considerably older than high school boys and sported five o’clock shadows most high schoolers could only dream of growing

But after the casting team heard that he had been featured in the stage production of the musical, he secured an audition and still got the job.
Among the principal cast, Stockard Channing’s Rizzo was the oldest, as she was 33 during filming.
Didi Conn, who played Frenchy, recalled bonding with her costars and putting their true ages behind them to get into character.

‘Once we got our makeup on, I was Frenchy and we all called each other by our characters’ names. That really helped because I was 27 at the time, and there were a few others there who were older than that, so this gave us a licence to be goofy and crazy and horny,’ she explained.

‘It was all the things that teenagers in the ’50s would be.’ Jeff Conaway, who played Danny’s close friend Kenickie, would have been around 27 when shooting the film.
He suffered from drug abuse throughout the 1980s and 2000s, and he died from pneumonia and sepsis in 2011.
One of the older looking actors in the film, the antagonist Leo ‘Crater-Face’ Balmudo — nicknamed for his acne scars — would have been around 30 when production started.

He died in 1994 of complications from AIDS. Although the film initially received mixed reviews from critics, audiences didn’t seem to mind and turned out in droves to see Grease. ‘I knew it was going to be a hit — there wasn’t a question in my mind. The critics didn’t matter, since they forgot that audiences go to movies to have fun,’ Thurm said.

‘The timing was right as we were having a ’50s revival with Happy Days on TV and the music put the album on the charts for a decade. ‘I love going on YouTube now and watching flashmobs still performing songs from the film around the globe,’ he added. Instant success: Casting director Thurm wasn’t only unconcerned about the cast’s ages, but he ‘knew it was going to be a hit,’ as the film coincided with a wave of ’50s nostalgia Saying goodbye: Travolta paid tribute to Olivia and referenced their Grease roles after her death from cancer on August 8, 2022 Newton-John died on August 8, 2022, after she suffered a recurrence of breast cancer in 2017.

By the time it was discovered, it had metastasized and spread to her lower back and bones. Travolta paid tribute to her after her death with a heartbreaking note posted to Instagram. ‘My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better, he wrote.

How old was Frenchy in Grease?

How old is Didi Conn in Grease? – Didi is as lovely today as she was in the movie Grease as Frenchy. The actress is now 71-years-old. Conn was 26-years-old when she filmed the movie.

Who was the oldest while filming Grease?

She was played by then-33-year-old Stockard Channing. – Stockard Channing posing for a portrait in 1978. Archive Photos/Moviepix/Getty Images Channing was almost double the age of her ” Grease ” character. According to Vanity Fair, the 33-year-old actress “was the oldest of the principal actors cast.” Two years after the movie was released, she went on to star in her own sitcom, “The Stockard Channing Show.”

Who was the youngest in Grease?

The cast of ‘Grease’: Where are they now? Credit: Everett Collection Since its release in June of 1978, the film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical has remained an enduring fixture of pop culture. The highest-grossing movie of the year, it also produced one of the best-selling albums of all time; a 1982 sequel starring and Maxwell Caulfield; a live television event, ; and the upcoming Paramount+ spin-offs and Summer Lovin’,

The story of high school sweethearts Danny Zuko () and Sandy Olsson () is a quintessential tale of teenage devotion set against the musical backdrop of the 1950s.
After a whirlwind fling of “Summer Nights,” the pair assumes their time together is over, and that Sandy must return to Australia with her parents.

But, when her family decides to stay in America, Sandy is enrolled in Rydell High alongside Danny, who tries to play it cool in front of his gang of greaser friends — the T-Birds — causing friction between them. She quickly falls in with her own clique — the Pink Ladies —and the two groups dance and sing their way through the ups and downs of adolescent love. Credit: Everett Collection; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images Before he donned Danny Zuko’s leather jacket, John Travolta was already a bona fide star thanks to his roles as Vinnie Barbarino on, Billy Nolan in (1976), and Tony Manero in (1977) — for which he received his first Academy Award nomination.

Following the juggernaut success of the film, Travolta’s next hit came with 1980’s, but then a string of disappointments followed, and the actor’s career hit a slump throughout the following decade.
In 1989, however, things began to turn around with the success of Look Who’s Talking, costarring Kirstie Alley, but it was 1994’s, directed by, that truly sparked his career resurgence, earning him his second Oscar nomination in the process.

He has gone on to star in several hit films since, including (1995), (1997), and (1998), as well as a return to movie musicals with his performance as Edna Turnblad in the 2007 remake of, In 2012, Travolta reunited with Olivia Newton-John for their holiday album This Christmas, and, in 2016, he received his first Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Robert Shapiro in FX’s, Credit: CBS via Getty Images; Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images Already a when she was cast as good-girl-gone-bad Sandy, Olivia Newton-John’s career rose to greater heights after the movie became the biggest box office hit of 1978. Thanks to her soundtrack contributions “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “Summer Nights,” she became the second woman to have two singles in the Billboard top five at the same time.

In addition to the box office and Billboard success brought on by the musical, her performance in Grease also landed her a Golden Globe nomination.
Inspired by her climactic transformation into “Bad Sandy,” Newton-John revamped her sound and image for her next album, Totally Hot, to add more of a Pink Ladies edge.

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Her big screen follow-up, Xanadu — costarring — was a critical and commercial failure, but produced a hit soundtrack and a slew of top 20 singles, including “Magic,” which spent five weeks at No.1 on the charts. The movie musical was also where she met her first husband, Matt Lattanzi, and in 1986 gave birth to their daughter, Chloe Rose.

In 1981, she released Physical, the biggest album of her career.
The risqué title track ruled the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks, and its tongue-in-cheek, aerobics-inspired music video became an MTV staple.
She went on to record 15 more studio albums, achieving a career total of 26, and selling over 100 million units worldwide.

In 1992, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and became a tireless advocate for cancer research throughout the rest of her life, founding the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Australia. In addition, she was “hopelessly devoted” to philanthropic works, including a stint as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program. Credit: CBS via Getty Images; Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic By the time she was cast as high school bad girl Rizzo, had already amassed an impressive list of stage and screen credits, including a starring turn opposite and in ‘ The Fortune (1975). After two brief attempts at sitcom stardom in the early-1980s, Channing re-teamed with Nicholson and Nichols (as well as ) for the film Heartburn, based on ‘s best-selling novel.

