Grease at 35: We look at where the film's stars are now

    Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta and co-stars in the 1978 hit Grease. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

 

Vicky Roach, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Before Glee deconstructed Madonna, before Chicago wiped the floor with the Oscars, Grease was the word.

The popular 50s musical might not have bagged any major awards when it was released on June 16, 1978.

But right from the beginning, the surprisingly raunchy John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John star vehicle was a bona fide crowd-pleaser.

Made for just $6 million, Randal Kleiser's film has taken almost $400 million at the international box office.

In the US, it sang and danced its way to a staggering $188 million, making it the highest grossing musical of all time. (Les Miserables, by comparison, took $148 million. And Mamma Mia, $144 million.)

Unlike many of its contemporaries, Grease has exhibited extraordinary staying power - spawning its own special barbie doll collection, which is still available online, a singalong version and countless stage revivals over the last three decades.

Rehearsals start on a new Australian production, which will see former Idol contestant Rob Mills don the leather T-Birds jacket, in July.

The soundtrack featured two Billboard number-one hits - Grease, written by Barry Gibb and sung by Frankie Valli, who had no other connection to the film, and You're the One That I Want, sung by Travolta and Newton-John.

The Academy Award-nominated Hopelessly Devoted to You made it to No 3.

 

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Then and now: Stockard Channing who played Rizzo in the 1978 film and won an Emmy in 2002 for her role as Abbey Bartlett in The West Wing. Pictures: AP

Stockard Channing

When the three-time Emmy winner lost the role of Lois Lane to Margot Kidder in the 1978 version of Superman, starring Christopher Reeve, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Grease, the fifth most profitable movie of all time, was released the same year. Channing, who was 33 when she was cast as the sharp-tongued Betty Rizzo, might have been the world's oldest teenager, but that didn't stop her stealing every scene she appeared in. More than 20 years after that career-making performance, the actor - born Susan Stockard - made a similarly indelible impression as First Lady Abbey Bartlet in The West Wing. Channing, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the Fred Schepisi film Six Degrees of Separation, can currently be seen as Julianna Margulies' wayward mother in The Good Wife.

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Jeff Conaway starred as T-Bird bad boy Kenickie in the 1978 film. Pictures: Supplied

Jeff Conaway

Conaway, who played bad boy T-Bird Kenickie in the film, died in May 2011. According to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, his death was caused by a number of conditions, including coronary artery disease and pneumonia. The actor's struggle with drug and alcohol addiction was documented in the US reality television series Celebrity Rehab (2008). Also known for his role as a struggling actor in Taxi, Conaway was part of the original cast of the Broadway production of Grease, eventually stepping into the lead role of Danny Zuko. Travolta later joined the show as a chorus member. The pecking order was reversed on screen. The filmmakers asked 1.87m Conaway to stoop so that the 1.88m Travolta would appear taller. And in the stage version, the song Greased Lightning was sung by Kenickie. Travolta used his clout to have Zuko sing it in the film.

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Didi Conn as a beauty school dropout and more recently in 2010. Pictures:Supplied/Getty

Didi Conn

The beauty school dropout's distinctive, childlike voice is one of her trademarks - Conn was the voice of Raggedy Ann in the 1977 animated feature, Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. The Brooklyn native lives outside New York City with her second husband, Broadway and film composer David Shire. Conn considers Grease and Grease 2 to be personal high-water marks. She named her son after leading man Danny Zuko. He was diagnosed with autism as a toddler. Later Conn became a celebrity spokesman for advocacy organisation Autism Speaks. To coincide with the 20th anniversary re-release of Grease in 1998, she published a memoir, Frenchy's Grease Scrapbook. "I hired two secretaries, went to Radio Shack and got a tape recorder," she says. "I got to reconnect with everybody. It was like no time had gone by." Most recently, Conn has appeared as a nurse on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

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Pink Lady Jamie Donnelly seen in the film in 1978 and pictured with her family in 1998. Pictures: Supplied/Getty

Jamie Donnelly

Donnelly also played the role of Pink Lady Jan on Broadway. And she originated The Rocky Horror Show's Magenta/Usherette on stage with Tim Curry and Meat Loaf. Donnelly recently appeared in the Duplass Brothers comedy Cyrus with John C Reilly, Jonah Hill and Marisa Tomei. She also had a small role in the TV series Monk.

