One of the kitschiest retro-works is Grease, the musical that refuses to die. It's been running on Broadway since 1994 with B-list celebrities like Linda Blair, Debby Boone, and Lucy Lawless as guest stars. Now the 1978 movie is coming back to theaters with a remastered soundtrack. The movie is tacky and inane. It hasn't aged well.
Most people remember the catchy soundtrack, but the point of the original play is long lost.
Back in 1972 when Grease first opened on Broadway, it was a spoof of the '50s, not a celebration. The satire was toned down for the movie and the cheese remained. The Grease phenomenon is retro-retro. A piece of nostalgia from the 1970s is actually a piece of nostalgia about the 1950s but takes its cues from the social upheaval of the 1960s. This tells us something about the 1990s.