She continued to work onstage as well, eventually earning a Tony award for Best Actress in a Play for Peter Nichol’s A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, and nominations for her work in The House of Blue Leaves and Six Degrees of Separation, Four Baboons Adoring the Sun, The Lion in Winter, Pal Joey (for Best Actress in a Musical), and Other Dessert Cities,

In 1993, she reprised the role of Louisa “Ouisa” Kittredge for the film version of Six Degrees and received both Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for her performance. She worked steadily through the ’90s before joining the cast of the celebrated drama in 1999 — which brought her six Emmy nominations and one win. Credit: CBS via Getty Images; Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage Kenickie, the T-Birds second-in-command, was brought to the screen by Jeff Conaway. Like his costar John Travolta, Conaway appeared in the original cast of Grease on Broadway, serving as an understudy for several of the roles, eventually taking over the part of Danny Zuko.

He followed his time on the Great White Way with guest star turns on a number of television shows before joining the cast of the Grease film and becoming a series regular on the sitcom,
After three seasons on Taxi, and two Golden Globe nominations, Conaway left the hit show due to both creative differences with the producers and his struggles with drug abuse on set.

Throughout the rest of the ’80s and early-’90s, he primarily worked in guest spots on TV, and small supporting roles in films, until he booked the role of Zack Allan on from 1994 to 1999. Things took a dark turn in the mid-2000s when Conaway relapsed from substance abuse and turned up on reality TV as a star of the VH1 shows Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Credit: CBS via Getty Images; Bobby Bank/Getty Images, born Edith Bernstein, is the only cast member to appear in all three screen adaptations of Grease, having also appeared in 1982’s Grease 2, and Fox’s Grease: Live! (2016). After her turn as beauty school dropout Frenchy in the original 1978 film, she went on to star in television shows like The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang, Benson, and the PBS series Shining Time Station — alongside, and, later, George Carlin.

Conn has appeared on series such as,, and,
She competed on the hit British series Dancing on Ice in 2019, but was eliminated in week four.
After her son David was diagnosed with autism at an early age, she has become an outspoken advocate for autism awareness, and, in 2008, she was named the National Celebrity Spokesperson for Autism Speaks.

She has been married to her second husband, David Shire, since 1982. Advertisement Advertisement Credit: CBS via Getty Images; Albert L. Ortega/WireImage The daughter of screenwriter Arnold Manoff, and Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress/director Lee Grant, Dinah Manoff played Marty Maraschino, the Pink Ladies’ biggest flirt. Following the success of Grease, and a yearlong stint on the ABC sitcom Soap in 1978, she went on to win a Tony award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play in 1980 for Neil Simon’s I Ought to Be in Pictures,

She stayed busy for the rest of the ’80s, starring in the film version of the play, as well as parts in Ordinary People (1980) and the horror movie (1988). In 1988, she booked the lead role of Carol Weston in the hit NBC spin-off of, Empty Nest. She costarred on the sitcom alongside Richard Mulligan and Kristy McNichol, and was featured in every episode of its seven-season run.

Manoff has three children with her second husband, Arthur Mortell. After her oldest son, Dashiell, tragically died in a car accident in 2017, she began teaching acting at the Purdy Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor, Wash., as a way to deal with her grief. Credit: CBS via Getty Images; Bobby Bank/Getty Images Frenchy’s troublemaking boyfriend Doody was portrayed by Barry Pearl, who performed in the first national tour of Grease prior to joining the cast of the film. In the years since, he has built a long list of guest star credits on TV shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents,,, and Even Stevens. Credit: CBS via Getty Images; Bobby Bank/Getty Images Kelly Ward brought the youngest member of the T-Birds, Putzie, to life in a role specifically created for the film. Grease wasn’t his first time working with costar John Travolta, as the two worked together on 1976’s made-for-television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble,

Five years later, after a handful of TV appearances in shows like,, and Magnum, P.I., Ward retired from acting on-camera. He has gone on to become a voice director for Disney Television Animation, and a screenwriter for numerous cartoons, including the feature film All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 (1996). From 1992 to 1996, he served as Vice President of Animation at MGM studios, and spent 23 years as an adjunct musical theater professor at the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts.

Advertisement Credit: CBS via Getty Images; Tara Ziemba/Getty Images Jan, the nerdy, junk food-loving member of the Pink Ladies was played by Jamie Donnelly, who originated the part on Broadway, and was the only cast member to play the same role in both the stage musical and the film.

Prior to Grease, she also starred in the premiere New York and Los Angeles productions of The Rocky Horror Show alongside Tim Curry.
After the success of the movie, Donnelly took an almost 20-year break from acting, working as a theatrical coach in the Los Angeles area.
She returned to the profession in the late-’90s and has appeared on television in series like,, and, as well as the feature films Cyrus (2010) with and (2015) with,

Advertisement : The cast of ‘Grease’: Where are they now?

How old was Olivia when she died?

Grease icon Olivia Newton-John, who played Sandy Olsson in the popular movie, sadly passed away at the age of 73 on August 8 at her home in Santa Ynez, California Olivia Newton-John passed away in August 2022 ( Image: Getty) Olivia Newton-John, who would have celebrated her 74th birthday today (September 26), became a household name for her role as Sandy Olsson in popular 1970s film Grease, alongside heartthrob John Travolta.

Before she landed the role as Sandy, Olivia had numerous UK number one singles, including If Not For You, and she also competed in the Eurovision Song Contest for the UK in 1974.
After the success of Box Office hit Grease, she went on to star in Xanadu and Two Of A Kind.
Following her triumphant music and acting career, Olivia sadly passed away at her home in California at the age of 73 on August 8, 2022.

But what was Olivia’s cause of death and who has inherited her net worth? Here’s everything you need to know.

Did John and Olivia from Grease ever date?

Olivia Newton-John said she and John Travolta had ‘undeniable attraction’

They were the subject of persistent romance rumors after they steamed up screens in 1978’s “Grease.”But Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta never got physical while filming the movie musical, and instead went on to share a 44-year friendship that remained strictly platonic. In her 2018 autobiography Newton-John — who — revealed the reason she never hooked up with her hunky co-star, despite their “undeniable attraction” toward one another. “Yes, we really liked each other and there was an attraction, but we would never date because we were both involved with other people at the time,” the bubbly blond divulged in the tome. “Both of us have a loyalty streak that runs deep,” she added, insisting she would never cheat on a partner.