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Annette Cardona, credited as Annette Charles played Danny zuko's ex in the film. Pictures: Supplied/Getty

Annette Cardona

Credited as Annette Charles, Cardona was the only performer who could match John Travolta on the dance floor. In the electric, bad girl role of Cha Cha DiGregorio, Danny Zucko's ex from the rival high school, the Mexican-Sicilian performer had all the right moves. A seasoned dancer, singer and actor, Cardona appeared in a number of iconic 70s and 80s TV series, including The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk and Magnum PI, before retraining to become a professor of speech communications at California State University, Northridge. Although she was not a smoker, Cardona died of lung cancer in 2011.

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Olivia Newton-John as last year named a National Living Treasure. Pictures:Supplied/Getty

Olivia Newton-John

Livvie was offered the role of Sandy Olsson after meeting producer Allan Carr at a dinner party at Helen Reddy's home. Worried that she was too old to play a high school senior (she turned 29 during filming), the four-time Grammy winner insisted on a screen test with co-star John Travolta, who was almost six years her junior. Newton-John had to be sewn into the trousers she wears in the final sequence in which she is transformed from circular skirt-wearing goody-two-shoes into a lycra-clad vamp. Most recently, the singer-turned-actor revealed considerable comedic chops as the cocaine-snorting, champagne swilling mother of the bride in Stephan Elliot's broad Aussie comedy A Few Best Men, co-starring Xavier Samuel and Kris Marshall. Last year, she and Travolta reunited for a new album, This Christmas. The singer, a breast cancer survivor herself, postponed a planned Las Vegas residency in April when her late sister, Rona, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour.

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John Travolta then with Olivia Newton-John and now with wife Kelly Preston. Pictures: Supplied/AFP

John Travolta

Travolta, a high school dropout himself, successfully swaggered his way through the 70s in a string of custom-made roles - Welcome Back, Kotter's Vinnie Barbarino, Saturday Night Fever's Tony Manero and Grease's Danny Zuko. He lost his mojo in the 1980s, which saw him struggle through a forgettable run of light comedies and telemovies. But with the help of Quentin Tarantino's groundbreaking 1994 crime drama Pulp Fiction, Travolta made the comeback of all comebacks as sympathetic hitman Vincent Vega. Since then, he has created a string of memorable characters, such as Hairspray's Edna Turnblad, and Get Shorty's Chili Palmer, for which he won a Golden Globe. Travolta recently finished filming the action thriller Killing Season with Robert De Niro. Next, he will play mobster John Gotti. Real-life partner Kelly Preston has been cast as on-screen wife Victoria.

 

Hunt is on for Sandy and Danny as Grease the musical returns

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the film version of Grease. Source: Supplied

Sally Bennett, The Herald Sun, reports

The search has begun for the next Sandy and Danny to star in a remake of hit musical Grease.

Producer John Frost today announced a new multi-million dollar show would be staged in Australia later this year.

Venues and dates are yet to be announced, but a spokesman confirmed the production would run in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane theatres in the second half of the year.

The call to casting agents went out today and auditions will be held in all three cities from late February.

"I am constantly asked when I'll be producing Grease again," Frost said. "It's possibly the most requested musical in the back catalogue."

The musical was last seen in Australia in 2005, but that was an arena production.

The new theatre show will be an all-Australian remount of the most recent Broadway and West End productions and co-produced by London theatre giant David Ian.

The musical includes all the smash hits from the movie including You're the One That I Want, Grease is the Word, Summer Nights, Hopelessly Devoted To You and Greased Lightnin'.

