Grease (1978) - Synopsis The content of this page was created directly by users and has not been screened or verified by IMDb staff. Warning! This synopsis may contain spoilers See plot summary for non-spoiler summarized description. Visit our Synopsis Help to learn more Synopsis In 1958, during their summer vacation, Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) meet at a beach. Scenes from their holiday are shown, but then the summer ends, and Sandy and Danny say their last good-byes. Danny seems to not want to let Sandy go, but Sandy is due to return to Australia. She is upset, thinking that this is the end of their romance and that they will never see each other again. Danny tries to comfort her by telling her that "it's not the end, it's just the beginning". However, Sandy's family has a change of plans and does not return to Australia, but Danny is unaware of this.

Sandy enrolls at Rydell High School as a foreign-exchange student, where Danny is a student, as is Sandy's new friend Frenchy (Didi Conn), a member of the schoolgirl clique "The Pink Ladies." Danny is the leader of the boys' gang, "The T-Birds." Kenickie, second-in-command of the T-Birds, encourages Danny to tell them what he did over the summer, while the Pink Ladies likewise persuade Sandy. Through "Summer Nights" Sandy and Danny describe their vacation, and it is made clear that Danny is exaggerating; at the time, however, neither is aware of the other's presence at the school. Encouraged by the preppy school spirit girl, Patty Simcox (Susan Buckner), Sandy joins the Rydell cheerleaders. The Pink Ladies decide to reunite Danny and Sandy, but Danny wants to protect his cool image, and his behavior towards Sandy causes her to storm off in tears. Danny stares after her for a moment, but then quickly turns back into a cool guy and goes off with his friends.

Frenchy attempts to cheer Sandy up by inviting her to a sleepover at her house with the rest of the gang; Sandy comes along, but Rizzo soon gets fed up with Sandy's goody-two-shoes behavior: Sandy chokes on a cigarette, cannot stand the taste of wine, and is horrified at the idea of having her ears pierced. Frenchy insists and takes her into the bathroom, but Sandy vomits at the first sight of blood. Frenchy announces to Jan (Jamie Donnelly) and Marty (Dinah Manoff) that she is dropping out of Rydell and going to beauty school, which she calls a very strategic career move. Rizzo (Stockard Channing) has had enough and lampoons Sandy, and even Frenchy joins in, singing the sarcastic "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee." The T-Birds arrive outside Frenchy's house. Rizzo leaves the sleepover and she and Kenickie (Jeff Conaway) flirt, then Kenickie invites her into the car, and dumps the other T-Birds. Danny leaves of his own accord while Rizzo and Kenickie drive off together and the other T-Birds go for pizza.

Marty, the flirtatious member of The Pink Ladies, decides to write to one of her (numerous) pen pals, while Sandy goes outside, and decides that in spite of everything, she still loves Danny, singing "Hopelessly Devoted to You", a poignant love song that was added for the movie and was a big hit as a single. The scene shifts to Rizzo and Kenickie making out passionately in the back seat of his new car. They plan to take things a step further, but Kenickie's condom breaks. Rizzo, however, is unable to resist Kenickie, and they decide to have sex anyway. They are soon interrupted by Leo (Dennis Cleveland Stewart), leader of rival gang The Scorpions, who damages Kenickie's car. While at work repairing the car, the T-Birds fantasize about what it will look like when it has had a paint job, singing "Greased Lightning". Soon Danny gets the other T-Birds convinced that the rickety old car could actually be a "major piece of machinery". Later, Danny meets Sandy at the Frosty Palace, and tries to apologize for his actions.

He sees that Sandy is sharing a soda with Tom Chisum (Lorenzo Lamas), a jock, and decides that if that's the sort of man she likes, he's going to join the jocks to impress her. We next see Danny's disastrous performances in basketball, wrestling, and baseball, where he keeps losing his temper. He finally finds his ideal sport in running, until the sight of Sandy distracts him, and he falls. Sandy leaves Tom Chisum to see if Danny is alright, and they are seemingly reconciled. Danny attempts to go to the Frosty Palace with Sandy so that they can be alone and not worry about ruining his image in front of his friends. They end up discovering the T-Birds and Pink Ladies are already there and Danny finds it hard to charm Sandy without looking weak in front of his friends. After everyone leaves the malt shop, Frenchy, who has been hiding her pink hair under a scarf, imagines a guardian angel to tell her what to do with her life, who turns out to be Frankie Avalon singing "Beauty School Dropout". Later, Danny takes Sandy to the school dance, where the TV show National Bandstand plans to broadcast live.

Rizzo, now angry with Kenickie, takes the rival gang's leader, Leo, to the dance, thus enticing Kenickie to take the rival gang leader's girlfriend, Cha Cha DiGregorio (Annette Charles) who is also Danny's ex-girlfriend. The disc jockey Vince Fontaine (Edd Byrnes) is attracted to Marty and the two flirt. The dance features several well-known songs from the '50s covered by Sha Na Na. During the dance-off, Rizzo leaves in a huff, seeing Kenickie dancing with Cha Cha, and Danny and Sandy are one of the few couples still in the dance-off. But soon, Sonny pulls Sandy away from Danny, and Cha Cha starts dancing with Danny. Sandy realizes that Cha Cha was one of Danny's past girlfriends and a much better dancer. Sandy leaves the gym upset, and Danny and Cha Cha end up winning the contest. When they share their spotlight dance, three of the T-Birds run in front of the camera and moon the crowd. Later, Danny takes Sandy to a drive-in movie. Danny tries to remove the class ring he is wearing to give it to her, but in doing so he accidentally elbows Sandy in the chest.

Danny gives Sandy the ring and she kisses him on the cheek, saying she realizes now he respects her. The scene cuts to Marty and Rizzo in the drive-in's restroom. Rizzo's unprotected sex with Kenickie has come back to haunt her--she tells Marty she missed a period. One of the T-Birds, Sonny (Michael Tucci), overhears Marty accidentally proclaiming to couples making out outside the restroom to make way for the "lady with a baby", and asks Marty what she meant so she tells him the story and the rumor spreads quickly. When Kenickie asks Rizzo why she didn't tell him about it, she lies and tells him it isn't his out of anger. He thanks her sarcastically, and leaves her standing by herself. Marty has also suffered as a result of her crush on Vince Fontaine--she reveals to Rizzo that she caught him trying to put an aspirin in her Coke. Back in the car Danny has his arm around Sandy. His hand lingers above her chest and she sees it and he starts trying to make out with her.