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta never got physical while filming “Grease,” and instead went on to share a 44-year friendship that remained platonic. They are pictured at left in 2020. The longtime pals are seen top right on the set of “Grease” in 1978, and bottom right in 1983.

Getty Images The pair steamed up screens in “Grease,” and their chemistry crossed over into real life — but they never acted on their flirtations. Redferns Still, the pair enjoyed a strong flirtation, with Newton-John going on to recall her amorous audition alongside Travolta. “John came out to meet me.

Our eyes met. When we walked inside the room together, it was magic, and everyone saw it,” she cooed. “They couldn’t deny this kind of chemistry.” Their fondness for one another only intensified over the course of the two-month shoot, with the Australian beauty becoming enamored by her co-star’s kindness.

Newton-John divulged that Travolta purposely messed up a scene so that they could shoot it again because he believed that she could “do better.” “He said: ‘Sorry I messed up.
Liv, I did that on purpose because I don’t want them to use that take.
I know you can do better,’ ” she recalled in the memoir.

“I had great love and support from him and the feeling was mutual. I would be forever grateful for his concern.” “John came out to meet me. Our eyes met. When we walked inside the room together, it was magic, and everyone saw it,” she cooed. “They couldn’t deny this kind of chemistry.” CBS via Getty Images Newton-John also wrote about filming the final scene of “Grease,” where her character, Sandy, shows off her,

There were gasps, catcalls and a lot of whistling,” she penned, before detailing Travolta’s reaction to her eye-catching ensemble.
John was filming the song ‘Sandy’ and I strutted on set.
He stopped singing mid-note, as his head jerked up and his eyes popped.
Tell me more, tell me more,’ he shouted.

We laughed so hard. It was exactly the reaction I wanted,” Newton-John wistfully wrote. Meanwhile, the superstar claimed that Travolta told her on set: “Liv, it’s every guy’s dream to have you as his girlfriend.” Tell me more! Newton-John dished on Travolta’s reaction after he saw her in a sexy black ensemble she donned for the film’s final scene.

CBS via Getty Images In her book, Newton-John wrote that Travolta later told her: “It almost happened between us a few times, but it didn’t. Sometimes life just offers you the wrong timing. We had to leave it as dear friends.” Indeed, the pair enjoyed a friendship for the ages, frequently appearing together on red carpets and reuniting for “Grease” anniversaries.

The pair are pictured together in 2006. They frequently appeared together on red carpets and at “Grease” anniversary events. AP In 2018, Travolta told magazine that the huge success of their flick had helped them stay connected. “When you share that kind of meteoric success — and nothing has been able to exceed it— you share a bond,” he stated.

I’ve been through her having a child, getting divorced, losing her sister.
She’s been through my getting married, having children.
It’s wonderful and full of shared memories.” Following Newton-John’s death, Travolta was the first A-lister to to his beloved pal.
My dearest Olivia,” he emotionally wrote on Instagram.

“You made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. “We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John.” : Olivia Newton-John said she and John Travolta had ‘undeniable attraction’

Are Pat and Olivia still friends?

I’ve Lost My Best Friend – New Idea thanks to Kay While the entire world is mourning the passing of the iconic Olivia Newton-John, one man is feeling the loss more acutely than most. Mere minutes after Olivia’s death at age 73 was announced last week, her grieving Grease co-star John Travolta shared a heart-rending tribute to his dearest friend.

John – who played Danny Zuko opposite Olivia’s Sandy Olsson in the hit 1978 movie – said, You made all of our lives so much better.
Your impact was incredible.
I love you so much.
We will see you down the road and we will all be together again.
Yours from the moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John.

On August 8, following her 30-year breast cancer journey, Olivia passed away peacefully at the Southern California ranch she shared with husband John Easterling. The legendary entertainer was surrounded by loved ones, including her 36-year-old daughter Chloe Lattanzi.

John is crushed, shares a close friend, speaking exclusively to New Idea.
Olivia was candid about the fact that once her cancer had metastasized, she was living on limited time.
Even still, nothing can really prepare you for this.
All while knowing of her own diagnosis, in 2020 Olivia supported John through his own breast cancer nightmare, when he lost his wife Kelly Preston to the disease when she was 57.

John wouldn’t have coped without Olivia, says our source. She called him as often as she could. For John to lose Kelly and then Livvy – the two women he loved most in the world – within two years is unfathomable. John supported Olivia through her first cancer battle in 1992 after she learnt of her diagnosis in the same week her father, Bryn, passed away from the disease.

Sources say John also offered a supportive shoulder when Olivia’s boyfriend Patrick McDermott mysteriously vanished from a fishing boat in Los Angeles in 2005.Olivia and John’s lifelong friendship was cemented after being unexpectedly catapulted to fame in Grease. There only one person in the world that was Sandy, and that was Olivia Newton-John, John once told Entertainment Tonight.

In fact, John says he told Grease producers they must cast the Aussie bombshell because every guy in the world wants Olivia Newton-John as their girlfriend. And I knew that because I wanted that I felt the same way. Despite their obvious chemistry, the pair never become romantically involved as they were dating other people at the time.

However, co-star Didi Conn, who played Frenchy in Grease, insists John had a huge crush on his leading lady.
Drawn to each other, Olivia and John teamed up again in 1983’s Two of a Kind.
In 2019, they reunited in full Danny and Sandy garb in Florida to sing their duet ‘You’re the One That I Want’.
At the time, Olivia revealed she couldn’t stop laughing, while John said that it was one of the highlights of our lives,

At that stage they both probably knew it was their last performance together, speculates the insider. So it’s no wonder they gave it everything they had. Sources say John and Olivia managed to chat in her final days, with one insider saying, Olivia has always been worried about her daughter Chloe.

If I know John, he would have promised to look out for Chloe, just like Olivia did with Ella when her mum died.
Olivia would’ve found peace from that.
Theirs was a beautiful relationship that started more than 50 years ago when they met as starryeyed teenagers in London, after beginning their careers in Australia.

And Olivia’s friendship with John Farnham certainly stood the test of time, with the pair joining forces in February 2020 to raise money for bushfire victims. It would be Olivia’s last ever public performance – not that anyone knew it at the time. I feel like I’ve known most of my life, on-and-off and I’ve always been a huge fan of his, Olivia gushed in a 2015 interview.