"I knew the time was right to bring Grease back to Australia," Frost said.

"The TV series Glee celebrated the music of Grease on one of their recent episodes and Olivia Newton John and John Travolta (the original film stars) reunited for a Christmas album."

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta's new music video, I Think You Might Like It

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John have recorded together for the first time in close to 30 years for their album This Christmas which includes a new track by John Farrar, the writer behind their Grease smash hit You're the One That I Want. Above is the video to the Farrar-written duet I Think You Might Like It.

If you're having trouble viewing it, you can also see it here:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/grease-stars-olivia-newton-john-john-travolta-reunite-17880436

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta on the Today show

 



This morning’s interview with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John on Aussie TV’s Today show

 

 

To watch the interview, click on the video above or follow the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD-Om8RcxUg&feature=youtu.be

Christmas is the (new) word for Danny and Sandy

This Christmas…reunited: Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta

Christine Sams, The Sydney Morning Herald, reports

John Travolta reveals how a desire to honour his late son sparked a new album with Olivia Newton-John.

John Travolta has revealed he teamed up with Olivia Newton-John to record a festive album in a bid to ease some of the devastation he feels about the loss of his son Jett at Christmas.

Travolta and Newton-John have recorded together for the first time in 30 years for their album This Christmas which includes a new track by John Farrar, the writer behind their Grease smash hit You're the One That I Want.

But aside from celebrating their iconic roles in Grease, their decision to work together was motivated by Travolta's desire to honour his son, who died in January 2009, aged only 16.

Travolta said Christmas is never an easy time of year for his family. "Doing something for him makes it easier, because you're doing something, you're proactive, you're raising money for the foundation that represents him,” Travolta said.

He said guest artists including Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett and James Taylor were happy to be involved, knowing proceeds of the album are going to the Jett Travolta Foundation and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne.

“It felt effortless,” Travolta said. “And everybody hopped on board effortlessly, we called Barbra and Tony and James and they all knew my son, so they just wanted to do this from their heart.

Travolta said he was inspired by Paul Newman in relation to raising money under Jett's name.

“Paul Newman did it through food, the Scott Newman foundation was to raise money for his son's foundation. People find different ways . . . I'm most comfortable doing it this way because I love to sing and I don't get a chance to do it a lot,” Travolta said.

“To join Olivia again, where we've succeeded at this level, to do that is a beautiful opportunity. I can't believe it.”

Both musicians, who spoke to Fairfax Media over the phone in a joint interview, are clearly thrilled to be working together again for the right reasons – and to acknowledge the influence Grease has had on popular culture.

“It came together in this really pure way, it has pure intentions. We still have little kids coming up to us who are discovering the movies; it's like three generations who love the movie, who are going to be thrilled to see Danny and Sandy, as they think of us, together again,” said Newton-John.

“For us, it's a wonderful way of giving back to causes that we care about and we're also giving the fans back something that they might like to see us do. Hopefully they'll like it as much as we hope they will.”

Grease fans have waited three decades for Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson to team up again, so there is plenty of anticipation about how the new music will be received.

Travolta said they were both “excited” ahead of the global release on Wednesday of the video for the new Farrar single I Think You Might Like It.

“That's the one we chose firstly to do the video to and it comes out tomorrow morning worldwide,” Travolta said. “As Olivia said, the Grease fans are waiting for us to be together. This is a tip of a hat to Christmas, but it is a tip of the hat to Grease as well as a Christmas song. You're going to see a lot of Grease overtones in it and I think it's just enough, it's fun.”

Both stars said they have remained firm friends since making the movie, but were never keen to cash in on its success, just for the sake of it.

“We don't like to rush things,” Newton-John said, with a huge laugh. “Thirty years, well, maybe."

Travolta says needlessly plugging themselves as Danny and Sandy was never their style.