She screams, gets out of the car, slams the door on Danny, throws back his ring (which she calls a "piece of tin"), and leaves the drive-in. Danny laments losing Sandy again, and reveals the true extent of his feelings for her in the song "Sandy" he is helpless without her. The next scene is the race between Leo and Kenickie in the Los Angeles River. Kenickie asks Danny to be his second, and Marty gives Kenickie a lucky penny. She drops it, and as Kenickie bends down to pick it up, he gets knocked out when one of the T-Birds opens the car door. As a result, Danny has to race in Kenickie's place. Sandy sits on the hill watching the neck-and-neck race, which Danny manages to win. While she is happy to see Danny win, she has misgivings about her own image, reflected in the song "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)". As the T-Birds and Pink Ladies celebrate with Danny, Frenchy spots Sandy and goes over to her.

Sandy thinks that Frenchy can help her win Danny's heart, and asks to go over to her house to take advantage of Frenchy's suspect fashion skills. On the last day of school carnival, Danny arrives, wearing a letterman's sweater (earned through track) over his usual black attire. Sandy arrives wearing a black leather jacket, red peep-toe high heeled sandals, skintight black pants, off-the-shoulder top, curled hair, and smoking a cigarette abandoning her usual modest clothing. Danny finds her extremely attractive, falling at her feet, and then the two reunite, singing the upbeat "You're the One That I Want" (another song added for the movie, and a hit single before the movie even came out). Kenickie and Rizzo get together after Rizzo screamed from the Ferris wheel that she is not pregnant after all, and everyone sings the big finale, "We Go Together", and Danny and Sandy fly off in Danny's car and disappear into the sky. Synopsis The Original Pink Ladies | Feature | Chicago Reader The Original Pink Ladies Chicago's Pink Ladies at a sleepover.

click to flip through (2) A Pink Lady in her varsity jacket The Original Grease Opens Mon 5/2, 7 PM. Through 6/5: Thu-Fri 8 PM, Sat 3 and 8 PM, Sun 3 PM, American Theater Company, 1909 W. Byron, 773-404-4125, atcweb.org , $35-$40, opening night $50. In 1971, friends dragged me to see Grease, a musical that was getting its premiere run at Kingston Mines Theatre, on what was then the new Off-Loop theater strip along Lincoln Avenue near Fullerton. The story of a bunch of hoody teens from a school the authors called "Rydell High," the show featured Chicago-specific references to Foster Beach and Melrose Park. Also a girl gang, the Pink Ladies. "There were Pink Ladies at Taft High when my sister went there," I whispered to my friend Sue. "This is fiction, silly," she replied. "There are no Pink Ladies." She was so wrong.

I was a preschooler in 1957 when my sister Sharon came home from Taft, in Norwood Park, bearing tales about the scary group of girls known as the Pink Ladies. She said they hung out in front of the school and stood tough as they puffed cigarettes, wearing stern-faced wha'-chu-lookin'-at expressions. Their black flats, nylons, and pencil-slim skirts were topped with varsity jackets emblazoned with a champagne glass bubbling over in pink embroidery. Their eyes were smoky with makeup and their billowy hair was haloed in scarves tied taut at the chin, like the strap on a combat helmet. Jim Jacobs, who wrote Grease with Warren Casey, graduated from Taft the same year my sister did. He based the show on his experiences there, which included bleacher observations of the Pink Ladies. Casey, who died in 1988, drew on memories of teaching high school in New York state. "The Pink Ladies were the toughest broads I've ever seen, before or since," says Jacobs, now 68.

He remembers them stowing razor blades in their teased hair, in case girls from another gang attacked them, and carrying church key can openers, not just to pop a Hamm's but to use for protection. The original Grease was appropriately raw. In his rave review for the Chicago Tribune, William Leonard called the characters "a bunch of foul-mouthed, lazy, brawling, useless, cheating, disrespectful no-goods" and warned the show was "for those who don't mind dirty four-letter words and lots of them." But when it left Chicago for Broadway, Jacobs says, he and Casey were pressured to clean up the racy lyrics and write new ones for general audiences. In the car-sex anthem "Greased Lightning," for example, a lyric that originally read "the chicks will cream" became "the chicks will scream," and the line "You really are a clown if you think that I'll go down in greased lightning" got cut altogether. Jacobs and Casey dumped the Chicago references, too. By the time the sun-soaked California film version came along in 1978, Grease was squeaky clean enough for Olivia Newton-John to star. In a 2009 blog post addressed to "Mr.

and Ms. Chicago Producers," current Tribune critic Chris Jones pleaded for a revival of the nasty old Grease. American Theater Company artistic director PJ Paparelli liked the idea and called Jacobs. They decided to restore some old material from the Kingston Mines days and add new DJ patter. The results can be seen now in an ATC production that began previews April 21 and opens a planned eight-week run on May 2. "It isn't a museum piece or a gloss production," says Paparelli. "It's not the Grease we know. We're taking what we've learned from the iconic Grease of the past 40 years and crafting it to an edgy level to really allow Chicago to see itself in the characters." Even the good-girl lead character, Sandy, is slated to sing a suggestive number that didn't make it into the Broadway version. Called "Kiss It," the song's got her crooning, "Kiss it right where I'm tender." The Pink Ladies got started somewhere between 1953 and 1955, depending on whom you ask, and lasted into the early 60s , with anywhere from a handful to nearly 50 members at any given time.

Many of them were the children of inner-city Roman Catholics who'd come to Norwood Park looking for a first home after World War II. The club's name resulted from a stunt some friends pulled on Sunday afternoons after church when they were 16 years old. Dressing up in sophisticated hats, heels, and gloves, they hit the downtown clubs, anxious to dance. "Before long," recalls Zipper, a member who didn't want her real name used, "we were sitting pretty and sipping pink ladies"—a frothy gin-and-grenadine cocktail that, according to another club member, Rose Marie Doladee Marinelli, was served to them without the alcohol. "There was no Rizzo or Frenchy," says Pink Lady Sandra Pavlik Brigante, referring to a pair of Grease creations—the former a hard-shelled bad girl, the latter an airhead who dreams of being a beautician. Brigante paints a picture at odds with Jacobs's vision of razor-toting JDs. "We liked to play volleyball, plan which parties and dances we wanted to attend, then hung out at Canale's Pizza on Higgins," she says. "We kept it official.