I think he’s the most amazing singer, one of my favourite singers of all time, for sure. We have fun together and our voices go well together. The love and respect was mutual. A heartbroken John, 73, was shattered to learn of his dear friend’s death last week, just months after losing his best mate, legendary promoter Glenn Wheatley, who shared his affection for Olivia.

The Farnham family send love and sympathies to Olivia’s family, John said in a statement. Behind that iconic smile was a tenacious fighter. A beautiful voice and a loyal friend. She will be greatly missed. PAT FARRAR Ever since the first glimmer of Olivia’s talent began to emerge, Pat Farrar (nee Carroll) has been by her side.

After winning talent shows in Australia as teenagers, the bright-eyed singing wannabes found themselves in Olivia’s native England. A firm duet both on and off the stage began – and it lasted a lifetime. Pat, now in her 70s and living in Malibu, has been left absolutely devastated over the loss of Olivia, after being one of her closest confidantes since the 1960s.

She’s my dearest friend, we’ve been friends for 54 years now, Pat said in an interview with Sunday Night in 2018, just after Olivia’s third and final cancer diagnosis was made public. She is just a wonderful girl and is there for me always, she added.

The two women faced the best and worst of times together.
In 1983, they launched their joint pet project Koala Blue, a Us-based chain of Aussie themed shops and clothes.
However, it went bankrupt after eight years in business.
We expanded too fast, Olivia rued at the time.
It was depressing, but you can’t dwell on the past.

You might be interested: Readers ask: Why Does My Blueberry Compote Ta Why Is My No Bake Cheese Cake Runny?

During Pat’s Sunday Night interview, she spoke of her awe for Olivia – something New Idea understands continued until her final days. Her first was a shock for all of us but she handled it with so much dignity and was always so positive always more worried about how her friends were dealing with it, Pat said.

Why did they change Sandy’s last name in Grease?

And Sandy wasn’t originally Australian. – Getty Images Carr picked country-singer Olivia Newton-John for the part after sitting across from her at a dinner party. The Melbourne native couldn’t do an American accent, so they rewrote the part and changed Sandy’s last name from “Dumbrowski” to “Olsson.” 9

Who turned down Grease role?

(Image credit: Paramount Pictures) Henry Winkler has over 150 acting credits in his career, but regardless of what generation you’re from, he will always be The Fonz from Happy Days first and foremost. It’s not only his most iconic role, it’s one of the most iconic roles in the history of television, but it caused Winkler a number of problems in his career, including causing him to turn down the lead in Grease, the movie that made John Travolta a star.

In a recent appearance on CNN Henry Winkler reflected on his career. It turns out that following his run as Arthur Fozerelli, aka The Fonz, Winkler had serious trouble finding work because he was so closely associated with the character. Winkler explained It was so bad that not only could I not find work, but I was sitting at my desk at Paramount and I literally thought ‘am I ever going to find anything with as much impact as the Fonz? How will I know? Will anybody ever ask me? I’m not getting any offers.’ A look at Henry Winkler’s filmography shows just how bad it got for him, during the decade that Happy Days was on the air, and the years immediately after, he did very little else, and most of what he did do was appear as The Fonz on the various shows that spun off from Happy Days,

The only role of any size he had outside was his co-starring role alongside a young Michael Keaton in Night Shift, a movie directed by Winkler’s Happy Days castmate Ron Howard. Fonzie had become such a force of nature they almost changed the name of Happy Days to be about him.

It’s not a shock that people in Hollywood had trouble seeing him in another role. However, CNN interviewer Chris Wallace pointed out that there was another significant role that Winkler was offered, and turned down You do get offered a part. You get offered the part of the lead in Grease over John Travolta, before John Travolta, and you turned it down.

Are you a damned fool? Grease came out in 1978, smack in the middle of Happy Days ‘ run on TV. It’s blindingly obvious to see why Henry Winkler would be offered the role of Danny Zuko. The leather jacket clad biker was such a similar role to the Fonz that it was obvious Winkler could play the part.

And this is exactly why the actor turned it down. Most actors hate to be typecast. One of the great things about acting is the ability to inhabit a variety of different roles. Winkler didn’t want to play a role similar to Fonzie because he didn’t want to be typecast. Unfortunately, Winkler agrees that he was a damned fool for turning the role down, because he didn’t realize at the time that the typecasting ship had already sailed.

Winkler said Yes, I am. I only realized years afterward. I thought I’ve played the Fonz, I don’t want to do it again. I’m going to cement, it has already happened. I’m already typecast. I should have just shut up, and had a really good time making that movie.

Now, I go home, I say ‘no’ and I have a Diet Coke.
John Travolta goes home and has done the movie and buys a plane.
Hollywood is full of “what if” stories that have come from actors turning down roles.
Will Smith could have been in The Matrix,
Mel Gibson was almost James Bond,
In the end those careers turned out ok, and while Henry Winkler never became a massive movie star after Happy Days, he built a successful career both in front of the camera as well as behind it that he can certainly be proud of.

Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian. Armchair Imagineer. Epcot Stan. Future Club 33 Member.

Was Grease in the 70?

What was with all that 1950s throwback stuff in the 1970s? Like, Sha Na Na, “Grease,” “American Graffiti” and “Happy Days”? It’s kinda weird looking back, but there was a full-blown ’50s craze among American youth in the ’70s. High schools held ’50s dances, at which girls wore poodle skirts and guys wore slicked-back hair. There’s energetic choreography in the protracted sock hop sequence. Then came Broadway, touring productions and, ultimately, Randal Kleiser ‘s 1978 film starring hot property John Travolta and Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, “Grease” is in stores this week in an extras-filled 40th-anniversary edition from Paramount Home Media Distribution.

Though set in the late 1950s, the movie “Grease” is a ’70s experience at heart, recognizable as such from the opening strains of its radio-friendly disco theme song written by Barry Gibb and sung by Frankie Valli,
Setup: Macho Danny Zuko (Travolta) and sweet-natured vacationing Aussie Sandy Olsson (Newton-John) share an intense, fleeting summer romance.