“Olivia and I are not aggressive people in that way, meaning we don't push ourselves on people. Grease was so big, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. The biggest musical in history plus the biggest pop duet in history. If you do anything trying to take advantage of that too much, people don't respond to it. But if you wait a long time, like we have, and it's really organic . . . Christmas is as timeless as Grease is . . . it feels more acceptable to present ourselves in that way.”

“Olivia and I have always wanted to work together again and you know, but unless it's right and organic, it feels like you're forcing something and I didn't want anyone to feel that way,” Travolta said.

The idea for a Christmas album, which includes guest appearances from a number of artists, came from Travolta, as the pair were texting each other.

“You're the One That I Want was named best duet of all time and I wrote John a text going 'hey, guess what' and 'Merry Christmas'. So he texted me back 'that's awesome, that's great for us',” Newton-John said.

“And he was talking to his family about listening to Christmas music . . . so he texted me back saying how about we do a Christmas song and I said yes, not thinking anything would come of it. Then we ran into each other about three weeks later – at a Qantas event of course – and John said how about we do a whole Christmas album and I thought that was a wonderful idea, I wish I'd thought of it. Then I said how about we do it for our charities and that was the clincher.”

Travolta said he hoped the Christmas music would be enjoyed by fans for years.

“As Olivia said, it's that gift that keeps on giving. I still listen to Johnny Mathis and that was [recorded in] 1960,” Travolta said.

It's clear beyond the Christmas album sales, Travolta and Newton-John wanted to something to mark the Grease legacy given the bond they will always share because of the film.

“Oprah Winfrey said to me 'of all the movies you've done, John, what's the one you'd put in a time capsule?' And I said Grease and she said 'Grease? Really!” And I said it's the biggest musical in history and it's given people such joy and it's number one movie, my most successful movie, too. So why wouldn't I want to share that with whatever future generations, down the centuries? That's the one I can guarantee [will have] the most positive effect on others,” Travolta said.

Newton-John said she was still amazed by the success of the film. “And who knew when we made this, that it would still be giving so much pleasure to people.”

She admitted she still has the famous skintight black trousers from the film's final scene. “They're in my closet . . . and the jacket,” she said.

“You still have yours?” Travolta exclaimed, during the joint interview. “You are so smart,” he added to Newton-John.

“I think mine went to donations earlier,” Travolta said. “I get to own wardrobe but I tend to just give it away.”

The pair said they are happy to watch the film again themselves, with Newton-John saying she is now far enough removed from the project to watch it without analysing her performance.

“It came on [television] on the tour bus recently,” she said. “I sat there with my band and we were watching it and I really got to watch it without critiquing myself, because it's so long ago now, I've let go of that. And I thought 'this is a fun film'. Every second was full, there's never a dull moment in that movie, it just keeps moving, it's got such energy. I can see why people like it, I stood back from a little bit.”

Travolta said Newton-John texted him afterwards, in what was a funny moment between the pair so many years on.

“She texted me saying 'boy, you were cute!' She fell in love with me again, I liked that part of it,” he added, with a laugh.

Travolta and Newton John's album This Christmas is out now through Universal Music.

Revisiting Rydell High Part 2

Luke Brighty, The Star Observer, reports

Fun and adventure were always present on the set of Grease, even when things didn’t go exactly to plan. Sean Moran, who worked on the movie as a dancer, remembers a particular instance when he and cast mates showed up to work beat red after a weekend of sunbaking. “The producers had a fit,” he says. “We all got horribly sunburnt and it took make-up forever to cover it all up.”

Despite arduous conditions on set, Moran’s favourite scene to film was the dance contest at Huntington Park High.

“The gymnasium was like an oven. Cast members prone to sweating were blow dried between each take,” he said.

“An extra fainted and was rescued by the set medic who was a 30-year-old hottie that half the boys fawned over. We loved him.”

Adding to the heat was the challenge of coordinating the couples’ dance routines and dialog.

“Olivia Newton-John was very nervous about the dancing,” Moran said. Originally, Sandy wasn’t meant to perform. But when choreographer Pat Birch saw that Olivia moved well, she included her in the Hand Jive number.