Paid club dues and raised money for children's charities." And they were chartered as a social athletic club. Otherwise, the Pink Ladies might've been considered a gang and harassed by the cops. The main thing, says Zipper, was the dancing. But Marinelli remembers things differently. Grease's depiction is "true to us," she says. "You had to act tough in a public high school dominated by people who never went to a Catholic elementary school, as we had. You needed friends. It was survival." To qualify for membership in a parallel all-male club known as the Goombas— one of several with a claim to being the model for Grease's Burger Palace Boys—a kid had to win a fistfight with someone from a different neighborhood. The Goombas would drag race and occasionally scuffle with a rival gang from Park Ridge called the Vanguards. Zipper says they also rumbled down by the rocks at Montrose Beach. "We didn't use guns, but some guys from Steinmetz High School came around one night, stuck a shotgun out a car window, and fired," recalls Goomba Leo Golda.

"They put a hole in one guy's car radiator, but that was the extent of it." Marinelli and Brigante each claim to have originated the Pink Lady varsity jacket, which came with a detachable hood. Marinelli says she did it as a way to assert herself at a school where she had no boyfriend and felt like an outsider. "We said, 'We don't need boys to give us jackets. We've got our own.'" Brigante asserts that it was she who had the inspiration and got the jackets made, adding that when she picked them up she was surprised to find that the champagne-glass insignas had been embellished with bright red cherries. "I told the shop owner that Pink Ladies don't have cherries," she says— although they generally do—then laughs. "Well, we were all virgins anyhow." That's another point on which people differ. "There was a good portion of sex going on," says Golda. "In automobiles, in garages, at the drive-in movies." "Our motto was 'be tough, act tough, be a lover boy,'" notes Goomba Rich Bollman, who dropped out of high school to marry his 15-year-old Pink Lady girlfriend.

"Among the girls," says Pink Lady Phyllis Stratton, "I think I was the only virgin." Screen Junkies Grease Characters: Get to Know the T-Birds and Pink Ladies something here The many dynamic "Grease" characters that make up the popular musical are all endearing in their own ways. They may be flawed and in some ways stereotypical, but all of the principle "Grease" characters add to the charm of the musical set in the 50s. Here are some of the best known and best loved "Grease" characters: Sandy Olsen: Shy and naive, Sandy Olsen is an Australian student at Rydel school ' target='_blank'>High School who enters the school year as the new girl . Despite her sweet demeanor and her modest style , she soon falls in with the school's girl gang, the Pink Ladies. Her wish to expand her horizons and become more than just the school goody-two-shoes drives much of the drama of the story. Danny Zuko: The love interest of Sandy, Danny Zuko also wants to be more than his high school persona.

As a greaser and member of the T-Birds , he has done little during high school other than fix cars , race and hang out with the rest of the gang. Falling in love with Sandy makes him strive to do more in order to win her over. Danny and Sandy are the most dynamic of the "Grease" characters because of their wish to expand their worlds in order to reach out to each other. Betty Rizzo: The bad girl of Rydell High, Betty Rizzo disdains rules and shy girls like Sandy. She is called Rizzo, or just Rizz, by her friends. She holds other "Grease" characters at bay with her sarcasm and rebellious nature . Her pregnancy scare creates one of the most dramatic story lines. Frenchy: Though most of the principle "Grease" characters change their natures in some way, Frenchie is the only one who changes her vocation. She leaves high school in order to go to beauty school. Instead of beginning her career, however, she fails her courses and drops out of beauty school. She returns in "Grease 2" to finish high school.

Principal McGee: Even as she attempts to befriend and guide her students , Principal McGee is generally shocked by them and their behavior. - Lizz Shepherd Detail view of Movies Page Summary: As teenagers Danny and Sandy frolic on the beach, Sandy laments that they may not see each other again when the summer holiday ends and she returns to Australia, but Danny insists that their romance is just beginning. Sometime later, on the first day back to class at Rydell High School, Danny brags about his beach lover to his friends in the “T-Bird” gang of boys, also known as “greasers.” However, Danny is unaware that Sandy has not gone back to Australia, after all, and he does not see her as she arrives for her first day of class at Rydell. Meanwhile, a group of tough girls called the “Pink Ladies” rejoice at their newfound authority as high school seniors. At lunch, Sandy’s friend, Frenchy, introduces Sandy to the Pink Ladies: Rizzo, Jan, and Marty. Sandy describes her virtuous summer romance to the girls while Danny, on the other side of campus, recounts his lusty conquest to the greasers.

When Sandy reveals the name of her suitor, the girls giggle and Rizzo, who once dated Danny, declares that Sandy may discover her “Prince Charming” where she least expects him. Later, at a pep rally for Rydell’s failing football team, Sandy performs with the cheerleading squad and flirts with football player Tom Chisum. Meanwhile, T-Bird greasers Doody, Sonny, and Putzie inspect a jalopy that the gang’s leader, Kenickie, purchased with earnings from his summer job. Kenickie insists that with a little work, the car will be a perfect place to seduce young women. The Pink Ladies plot a surprise reunion between Sandy and Danny, then lead their Australian friend to Kenickie’s car. Although the couple is initially delighted to reconnect, Danny realizes that his friends disapprove of his chivalrous banter and assumes a disaffected tone to shrug her off. Confused and hurt, Sandy calls Danny a “fake” and runs away in tears. Frenchy consoles Sandy by inviting her to a Pink Lady slumber party.

There, Sandy tries in vain to smoke cigarettes, drink wine, and have her ears pierced to fit in with the girls, but the girls mock Sandy’s prudery. Frenchy announces that she is dropping out of Rydell to attend beauty school. When the T-Birds arrive in search of Sandy, Rizzo climbs out the window and seduces Kenickie. Frustrated by breaking with Sandy, Danny storms away as Kenickie and Rizzo drive off in the jalopy. Back at the slumber party, Sandy mourns the loss of Danny and reflects that she is “hopelessly devoted” to him. Meanwhile, at a lovers’ lookout, Kenickie realizes the condom he bought in 7th grade is broken and Rizzo, in the heat of passion, decides to make love anyway. The couple is interrupted by Leo, the leader of the Scorpions, a rival gang, and his girl friend, Cha Cha, who back into the jalopy and leave another dent.