The lovebirds part ways hoping this won’t be the end. But when Sandy unexpectedly remains in the United States and transfers to rowdy Rydell High School (which Danny attends), the couple’s re-meet is less than lovey-dovey. Danny, you see, must keep up appearances in front of his gang, the T-Birds: wing-man Kenickie ( Jeff Conaway ) and goofballs Sonny ( Michael Tucci ) and Doody ( Barry Pearl ). From left: Jeff Conaway, Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta and Stockard Channing in “Grease.” Sometimes, “Grease” has the feel of one of those old American International Pictures drive-in movies from the ’50s and ’60s, especially the juvenile delinquent and beach party films.

One reason is the movie’s themes of hot rod racing and amorous youth. “Grease” also takes a page from AIP by casting veteran players in supporting roles. See Eve Arden (who once matched wits with Groucho Marx ) as Rydell’s principal; Joan Blondell (who specialized in gun molls and Gold Diggers in the 1930s) as a malt shop waitress; and Frankie Avalon, Mr.

Beach Party himself, as a kind of angel. The best of the bunch is Edd Byrnes – onetime teen phenom Kookie from “77 Sunset Strip” – as an ethics-challenged TV dance show host who actually puts the make on Marty! “Grease” is no “Top Hat,” but it’s fun and fast-moving, and Travolta and Newton-John have chemistry.

Warning: Travolta jumped straight from “Saturday Night Fever,” in which he played Brooklyn disco king Tony Manero, into “Grease,” so a bit of Tony’s trademark pelvic thrusting carries over. Some of the musical set pieces still coax a smile, such as “Greased Lightning” (Travolta, Conaway and company cavort while souping up an old bomb); Newton-John’s Oscar-nominated torch song “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” which went to No.3; “Beauty School Dropout,” in which Avalon serenades Conn; and the protracted sock hop sequence, featuring energetic choreography and several oldies by Sha Na Na (playing the fictional Johnny Casino and the Gamblers).

Find “Grease” on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and digitally. (Prices vary; the Blu-ray lists for $22.98.) Extas include director and choreographer commentary; a featurette on the original stage musical, in which co-author Jim Jacobs visits Chicago’s William Howard Taft High School, the inspiration for Rydell High; and a 2003 making-of featurette with Travolta, Newton-John, Conaway (who died in 2011), Conn, Kleiser and others.

Was Rizzo pregnant in Grease?

Personality – Rizzo is sassy, sarcastic, tough, and has a dark personality. Despite enjoying the companionship of men, for example Danny and Leo, and even being in a serious relationship with Kenickie, Rizzo shuns the idea that men are special, as when she chides Sandy for traveling all the way to the seaside “for some guy.” Rizzo has a meaner side to her, for example, She was seen kicking Patty Simcox and Sandy In Summer Nights,

Rizzo can get jealous sometimes; this is evident when she dances with Leo Balmudo while Kenickie danced with Charlene Digregorio. Upon learning that she might be pregnant, she emotionally cut all ties with Kenickie. However, immediately after, her smug expression saddened, as she realized that she’d pushed away the guy who actually loved her and realised she actually loved him.

Later, she revealed a softer side of herself. Sandy offered to help, but initially Rizzo balked at the offer. Seeing how mean she’d been to Sandy, who was purer than she herself was, she relented and thanked Sandy, both smiling gratefully. At the end of the school year, a carnival is held; Rizzo is seen on a Ferris wheel, revealing to Kenickie that she isn’t pregnant.

Are Sandy and Frenchy cousins?

Olivia Newton-John and Didi Conn Sing ‘Grease’ Hit in Vegas The actresses reprise their roles as Sandy and Frenchy on stage for the first time in nearly forty years

It was a high school reunion for and Didi Conn in Las Vegas on Saturday night.The girls, who played memorable best buds and cousins Sandy and Frenchy in the 1978 classic, joined one another on stage at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino during Newton-John’s show.See more Donned in black and pink jackets in tribute to their high school greaser girl and Pink Ladies roles, the two sang the famous “Summer Nights” track for the audience. The Olivia Newton-John: Summer Nights show features an eight-piece band and includes numerous Grease throwbacks, including “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “You’re The One That I Want,” as well as Newton-John’s single “Physical.” Grease is the love story of 1950s high school students that sing and dance their way through summer romances and cliques.

Though Newton-John and Conn have professionally reunited in the past — Newton-John joined Grease ‘s at a Conn-hosted Sirius XM town hall event — Grease is the only film the two performed in together. Conn reprised her role as Frenchy in the 1982 Grease 2, which featured and Maxwell Caulfield,

Did Travolta sing in Grease?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Greased Lightnin'”

US single picture sleeve

Single by John Travolta

from the album Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture

B-side

“Razzamatazz”
” Sandy “

Released

1978 1999 (re-release)

Recorded

1977

Genre

Rock and roll

Length

3 : 13

Label

RSO

Songwriter(s)

Jim Jacobs
Warren Casey

Producer(s)

Louis St. Louis
John Farrar
Barry Gibb
Albhy Galuten

John Travolta singles chronology

” Sandy ” (1978)

” Greased Lightnin’ ” (1978)

” Never Gonna Fall in Love Again ” (1980)

/td>

Greased Lightnin’ ” is a song from the 1971 musical Grease which was also adapted into the 1978 film Grease, A soundtrack recording from the film version, with John Travolta on lead vocals, peaked at No.47 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978.

What year is Grease set in?

Plot – In the summer of 1958, local boy Danny Zuko and vacationing Australian Sandy Olsson meet at the beach and fall in love. When the summer comes to an end, Sandy frets that they may never meet again, but Danny tells her that their love is “only the beginning”.

At the start of the seniors’ term at Rydell High School, Danny resumes his role as leader of the T-Birds greaser gang consisting of Doody, Sonny, Putzie, and his best friend Kenickie. 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.

Danny and Sandy recount their brief romance to their respective groups, Sandy recalling a romantic summer and Danny implying a more physical experience. When Sandy finally says Danny’s name, Rizzo arranges a surprise reunion at a pep rally where Sandy meets Tom, a jock, and Kenickie unveils his new used car, Greased Lightnin’, which he plans on street racing after a restoration.

Caught between his feelings and his bad-boy reputation, Danny snubs Sandy in front of his gang and she becomes upset.
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.

After the slumber party comes to an end, Sandy realizes she still loves Danny after all. The next day, Danny apologizes to Sandy for having brushed her off the night earlier and, with Coach Calhoun’s help, becomes a runner and successfully wins her back from Tom, but their friends crash their date, and Kenickie and Rizzo break up after an argument.