The iconic Summer Nights was shot in two segments.

“The girls filmed their part in June; the boys in early August,” Moran said. At one point between rehearsals and filming, Director Randal Kleiser and the Venice High principal got into an argument. Summer school was in session and the music was distracting students and teachers. The principle was so irate he asked cast and crew to leave.

But of all the classic scenes in Grease, You’re The One That I Want is without doubt the most talked about. Who can forget Sandy’s tight sharkskin pants. Moran said that, because the zipper on the pants was broken, it had to be stitched up while filming proceeded.

“A seam ripper was employed whenever Olivia had to use the facilities. She’d have to be sewn back into the pants afterwards.”

You’re The One That I Want, the brainchild of John Farrar, was an instant international hit and has since become the best-selling duet in pop music history. Based on its success, Farrar was recently asked to write another duet for Travolta and Newton-John. The track, I Think You Might Like It, is part of a new album that the two stars of Grease collaborated on.

Released in Australia on November 9, the holiday album, entitled This Christmas, also features Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, James Taylor, Kenny G, Chick Corea and Cliff Richard. Keeping within the Christmas spirit, all sale proceeds are going to the Jett Travolta Foundation and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre.

Olivia says that she and John have always connected and that their bond is as strong as ever. “We’ve been through some amazing experiences together,” she said.

Who could have imagined back in ’77 that Danny and Sandy would still be rocking the charts over three decades later!

Revisiting Rydell High

Luke Brighty, The Star Observer, reports

Grease has been the word for 35 years. It is the most successful movie musical ever. According to recent stats, the film was shot on a budget estimated at just over $6 million – equivalent to $20 million in today’s economy. Since its 1978 release, it has wowed audiences of all ages, cultures and generations and has grossed almost $395 million worldwide, a return close to twenty times its cost.

Allan Carr, the movie’s producer, said in an interview that making Grease was a pleasure, from first to last day. Cast and crew were like a big family. Openly-gay actor and dancer Sean Moran, who plays Moose in the movie, agrees.

“We all became very close,” he said.

“I met the love of my life on that shoot.”

A lot of the cast members had worked on Broadway doing the play so they knew the characters well. However, much of the film’s success is owed to choreographer, Pat Birch. She was instrumental in setting up complicated scenes and always put the dancers to good use. They weren’t just itinerant figures. They were the heart of the high school.

“Pat always felt that Greased Lightning was one of the most intricate numbers to film,” Moran said.

“We shot it in two long days. Because we only had a couple of outfits each and the prop tyres were so greasy, wardrobe was a big concern.”

In the stage version, the number is heavy with sexual innuendo. The show refers to Saran wrap as a substitute for condoms.

“As the movie was PG they had John Travolta running around the car with plastic wrap, which really made no sense at all,” he said.

There is a brief glimpse of him rubbing his crotch with it in the sequence. Blink an eye and you’ll miss it. Younger audiences usually do. But then again, so do most adults. What a fascinating time the 1950s must have been.

Jeff Conaway, who plays Kenickie in the movie, was initially meant to perform Greased Lightning. Moran says that Conaway wasn’t at all pleased when changes were made to the script and the song went to Travolta.

“There were a few meetings over it. Jeff had played Danny Zuko on Broadway. John had only played the role of Doody. But John was the star of the movie…”

These days, the cast are spread out all over the world. They all stay in touch by email, phone or through Facebook. Every now and then, they reunite when one of them directs the stage show or when the sing-a-long plays at the Hollywood Bowl.

“Picture it: 18,000 people all dressed up in Grease costumes watching and singing with the movie. It’s amazing!” Moran said.

INFO: Follow Luke Brighty on Twitter via @brightlights_66

Liv's recipe for staying young and having fun

Olivia Newton-John credits her mum Irene's genes for her healthy complexion. Picture: Nic Gibson Source: The Daily Telegraph

Cameron Adams, The Herald Sun, reports

OLIVIA Newton-John has credited her youthful complexion to good cosmetics and even better genes.