Back at Rydell, the T-Birds convene at shop class with Kenickie’s car and Danny tells his friends how they can transform the vehicle into “greased lightning.” Sometime later at Frosty Palace, a local diner, Danny is upset at seeing Sandy sharing an ice cream sundae with Tom Chisum, the football player. When Sandy goes to the jukebox, Danny apologizes for his behavior and makes fun of Tom, but Sandy accuses him of jealousy and criticizes his poor athleticism. Back at Rydell, Danny seeks physical education from Coach Calhoun, but the boy is unable to conform to game rules and, as a last resort, Calhoun puts Danny on the track team. Sometime later, Sandy sees Danny trip over a track hurdle and consoles him; the couple rekindles their romance and plan to go to the upcoming dance contest. On a date at Frosty Palace, Danny is eager to conceal their relationship but the T-Birds and Pink Ladies congregate at their table. As Rizzo and Kenickie fight, the diner closes and the friends disperse. Lingering behind, Frenchy confesses to Vi, the waitress, that she dropped out of beauty school.

She fantasizes about a teen angel, who encourages her to go back to Rydell. Later, at school, Rizzo makes Kenickie jealous by seducing his rival, Leo, and then arriving at the nationally televised dance contest as Leo’s date. In response, Kenickie partners with Leo’s girl friend and Danny’s former lover, Cha Cha. After Principal McGee and Coach Calhoun explain the rules of the contest, National Bandstand host Vince Fontaine launches the dance-off and begins eliminating contestants. With Sandy and Danny in the lead, Cha Cha breaks into their routine. Sandy runs away in tears as Danny and Cha Cha are declared champions and sway to “Blue Moon.” Sandy and Danny later reunite at a drive-in movie theater, even though she is still upset about Cha Cha. Her mood improves when Danny gives her a ring to symbolize his loyalty. Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Rizzo tells Pink Lady Marty that she might be pregnant and the rumor spreads throughout the drive-in. Kenickie assumes he is responsible, so he offers to help Rizzo, but she claims the baby belongs to another boy and Kenickie is hurt by her infidelity.

In Danny’s car, Sandy is dismayed by his attempts to kiss her and runs away after tossing his ring into the car. Danny laments their split and hopes they will one day stay together forever. Sometime later, shop class teacher Mrs. Murdock admires Kenickie’s refurbished car and wishes the T-Bird boys well in their race against Leo and the Scorpions at Thunder Road. In a dry concrete riverbed, Leo announces that the winner of the race will be awarded ownership of their rival’s vehicle. When Kenickie is momentarily knocked unconscious by the car door, Danny takes over as driver. Sandy watches from afar as Danny wins the race and is celebrated as a hero. She wishes to fit into Danny’s crowd and asks Frenchy to help her transform her uptight image. At a carnival on the last day of school, Rizzo tells Kenickie that she is not pregnant after all, and they make up. Danny arrives in a letterman sweater that he earned on the track team, hoping his new look will impress Sandy. He tells the T-Birds that he will stop at nothing to win Sandy back. Just then, Sandy shows up in a skin tight, black ensemble.

Electrified by Sandy’s new appearance, Danny peels off his sweater and falls at her feet, where she stamps out her cigarette and warns him that he “better shape up.” The T-Birds and Pink Ladies worry they might not remain friends after graduation, but Danny insists they will always be together. Production Company: Music: Songs: "Grease," music and lyric by Barry Gibb, sung by Frankie Valli; "Sandy," music by Louis St. Louis, lyric by Scott J. Simon; "You're The One That I Want," music and lyrics by John Farrar; "Hopelessly Devoted To You," music and lyrics by John Farrar; "Summer Nights," by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, sung by John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John, published by Edwin H. Morris & Company; "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee," by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, sung by Stockard Channing, published by Edwin H. Morris & Company; "Freddy My Love," by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, sung by Cindy Bullens, published by Edwin H.

Morris & Company; "Greased Lightning," by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, sung by John Travolta & Jeff Conaway, published by Edwin H. Morris & Company; "Beauty School Dropout," by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, sung by Frankie Avalon, published by Edwin H. Morris & Company; "Rock 'N' Roll Party Queen," by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, sung by Louis St. Louis, published by Edwin H. Morris & Company; "It's Raining On Prom Night," by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, sung by Cindy Bullens, published by Edwin H. Morris & Company; "Those Magic Changes," by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, sung by Sha-Na-Na, published by Edwin H. Morris & Company; "Born To Hand-Jive," by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, sung by Sha-Na-Na, published by Edwin H. Morris & Company; "Mooning," by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, sung by Louis St. Louis & Cindy Bullens, published by Edwin H. Morris & Company; "There Are Worse Things I Could Do," by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, sung by Stockard Channing, published by Edwin H.

Morris & Company; "Alma Matter," by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, sung by Cast, published by Edwin H. Morris & Company; "We Go Together," by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, sung by John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John & Cast, published by Edwin H. Morris & Company; "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing," written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster; "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," written by D. Williams & S. David, sung by Jerry Lee Lewis, courtesy of Sun International Corporation; "Rock 'N' Roll Is Here To Stay," written by D. White, sung by Sha-Na-Na; "Tears On My Pillow," written by S. Bradford & A. Lewis, sung by Sha-Na-Na; "Hound Dog," written by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, sung by Sha-Na-Na; "La Bamba," written and sung by Ritchie Valens, courtesy of IRA Records; "Blue Moon," written by Richard Rogers & Lorenz Hart, sung by Sha-Na-Na.

Composer: Note: End credits include the following written statement: “Made in Hollywood, U.S.A.” While opening credits list actress Didi Conn’s character as “Frenchy,” end credits spell the character name “Frenchie.” On 30 Jan 1974, Var reported that producer Steve Krantz and animator Ralph Bakshi were in the process of acquiring film rights for the Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey musical Grease, with the intention of adapting it into an animated feature. The stage production, which opened modestly in 1972 at a “converted trolley barn” in Chicago, IL, became “the longest-running show in Broadway history” to that time within seven years, as announced in a 18 Nov 1979 LAT article. Upon the stage production's 14 Feb 1972 New York City opening at the off-Broadway Eden Theater, the musical received mixed reviews, with critics complaining that “Sandy’s” capitulation to peer-pressure was dishonorable. The production was further challenged when it was deemed ineligible for Tony Award consideration because it was not playing on Broadway.