After a disastrous beauty class leaves Frenchy with candy-pink hair, she reluctantly decides to return to Rydell to complete her high-school education.
During the school dance, broadcast live on National Bandstand and hosted by DJ Vince Fontaine, Rizzo and Kenickie spite each other by bringing Leo and Cha-Cha as their dates.

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. Danny tries to make it up to Sandy by taking her to a drive-in theater, but a more direct and pushy advance causes Sandy to flee in a huff.

Rizzo fears she is pregnant after missing a period and confides in Marty, who tells Sonny, who inadvertently spreads the rumor to the apparent father Kenickie, though Rizzo denies it to him. On race day, Kenickie is concussed by his own car door, so Danny takes the wheel, winning the race after Leo spins out.

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. On the last day of school, Rizzo finds she is not pregnant and reunites with Kenickie.

Was Grease based on the 50s?

Grease on Blu-Ray – A musical about teens in love in the ’50s! It’s California 1959 and greaser Danny Zuko and Australian Sandy Olsson are in love. They spend time at the beach, and when they go back to school, what neither of them knows is that they both now attend Rydell High.

Rydell High’s televised dance competition was filmed over a five-day heat wave in the unairconditioned Huntington Park High School gym.
It was so, so hot and there was an abattoir nearby—a slaughterhouse—and the sweat and the smell was mingling,” Newton-John recalls with a laugh.
Forty years later, the Farmer John pork-processing plant, adorned with a mural of happy hogs, is still there.

The backdrop for the outdoor carnival scene also remains: Los Angeles’ John Marshall High School, where Rebel Without a Cause was filmed. (Newton-John still has the black skintight outfit that turned Sandy into a good girl gone bad in a great way. She will be auctioning it off to benefit the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre.) But Venice High will always be the faux real Rydell, and the school celebrates the distinction every September with a Grease party on the football field.

Last year over 800 people came,” Francis says.
A movie screen stands at the 30-yard line, a ’50s band plays at midfield, and students wearing poodle skirts and leather jackets jitterbug and swing and do the hand jive.
At dusk, the band stops, the movie starts, and hundreds of Grease lovers sing and dance their hearts out.

The Grease Lightning car even makes an appearance. Owned by the Petersen Automotive Museum, it arrives on a big truck. “It doesn’t run,” Francis says, “but it still looks cool.” Get the latest Travel & Culture stories in your inbox. A Note to our Readers Smithsonian magazine participates in affiliate link advertising programs. If you purchase an item through these links, we receive a commission. Recommended Videos Filed Under: Film, Movies, Musical Theater

Where was Grease filmed?

Grease Locations – Grease was shot in various locations across the Los Angeles area, from the lively South Bay to the charming Silverlake neighborhood. Much of the production was filmed on-site, including exterior shots of Rydell High, taken at Venice High School, Huntington Park High School, and John Marshall High School.

The backdrop for these locations offers a unique look into different parts of Los Angeles. Venice offers stunning architecture with its art-deco facade, while Huntington Park provides a vibrant landscape with its school interiors and sports fields. Paying homage to classic musicals such as Guys and Dolls, Kleiser opted for a combination of both on-location shoots and Paramount studio sets to bring Grease’s fantasy alive.

Although some scenes were shot at the studio out of necessity, most were filmed around various places within Los Angeles. A trip to these locations would be worthwhile for any Grease fan looking to explore their favorite movie in more detail. Each spot allows viewers to experience the nostalgic atmosphere brought alive by the iconic musical.

What happened to Rizzo from Grease?

Stockard Channing as Betty Rizzo – Mireya Acierto/Getty;Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Following her Grease days, Channing really hit her stride in the world of TV, playing the Emmy-winning role of First Lady Abbey Bartlet on The West Wing for seven years.

How old was Cha Cha when she filmed Grease?

This week marks the 40th anniversary of Grease, the big screen adaptation of the Broadway musical tribute to 1950s rock n’ roll Americana. The Randal Kleiser directed film, which cemented stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as movie icons forever, became the most successful live-action movie musical all of all time upon its release, and is still known by movie fans the world over. Grease was a phenomenon when it was released, becoming the biggest musical blockbuster of the decade, and four of its songs became huge Billboard hits. The songs “Grease” by Frankie Valli, “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” “You’re the One That I Want,” and “Summer Nights” all became top-10 hits, but only “Summer Nights” originated in the original Broadway show. Just as several songs were added to the soundtrack specifically for the movie, many songs from the original play were excised from the final film except as background songs, most notably, “It’s Raining on Prom Night,” “Those Magic Changes,” and “Freddy My Love.” Fox’s Grease Live in 2016 restored most of these songs to the show. A very young Michael Biehn, best known to sci-fi fans for his roles in James Cameron movies (such as Kyle Reese in The Terminator, Corporal Hicks from Aliens, and Lt. Coffey in The Abyss ), made his film debut in Grease in an uncredited cameo as a Rydell student. He gets punched in the stomach in the basketball court scene.4. A freaky coincidence links Grease and the passing of Elvis In an eerie coincidence, the last scene filmed for the movie was the scene where Rizzo and the Pink Ladies sing “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” in Rizz’s bedrom during the sleepover. In the scene, Stockard Channing sings a verse about Elvis Presley and looks lovingly at an Elvis photo on her wall. In the play, “Greased Lightning” was Kenickie’s signature song, and thus it was originally supposed to be sung by actor Jeff Conaway. But John Travolta ultimately convinced the movie’s producers to let his character of Danny Zuko sing it instead. It’s said that Conaway was not super thrilled about that change of plans.6. Olivia Newton-John dressed Sandy herself in that scene Sandy’s super tight black pants she wore in “You’re the One That I Want” actually belonged to Olivia Newton-John herself. They were actual vintage pants from the ’50s, and she had to be sewn into them when her zipper broke on set during filming.7. Danny Zuko was almost played by the Fonz ” alt=”Image” width=”1″ height=”1″> via GIPHY If you think today is just a huge nostalgia fest for the ’80s, it doesn’t have anything on the ’70s, which were filled with with huge pop culture hits based around 1950s nostalgia. Aside from Grease, there was American Graffiti, Sha-Na-Na, American Hot Wax, Laverne & Shirley, and most famously, Happy Days, In fact, Happy Days was so huge, that star Henry Winkler was offered the part of Danny Zuko, but turned it down as to not get typecast as a ’50s greaser.8. That blurry poster in the Frosty Palace is a Coca Cola ad Ever wonder why there’s a weird blurred out poster in the scene where Sandy and Danny meet up at the Frosty Palace? It’s because it was a Coca-Cola advertisement, and Paramount had made a deal with Pepsi for product placement in the film, and the Coke poster had to go. The casting of grown-ass adults as high school students is a longstanding tradition in Hollywood, but Grease is especially shameless in this regard. John Travolta was 23 at the time of filming, Olivia Newton-John was 29, and Stockard Channing was 33. Annette Charles, who played bad girl Cha Cha DiGregorio, was 30. Just how huge was Grease ? If you adjust for inflation, it would make $705 million in today’s dollars, more than modern mega blockbusters like Black Panther and Avengers, The budget was a very low $6 millon, which was actually low even by ’70s standards. Do you have a favorite memory surrounding Grease ? If so, be sure to let us know down below in the comments. Images: Paramount Pictures