Still turning heads on the red carpet at 63, she gave husband John Easterling's skin care range a kick.

"I use my husband's skin care and take a lot of herbs and I'm just lucky with my mother's genes," Newton-John said yesterday.

"That's all I can say. I walk, I try to eat well and stay as fit as I can with all the travelling I do. I'm happy, that's the best thing."

Newton-John shatters her clean-cut image with an out-of-character role in new Australian film A Few Best Men.

The superstar plays a cocaine-snorting, party-loving mother of the bride - although she did not partake in snorting the sugar designed to look like cocaine.

"I had to think about it but it's the character, it's not me," she said.

"It was funny. It was a little nerve-racking to shoot, but once I got into character it was fine. It was fun to do something that was different. I think it has surprised a lot of people."

Newton-John confirmed she is working on a new project with Grease star John Travolta.

"It's not set in stone, but ... we've always wanted to do something else, John has an idea for a musical project and we're working on it now," she said.

With the soundtrack for A Few Best Men - featuring dance remixes of Newton-John's versions of songs by Meat Loaf, Suzi Quatro, the Seekers and even the Love Boat theme - out tomorrow, the singer is focusing on her Cancer and Wellness Centre, which opens in June.

"We're close to our goal of raising $8 million in the next year, which is thrilling," she said.

Olivia Newton-John: I'd Play Sandy's Mom or Grandma in a "Grease" Remake!

Toofab reports

Hollywood's been on the remake trend lately with last year's Footloose and an update version of Dirty Dancing planned.

If Grease is ever remade, at least one cast member of the original 1978 is on board. Toofab caught up with Olivia Newton-John aka "Sandy" at Qantas Airline's Spirit of Australia party in Hollywood last night.

The 63-year-old singer/actress (who looked fabulous) joked she would play Sandy's mom or even her grandmother. As for who should play the sassy blonde, Olivia already has someone in mind: her daughter!

Also at the fete was longtime Qantas ambassador (and Olivia's costar) John Travolta, new ambassador Miranda Kerr, and Australian heartthrobs Ryan Kwanten and Chris Hemsworth. Check out all the photos by Glen McCurtayne, below!

Olivia Newton-John / John Travolta (above), Miranda Kerr / Ryan Kwanten (below)

Josh Lawson & Rachael Taylor / Chris Hemsworth (below)

Besieged flyer calls in big gun - can John Travolta save Qantas?

PR bombing run ... actor, pilot and Qantas ambassador John Travolta / Pic: David Sproule Source: The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph reports

QANTAS will unleash its global ambassador John Travolta tonight at an exclusive Sydney party for its most important customers as part of a PR blitz to claw back faith lost during recent damaging industrial turmoil.

Travolta secretly flew into Sydney last night - well it was a secret until Sydney Confidential found out - to address its "cream of the cream customers" at Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf tonight.

The do will only be open to new members - exclusively invited by the airline - of its new Platinum One frequent-frequent flyer program.

Normal travellers, who are the airline's bread and butter, have not been invited.

"The party is being held for the cream of our cream frequent flyers who have shown us such loyalty over the past few months," a Qantas spokeswoman said last night.

Travolta's appearance coincides with today's unveiling of the new Boeing Dreamliner 787 jet, of which Qantas has ordered 50.

The demo model arrived in Sydney yesterday just hours before Travolta flew his vintage Qantas Boeing 707 into Sydney.

But Travolta will not be part of the ceremony to welcome the Dreamliner, instead resting and preparing himself for the exclusive party on the same night US president Barack Obama dines in Canberra.

The two events are seen as a one-two PR salvo for Qantas after weeks of negative and damaging publicity - how they will be received by the travelling public remains to be seen.

The new Platinum One club members will, ironically, have 24/7 access to flight information, among other so-called privileges on the eve of Qantas's 90th anniversary.