According to LAT, Grease producers Kenneth Waissman and Maxine Fox filed a lawsuit against ABC-television “to enjoin them [ABC] from showing the Tonys.” Although Waissman and Fox knew the case was impossible to win, it proved to be sufficiently threatening to ABC, and Grease was approved for Tony eligibility with nominations in seven categories. The publicity resulting from the lawsuit and the ensuing nominations led to increased ticket sales. As noted in LAT, the producers endeavored to maintain the popularity of Grease by casting high-caliber actors as replacements for the original performers, including Richard Gere, Treat Williams, and John Travolta. Travolta had played the supporting roles of “Doody” and “Sonny” in the stage production. According to a 26 Mar—1 Apr 1998 Dramalogue article, the Krantz-Bakshi option lapsed after two years, allowing producers Robert Stigwood and Allan Carr to purchase the musical’s film rights in 1976. Carr paid the amount of $200,000 with his personal funds in monthly installments, per his agreement with Waissman and Fox.

According to various sources, including Stephen Tropiano’s 2011 book Grease, Carr’s adaptation of the musical transferred the action from urban Chicago to a generic representation of U.S. suburbs, reflecting the personal experience of a wider audience. In a 15 Mar 1998 LAT article, published upon the rerelease of Grease, director Randal Kleiser stated that he and choreographer Patricia Birch, who had also choreographed the original theatrical production, worked together to envision the musical numbers for the screen. The car race at the climax of the picture was originally written to evoke the chariot scene in Ben Hur (1959, see entry), with vehicles speeding around a high school track like gladiators. However, the scene was rewritten to utilize the cement enclosure of the Los Angeles, CA, riverbed due to budget constraints. Other changes from the stage show included the addition of several songs, including “Sandy,” with music by Louis St. Louis, and lyrics by Scott J. Simon, who was also known as “Screamin’” Scott Simon from the music group Sha-Na-Na.

The band appeared in the film as “Johnny Casino & The Gamblers” and performed many of the picture’s previously released hit songs for the soundtrack. Olivia Newton-John’s music producer and songwriter, John Farrar, wrote “You’re The One That I Want” and “Hopelessly Devoted To You,” which became hit singles upon the film’s release. According to Kleiser, “Hopelessly Devoted To You” was written during the middle of production and added to the film because Newton-John was contractually entitled to a solo and song approval. The scene in which “Sandy” wanders through the backyard singing “Hopelessly Devoted To You” was one of the last sequences shot during production, and it was filmed in a single take. Also new to the film version of Grease was Barry Gibb’s theme song, “Grease.” Kleiser noted that he was initially troubled by the lyrics and tune of the song, which he found dark and inconsistent with the optimistic theme of 1950s teenagers. In addition, the opening credits were animated to the rhythm of a different song titled “Grease” by Bradford Craig.

When Kleiser asked Gibb to change the lyrics to something more upbeat, Gibb suggested Kleiser shoot a serious scene for the movie, to reflect the mood of the song. Gibb’s “Grease,” performed by Frankie Valli, was used in its original form and became a number one hit single in the U.S. Grease marked Kleiser’s feature film directorial debut. His previous experience with musical productions consisted of uncredited background acting work on films including Double Trouble (1967, see entry) and Hello, Dolly! (1969, see entry) while he was studying filmmaking at the University of Southern California (USC). Kleiser had previously directed John Travolta in the 1976 ABC television movie, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.

When Travolta was cast in Grease as “Danny,” a role initially offered to Henry Winkler, according to the 19 Jun 1978 HR, he had recently become famous for his role on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter (ABC, 9 Sep 1975—10 Aug 1979) and had starred in the yet unreleased Saturday Night Fever (1977, see entry). As stated in the 13 Jun 1977 edition of People and Kleiser’s LAT article, Travolta’s girl friend at the time, Diana Hyland, who he met on the set of The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, died from cancer shortly before production for Grease was set to begin. Kleiser noted that the cast and crew tried to keep the set upbeat to help Travolta recover from his loss.

Although the Mar 1998 edition of Premiere stated that the role of “Sandy” was originally offered to Susan Dey, and a 29 Jan 1979 LAT news item reported that Marie Osmond turned down the part “on moral grounds,” various sources, including the 15 Mar 1998 LAT, listed Olivia Newton-John as Carr’s first choice. However, she was set to turn twenty-nine years old during production, and was reticent to play the role of a teenager for her U.S. feature film debut. She agreed to accept the part on condition she approved her screen test. An 8 Aug 1977 People news item announced that Lorenzo Lamas, the son of actors Fernando Lamas and Arlene Dahl, had replaced Steven Ford, the son of President Gerald Ford, in the role of “Tom Chisum.” Casting also included a nation-wide contest in which forty-two teenagers were treated to a Los Angeles working vacation, according to a 31 Aug 1977 HR announcement. The youths performed as background actors in a scene filmed on 30 Aug 1977 at Venice High School.

According to production notes in AMPAS library files, principal photography began one month earlier, on 27 Jun 1977, at Paramount Pictures studios and locations in and around Los Angeles, including Venice High School, which provided the exteriors of the film’s Rydell High School. Interior classroom scenes were filmed at Huntington High School, and the carnival finale was shot at John Marshall High School. All of the fantasy sequences and production numbers were filmed on Paramount soundstages. Kleiser’s LAT article added the Pickwick Drive-In Theatre in Burbank, CA, as a location. On 14 Sep 1977, Var announced that filming was set to conclude that day on the Paramount lot. In a 20 Mar 1998 HR article, Carr reported the budget as $6 million, and noted that the cost was half the amount of average Hollywood feature films at the time. He stated that due to the budget, every scene was planned carefully, and “everything we shot” remained in the final print; no songs or dance numbers were removed in post-production.

A 16 Nov 1977 Var brief announced that Paramount was booking the film at theaters in preparation for a 10 May 1978 release with “steep terms,” including an eleven-week minimum engagement and a $100,000 “upfront guarantee for each house.” According to a 22 Mar 1978 Var article, Paramount provided theaters with a fifteen-minute musical short about the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, “presented” by Pepsi Cola, to run as a trailer for Grease. Although Paramount was engaged in a $2.5 million “promotional tie-in” advertising campaign with Pepsi at that time, studio vice-president Frank Mancuso argued that Paramount was not using the featurette to promote Pepsi, and was against “screen advertising in any form.” However, the 18 Nov 1979 LAT stated that Paramount had agreed to screen a thirty-second commercial for the stage version of Grease at the end of the picture as part of the “movie deal” with stage producers Waissman and Fox.