How old was Channing in Grease?

Early career – Channing started her acting career with the experimental Theatre Company of Boston ; she performed in the group’s Off-Broadway 1969 production of the Elaine May play Adaptation/Next, She performed in a revival of Arsenic and Old Lace directed by Theodore Mann as part of the Circle in the Square at Ford’s Theatre program in 1970.

In 1971, she made her Broadway debut in Two Gentlemen of Verona — The Musical, working with playwright John Guare, She also appeared on Broadway in 1973 in a supporting role in No Hard Feelings at the Martin Beck Theatre, Channing made her television debut on Sesame Street in the role of The Number Painter’s female victim,

She landed her first leading role in the 1973 television movie The Girl Most Likely To., a black comedy written by Joan Rivers about an ugly duckling woman, made newly beautiful by plastic surgery after an auto accident, who vows murderous revenge on all who had scorned her.

For the role, Channing went through a considerable transformation, with the syndicated column “TV Scout” reporting months later, “It was a great make-up job — at least the part that made very pretty Stockard look so ugly. She had her cheeks puffed out with cotton and her nose was wadded, too, to make it thick and off-center.

Very thick eyebrows were drawn on her face and she wore padded clothes to make her look fat. Making her look beautiful was easy.” After some small parts in feature films, Channing co-starred with Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson in Mike Nichols ‘ The Fortune (1975).

Despite Channing being tagged “the next big thing” in cinema, and the actress herself considering this some of the best work of her career, the movie did poorly at the box office and did not prove to be the breakthrough role Channing hoped it would be. On May 22, 1977, she, along with Ned Beatty, starred in the pilot for the short-lived TV series Lucan,

Lucan, played by Kevin Brophy, is a 20-year-old who has spent the first 10 years of his life running wild in the forest. After being raised by wolves, Lucan strikes out on his own in search of his identity. In 1977, at the age of 33, Channing was cast for the role of high school teenager Betty Rizzo in the hit musical Grease,

How old was the girl from Grease when she died?

Olivia Newton-John, who played Sandy in ‘Grease,’ dies at 73 FILE – Actress and singer Olivia Newton-John attends the 2018 G’Day USA Los Angeles Gala in Los Angeles on Jan.27, 2018. Newton-John, a longtime resident of Australia whose sales topped 100 million albums, died Monday at her southern California ranch, John Easterling, her husband, wrote on Instagram and Facebook.

She was 73.
Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File) Olivia Newton-John, the Grammy-winning superstar who reigned on pop, country, adult contemporary and dance charts with such hits as “Physical” and “You’re the One That I Want” and won countless hearts as everyone’s favorite Sandy in the blockbuster film version of “Grease,” has died.

She was 73. Newton-John, a longtime resident of Australia whose sales topped 100 million records, died Monday at her Southern California ranch, John Easterling, her husband, wrote on Instagram and Facebook. “Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” he wrote.

“We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.” From 1973-83, Newton-John was among the world’s most popular entertainers. She had 14 top 10 singles just in the U.S., won four Grammys, starred with John Travolta in “Grease” and with Gene Kelly in “Xanadu.” The fast-stepping Travolta-Newton-John duet, “You’re the One That I Want,” was one of the era’s biggest songs and has sold more than 15 million copies.

“My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better,” Travolta wrote in an online post. “Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!” “Physical,” the bouncy, R-rated smash released in 1981, was No.1 for 10 weeks and was named Billboard’s song of the year despite being banned by some radio stations.

An aerobics-friendly promotional clip, filmed in the early years of MTV, won a Grammy for best video. Both musically and image-wise, she reinvented herself during those years. The blonde, ever-smiling Newton-John initially favored mild pop-country songs such as “Please Mr. Please” and “Have You Never Been Mellow” and soft-breathing ballads like “I Honestly Love You,” which in 1975 won Grammys for best female pop vocal and record of the year.

But she picked up the tempo in “Grease,” especially after Sandy ditched her white sweaters and blouses for waist-high, black leather pants. “Physical” even made Newton-John blush as she told her would-be lover “There’s nothing left to talk about/Unless it’s horizontally” and finally called out “Let’s get animal! Animal!” “I recorded it and then suddenly thought, ‘Goodness, maybe I’ve gone too far!'” she told Entertainment Weekly in 2017, recalling how the song had been suggested by manager Roger Davies.

I called Roger and said, ‘We’ve got to pull this song!’ He said, ‘It’s too late.
It’s already gone to radio and it’s running up the charts.’ I was horrified!” Fans flooded social media to mourn her death.
Farewell with love to the legend who will forever be my first crush,” wrote actor Daniel Dae Kim.

Added Tracie Thoms: “Olivia Newton-John is an icon. We will miss her dearly.” Gabrielle Union said she and her sister watched “Xanadu” “more times than I could count.” Australia’s acting Prime Minister Richard Marles described her death as feeling like the end of an era for a generation who grew up watching “Grease” and said, “It feels like the world is a little emptier without Olivia Newton-John as a part of it.” She had a few hits after “Physical,” but her career declined and Newton-John became more likely to make news because of her private life.

In 1992, as she was preparing a concert tour, her father died and she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Her marriage to actor Matt Lattanzi, with whom she had a daughter, actor-singer Chloe Lattanzi, broke up in 1995 and a years-long relationship with cameraman Patrick McDermott ended mysteriously.
McDermott went missing during a 2005 fishing trip in California and his fate remained unknown years later.

Numerous reports alleged that he was living in Mexico with a new girlfriend. “He was lost at sea, and nobody really knows what happened,” Newton-John told Australia’s “60 Minutes” in 2016. “It’s human to wonder. But you know, those are the things in life you have to accept and let go.

Because whenever you go through difficult times, there’s always those concerns.” Newton-John’s recent albums included “Stronger Than Before”; a holiday collaboration with Travolta, “This Christmas”; and the autobiographical “Gaia: One Woman’s Journey,” inspired by her battle with cancer and by the loss of her father.

Dionne Warwick, who featured Newton-John on her 2006 album “My Friends and Me,” wrote online that “another angelic voice has been added to the Heavenly Choir.” And Lea Salonga wrote: “Rest In Peace, Olivia Newton-John. Hers was one of the voices of my childhood.” Newton-John married John Easterling, founder of the Amazon Herb Company, in 2008.

She was involved in numerous charitable causes, serving as goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme and as national spokeswoman for the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition. She also founded the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Newton-John was the daughter of German literature professor Brin Newton-John and Irene Born, whose father was Nobel Prize-winning physicist Max Born.

The Newton-Johns moved to Australia when Olivia was 5, but she returned to England in her teens and lived with her mother after her parents broke up. She had early dreams of becoming a veterinarian but was winning singing contests in high school and before age 20 had toured army bases and clubs and recorded her first single, “Till You Say You’ll Be Mine.” In 1971, she covered Bob Dylan’s “If Not for You” and began a close partnership with a friend from Australia, John Farrar, who produced the song and later wrote “You’re the One That I Want,” “Magic” and several other hits for her.

She had loved country music, especially the records of “Tennessee” Ernie Ford, since childhood, but her early success didn’t impress critics or some fellow musicians.
A Village Voice review likened her to a geisha who “makes her voice smaller than it really is just to please men.” When Newton-John beat out Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn for the Country Music Association’s top artist of 1973, Tammy Wynette helped found the Association of Country Entertainers, a club designed to exclude Newton-John and other crossover performers.

But Newton-John had a show business admirer who with her became one of movies’ most unforgettable teams. Travolta had starred in the stage version of “Grease” and for the planned film thought Newton-John would be the “ultimate” Sandy, the nice girl who gets tough in the final act and gets her man.

I worried that at 29 I was too old to play a high school girl,” Newton-John, who insisted on taking a screen test before accepting the part, told The Telegraph in 2017. “Everything about making the film was fun, but if I had to pick a favorite moment, it was the transformation from what I call Sandy 1 to Sandy 2.

I got to play a different character and wear different clothes, and when I put on that tight black outfit to sing ‘You’re the One That I Want,’ I got a very different reaction from the guys on the set.” She is survived by her husband; daughter Chloe Lattanzi; sister Sarah Newton-John; brother Toby Newton-John; and several nieces and nephews.

How old is Grease 1?

Release – Grease was originally released in the United States on June 16, 1978, and was an immediate box-office success. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $8,941,717 in 862 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking at number 2 (behind Jaws 2 ) at the box office for the weekend and with the all-time opening weekend records.

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. After 66 days, it had grossed $100 million to become Paramount’s second-highest-grossing film, behind The Godfather, and ended its initial run with a gross of $132,472,560, which made it the highest-grossing film in 1978,

In the United States and globally, it became the highest-grossing musical ever at the time, eclipsing the 13-year-old record held by The Sound of Music, with a worldwide gross of $341 million. In the United Kingdom, it opened with a record $2.2 million in its first eight days.

It went on to become the highest-grossing film in the UK, with a gross of £14.7 million.
It was re-released May 18, 1979, in 1,248 theatres in the United States and Canada (except for the New York City area, where it opened a week later), Paramount’s biggest ever saturation release at the time, grossing $4.5 million in its opening weekend.

The film played for four weeks and was then paired with the PG-rated version of Saturday Night Fever in late June. During the reissue, it overtook The Godfather as Paramount Pictures ‘ highest-grossing film. It was re-released in March 1998 for its 20th anniversary, where it grossed a further $28 million in the United States and Canada.

It remained the highest-grossing live-action musical until 2012 when it was overtaken by Les Misérables, and it remained the US champion until 2017 when it was surpassed by Beauty and the Beast,
Discounting inflation, Grease is now the seventh-highest-grossing live-action musical worldwide.
A further re-issue for its 40th anniversary in 2018 grossed $1 million.

To date, Grease has grossed $189,969,103 domestically and $206.2 million internationally, totaling $396 million worldwide. Another re-issue took place in select AMC Theatres locations in August 2022 to honor Olivia Newton-John following her death earlier that month, with $1 per sold ticket and the proceeds going to breast cancer research, through a donation by AMC Cares.

How old was Rizzo during Grease?

Stockard Channing: Betty Rizzo – She’s been nominated for an Oscar (Best Actress in a Leading Role in Six Degrees of Separation), several Golden Globes and bagged herself an Emmy and Tony award. All things considered, Stockard Channing is definitely a success story. After playing Rizzo in Grease, Channing played First Lady Abbey Bartlet in The West Wing for seven years, as well as racking up TV credits in Batman Beyond, Out Of Practice and, recently, The Good Wife.

Emmy and Tony-winning actress Stockard Channing, known for her starring roles in The West Wing and Grease, joins Simon to talk about treading the boards in ‘Apologia’ in London’s West End. Listen to Stockard chatting to Simo Mayo here

Fun fact: Stockard Channing was 33 when she played 17 year-old Betty Rizzo.

Was Grease set in 50s?

Rydell High’s televised dance competition was filmed over a five-day heat wave in the unairconditioned Huntington Park High School gym. “It was so, so hot and there was an abattoir nearby—a slaughterhouse—and the sweat and the smell was mingling,” Newton-John recalls with a laugh. Forty years later, the Farmer John pork-processing plant, adorned with a mural of happy hogs, is still there.

Last year over 800 people came,” Francis says.
A movie screen stands at the 30-yard line, a ’50s band plays at midfield, and students wearing poodle skirts and leather jackets jitterbug and swing and do the hand jive.
At dusk, the band stops, the movie starts, and hundreds of Grease lovers sing and dance their hearts out.