On 31 May 1978, Var announced that Travolta’s recent success in Saturday Night Fever caused Paramount to reconsider its release plan for Grease, which was originally scheduled for a twelve-week test run at four theaters in Chicago, IL, starting in May 1978. The studio reportedly pushed back the opening of another Paramount release, Warren Beatty’s Heaven Can Wait (1978, see entry), so that it would not compete with Grease. As noted in a 21 Jun 1978 Var news item, Grease premiered 15 Jun 1978 at Chicago’s State-Lake Theatre, where Olivia Newton-John sustained bruised ribs while trying to pass through a crowd of nearly 3,000 onlookers. The film opened to widespread critical acclaim and box-office success on 16 Jun 1978. Over the next year, Grease grossed approximately $200 million, making it second only to Star Wars (1977, see entry) as the highest earning film in motion picture history to that time, according to the 18 Nov 1979 LAT.

Upon its Mar 1998 rerelease, the picture had earned “$360 million worldwide, making it the highest grossing movie musical ever,” as noted in the 20 Mar 1998 HR. Additionally, the soundtrack had sold over twenty-two million copies and the video releases simultaneously ranked number one, for the “20th anniversary edition” and number three, for the original 1978 version, on the U.S. video sales chart, as announced in the 22 Jul 1998 DV. According to a 30 Mar 1998 DV report, Grease grossed $13 million in the first week of its reissue, marking the highest earnings for any rerelease except for the three pictures in the Star Wars trilogy (1977, 1980, and 1983, see entries). Kleiser’s 15 Mar 1998 LAT article noted that when the rerelease was approved, the 35mm music masters were discovered, but were in a nearly destroyed condition in the Paramount archives; the tracks could not be unwound or played.

The studio’s vice-president of post-production sound, Cecelia Hall, had recently learned of method “to temporarily bind the brown oxide to the clear Mylar film, at least long enough to make a transfer, by heating them.” She baked the masters in her kitchen oven and “saved the tracks, allowing the Dolby six-track mix to be done.” Kleiser also noted that he added handclaps and backup singers to the surround sound reissue mix, hoping to “encourage audience participation.” He was inspired by the picture’s transformation into an interactive sing-along event akin to The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975, see entry), where audiences would dress as characters, recite dialogue, talk back to the screen, and perform musical numbers. Twelve years after Grease’s twentieth anniversary reissue, the 6 Jun 2010 DV announced that “sing-along screenings” of the film would take place in cities across the nation including New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. As of Oct 2013, the “Grease Sing-A-Long” has become a summer tradition at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, as well as a nationwide event at select theaters.

The film was followed by a sequel, Grease 2 (1982, see entry), which marked the directorial debut of choreographer Patricia Birch. It was also developed into an ice skating show called Grease – On Ice, as announced in the 11 Jun 1998 HR. On 18 Apr 2000, The Times (London) reported speculation that Britney Spears had agreed to star in a third film in the Grease series, “focusing on the lives of the children of the characters originally played by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta.” As of Jan 2014, this third Grease feature film remains unproduced. Grease was nominated for one Academy Award in the category Music (Original Song) for John Farrar’s “Hopelessly Devoted To You.” It also ranked #20 on AFI’s list of “The 25 Greatest Musicals of All Time.” Grease (1978) -- (Movie Clip) Summer Nights You will receive an email shortly to confirm your email address.

Grease (1978) -- (Movie Clip) Summer Nights title details and video sharing options now playing Grease (1978) -- (Movie Clip) Summer Nights Danny (John Travolta) with T-Birds (Jeff Conaway, Michael Tucci, Barry Pearl, Kelly Ward), Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) and Pink Ladies (Didi Conn, Stockard Channing, Dina Manoff, Jamie Donnelly) tell differing summer stories with Summer Nights, the first number in Grease, 1978. View the TCMDb entry for Grease (1978) share video Grease (1978) -- (Movie Clip) Summer Nights Danny (John Travolta) with T-Birds (Jeff Conaway, Michael...

Grease (1978) -- (Movie Clip) Summer Nights Danny (John Travolta) with T-Birds (Jeff Conaway, Michael Tucci, Barry Pearl, Kelly Ward), Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) and Pink Ladies (Didi Conn, Stockard Channing, Dina Manoff, Jamie Donnelly) tell differing summer stories with Summer Nights, the first number in Grease, 1978.> A prim Australian exchange student... Grease - (Original Trailer) "A prim Australian exchange student (Olivia Newton-John) falls for a high school gang leader (John Travolta) in the hit musical, Grease (1978)."> Grease (1978) -- (Movie Clip) Greased Lightning Working with Kenicke (Jeff Conaway) on his car, the T-Birds...

Grease (1978) -- (Movie Clip) Greased Lightning Working with Kenicke (Jeff Conaway) on his car, the T-Birds (Michael Tucci, Kelly Ward, Barry Pearl) join Danny (John Travolta), in Greased Lightning by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, in Grease, 1978.> Grease trailer Grease trailer A prim Australian exchange student... Grease - (Original Trailer) "A prim Australian exchange student (Olivia Newton-John) falls for a high school gang leader (John Travolta) in the hit musical, Grease (1978)."> Grease (1978) -- (Movie Clip) Greased Lightning Working with Kenicke (Jeff Conaway) on his car, the T-Birds...

Grease (1978) -- (Movie Clip) Greased Lightning Working with Kenicke (Jeff Conaway) on his car, the T-Birds (Michael Tucci, Kelly Ward, Barry Pearl) join Danny (John Travolta), in Greased Lightning by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, in Grease, 1978.> Grease (1978) -- (Movie Clip) So This Is Rydell? Introducing Kenicke (Jeff Conaway) and the T-Birds (Barry... Grease (1978) -- (Movie Clip) So This Is Rydell? Introducing Kenicke (Jeff Conaway) and the T-Birds (Barry Pearl, Michael Tucci, Kelly Ward) with Danny (John Travolta), then Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) with Frenchy (Didi Conn), followed by Pink Ladies (Stockard Channing, Jamie Donnelly, Dinah Manoff), first day of school in Grease, 1978.> 22 Sep ’09 What young girl doesn’t want to be in the ‘Pink Ladies’ after seeing Grease (1978)?

They are synonymous by their satin-lined powder pink baseball-style jacket, ‘Pink Ladies’ embroidered in black scrawl on the reverse, their name on the front, worn mostly with the collar up for that rebellious touch. Celebrating impurity, they are one of the most popular and imitated girl gangs on screen. Being ‘pink’ is a sarcastic and perhaps sexual allusion. Specialist websites suggest for a Pink Lady we need their jacket and a poodle skirt, but what do the girls really wear and why? Rizzo, the Pink Ladies’ leader, is studied HERE , with this article focusing on Frenchy, Marty and Jan. All gum-cracking Pink Ladies (100,000 sticks of bubblegum used during filming!) have own reasons for singling themselves out as a clique. As individuals they differ and hence have their unique way of dressing. This was a notorious time for American teenagers when they began to have their own style rather than their parents’, later influencing British teen fashion.

It is squeaky-voiced Frenchy who is seen first, clad with PL jacket over shoulders, peachy plaid zip-front blouse, peach-yellow below calf-length pencil skirt, apricot chiffon scarf knotted to side of neck (very on-trend now, Western cowboy style), matching cardigan and wide burnt umber leather cinch with circular fastening, and pink pumps. Warm, fruity pastels for Frenchy, echoing her warm heart here, compared to Marty’s cool blues, Rizzo’s black and Jan’s grey. But Frenchy’s form-fitting outfits suggest she is no ingénue; she didn’t get the nickname ‘Frenchy’ being good. Frenchy’s experimental style, eccentric red hair with array of hair-slides and flamboyant make-up show her fascination with fashion and appearance, thus desiring to be a beautician. She constantly checks her pancake compact with beautifully manicured and painted nails, and attends to the others’ beauty needs. She isn’t clever, but her constant cheerful demeanour, profound listening skills and unrelenting poise have taken practise (the adorable actress Didi Conn actually taking work experience at a beauty school).

It is fitting that she clutches a red folder unlike the other ‘Ladies’ who rarely bother. Frenchy thinks to the future and desperately wants to succeed. For Frankie Avalon to humiliate Frenchy must be the end of her world. We see Frenchy in her ever-professional yet fitted peach-yellow short-sleeved shirt dress with pencil-style skirt , ‘La Coiffure’ (beauty school) sewn on the pocket. With oft-present white cincher, apricot cardigan over shoulders and white beads for that touch of elegance, as Frenchy wouldn’t be classy enough for pearls. Hunched over, huge red scarf clipped to her head, Frenchy reveals underneath her hot pink tinting class failure, much to the viewing audience’s delight. ‘Beauty School Drop-Out’, a trippy yet hilarious dream sequence, involves the other Pink Ladies and Grease female dancers floating and singing mock-dreamily around Frenchy’s guardian angel, evidently having fled her beauty salon.

Wearing silver Marge Simpson-esque torpedo roller wigs, sparkling caped ‘angelette’ smock dresses and silver stiletto-heeled delicate sandals drying out their long pinky-red nails and immaculate make-up, it is ironic that the Pink Ladies are dressed angelically, adding humour to the scene. Now blonde, Doody tells Frenchy at the dance-off she looks like “a beautiful blonde pineapple”, ad-libbed by actor Barry Pearl. She looks the sweet and fanciful girl she is in a lemon chiffon (another fruity colour) dress with two sets of thin straps in lemon and lilac covered in ruffles, silvery bits, red and green florals, yellow bow with red bow on top to one side of her hoiked-up cleavage and thin red waistband going out into a wide skirt. This, paired with lemon feathers and lilac flowers in her hair, white chiffon wrist gloves with red ribbon to the cuff, little silver pouch purse and lemon t-bar high-heels, is fussy, yet romantic and so Frenchy. She would have perused fashion magazines, discovered these were ‘in vogue’ for a prom queen, and worn them all at once.

Sex kitten Marty Maraschino sees herself as the sultry, seductive Pink Lady. Her clothes accentuate her to-die-for body – first she wears PL jacket, girly pale pink cashmere v-neck (her v-neck and scooped neck sweaters are voluptuous rather than revealing, possibly wearing a conical-stitched bra underneath, as “foam domes” were common-place in the 1950s), dark blue cincher and matching pencil skirt, small tight chiffon scarf around neck, leather frame handbag and flats. Soft-featured Marty wears delicate jewellery, e.g. fine gold love-heart necklace and ring, all chosen perfectly compared to Frenchy’s clutter. Notice how her virgin pin, mentioned at Frenchy’s sleepover, is significantly unworn. With her impeccable style and big, glamourous hair, Marty seems to model herself on film stars of the day. Although confident in her looks, she has her own insecurities as demonstrated with those jewel-encrusted, fashionable cat-eyed sunglasses, asking “don’t you think they make me look smarter”? At face value, Marty may be classy but once she speaks there is little there.

The superb Dinah Manoff’s standout scene is the dance-off, wearing a bottle green strapless ruched cocktail dress with diamante circular cluster between the bosom. Tight-fitting apart from a slight flare at the bottom, it goes just past the knee, but Vince Fontaine is drawn exactly where Marty wants as she jiggles about hornily yet awkwardly, cigarette holder between ripe “Maraschino, like the cherry” lips. Her hair in a sophisticated ‘up-do’ with ruffled dress-matching ornament, drop pearl earrings, gold bracelet and clutch bag with matching high heels, Marty has seemed sexually repressed until now, spraying perfume innocently onto ‘penpal’s’ letters, faced here with the real prospect of a ‘romp’ with her dream older man. She looks grown-up, but the adolescent is revealed in her giggling shyness. For all of you blooper spotters out there, you’d be forgiven for thinking non-dancer Dinah Manoff had a few too many – she can barely stand up in her heels and sports knee pads! Jan undergoes almost as much of an image change as Sandy throughout, albeit more gradual.

Always eating, supposedly “fat”, shown through loose clothing, silly hairstyles and ridiculous posture and facial expressions, rather than reveal magical Donnelly’s slim figure. We meet Jan in her signature look – baggy grey sweatshirt, little orange shirt collar poking through, huge orange-red, black and cream tartan skirt, white bobbysox and black Cuban-heeled leather shoes. An outfit her mother might have picked; Jan appears to hold no regard for fashion here with this hideous array, coupled with daft pigtails (dyed dark brown, her parting being coloured in with marker pen as her hair grew, as the actress was prematurely grey) in cream elastics. Her saving grace is her PL jacket, slightly too small, cuffs rolled up, and her trendy tortoiseshell sunglasses inlaid with diamante butterflies. Jan needs the Pink Ladies the most, as it gives her a sense of identity and popularity she may not otherwise have, not being a particularly pretty or clever girl. Surely no coincidence that she wears her PL jacket the most. But Jan brings her qualities to the group, making them look good and keeping the Ladies amused.

Jan’s big moment, impersonating Bucky Beaver in the Ipana toothpaste commercial at Frenchy’s sleepover, was the actress’ idea. Clad in same grey jumper, blue and white plaid shirt underneath, white and blue pyjama bottoms, pink fluffy slippers and pigtails, she contrasts with Marty and Frenchy who have obviously given thought to their nightwear, in their girly shorty babydolls and hairnets (Marty has a scarlet red robe from a boyfriend in Korea, much to the others’ envy), though they all happily don wigs to mock Sandy. Her turning point comes in a touching scene, where would-be suitor Putzie asks her to the dance-off and wins her confidence saying “there’s more to you than just fat”. Here she looks girly for the first time, although Grandma may have had the sewing machine out. In an apricot chiffon collared dress with short puffed sleeves and floral embroidery, pinched in at waistband and puffing out in a circle, cream net petticoat underneath, flashing her big white pants, Jan is in joyous spirits.

She wears white flats, a fashion step up from sensible black shoes; her hair is out of bunches and half-up under a sparkly tiara, corsage on wrist. She looks, and obviously feels like, a princess. Jan’s confidence (and diet) is evident by the carnival, wearing a tight pastel green strappy dress with white buttons down and provocative neckline, and high white sandals. Along with her delicate necklace and flowers in her beautifully-curled hair, she is ready to leave Rydell a strong, self-assured woman in love, thanks to Putzie and the Pink Ladies. Frenchy graduates happily in a significantly cute cotton white dress with huge purple polka-dots, short puffed sleeves and white cincher, garish all the way. However, the comb stuck in her belt shows she will never lose interest in preening. Her hair here was originally supposed to be green, but thankfully this was seen as a step too far. Marty decides to stick with her own age, plumping for Sonny.

In her canary yellow halter neck top, matching flower in her hair, spray-on white pedal pushers (trousers were worn only as very casual wear in the 50s’) and high white mules, she sings, dances and orders candy floss. She will always be sexy, but like all the Pink Ladies has dropped the act of ‘too cool for school’. The pink jackets are gradually discarded throughout, as they develop as individuals ready to go out into the world. Grease (1978) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC Good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance? Director: Famous Directors: From Sundance to Prominence From Christopher Nolan to Quentin Tarantino and every Coen brother in between, many of today's most popular directors got their start at the Sundance Film Festival .

Here's a list of some of the biggest names to go from Sundance to Hollywood prominence. a list of 23 titles created 21 Dec 2013 a list of 23 titles created 22 Jan 2014 a list of 27 titles created 3 months ago a list of 44 titles created 3 months ago a list of 30 images created 1 month ago Search for " Grease " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations. See more awards » Videos Spending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle. Director: Emile Ardolino A Brooklyn teenager feels his only chance to succeed is as the king of the disco floor. His carefree youth and weekend dancing help him to forget the reality of his bleak life.

Director: John Badham An English student at a 1960's American high school has to prove himself to the leader of a girls' gang whose members can only date greasers. Director: Patricia Birch After a young man is murdered, his spirit stays behind to warn his lover of impending danger, with the help of a reluctant psychic. Director: Jerry Zucker A city teenager moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace. Director: Herbert Ross When a worldly singer witnesses a mob crime, the police hide her as a nun in a traditional convent where she has trouble fitting in. Director: Emile Ardolino A poet falls for a beautiful courtesan whom a jealous duke covets. Director: Baz Luhrmann A man in a legal but hurtful business needs an escort for some social events, and hires a beautiful prostitute he meets... only to fall in love. Director: Garry Marshall Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.

Director: Mark Waters A pretty, popular teenager can't go out on a date until her ill-tempered older sister does. Director: Gil Junger A rich high school student tries to boost a new pupil's popularity, but reckons without affairs of the heart getting in the way. Director: Amy Heckerling A Pittsburgh woman with two jobs as a welder and an exotic dancer wants to get into ballet school. Director: Adrian Lyne Edit Storyline A musical about teens in love in the 50's! 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. Danny's the leader of the T-Birds, a group of black leather jacket-wearing greasers while Sandy hangs with the Pink Ladies, a group of pink-wearing girls led by Rizzo. When they clash at Rydell's first pep rally, Danny isn't the same Danny from the beach. They try to be like each other so they can be together.

Written by Alex Schultz <NedSDeclassified2967> Grease is the word See more » Genres: Rated PG-13 for sexual content including references, teen smoking and drinking, and language | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 16 June 1978 (USA) See more » Also Known As: $12,705,463 (USA) (27 March 1998) Gross: 110 min Sound Mix: DTS (re-release) (1998)| Dolby Digital (re-release) (1998)| Dolby (35 mm prints) (original release)| 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (original release) Color: Did You Know? Trivia John Travolta revealed in a 1998 interview that Linda Ronstadt was considered for Sandy. See more » Goofs Vi, the waitress, pushes the light switch with her elbow but her elbow is clearly no where near the light switch. See more » Quotes Sandy : I'm going back to Australia; I might never see you again. Danny : Don't... don't talk that way, Sandy.

Sandy : But it's true! I've just had the best summer of my life, and now I have to go away. It isn't fair. [Danny starts kissing her] Sandy : Danny, don't spoil it! Danny : It's not spoiling it, Sandy, it's only making it better. Sandy : Danny... is this the end? Danny : Of course not; it's only the beginning. The beginning credits show the main characters in cartoon form. See more » Connections (fairview, nj) – See all my reviews GREASE (1978) **** John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Jeff Conaway, Stockard Channing, Dinah Manoff, Eve Arden, Sid Caesar, Edd `Kookie' Byrnes, ShaNaNa, Frankie Avalon, Joan Blondell, Ellen Travolta, Eddie Deezen, Lorenzo Lamas.

One of the best Broadway musicals ever adapted for the big screen largely thanks to producer Allan Carr and director Randal Kleiser set at Rydell High circa 1950s with Travolta (in his other iconic role) as leather jacket wearing, hunky hood with a heart-of-gold Danny Zuko recalling his `Summer Nights' with Aussie sexpot Newton-John (in her sunny to sultry iconic turn) as goody-goody Sandy who learns some things from The Pink Ladies' tough yet tender leader Rizzo (Channing, ditto). Good old fashioned knuckle-headed comedy and toe-tapping tunes that will have you dancing and singing along to `Greased Lightning' (imagine Elvis doing this!) , the dance contest's hyper-paced `Hand Jive' sequence and the closer `We Go Together'. Title tune by Franki Valli. A film I've seen probably a hundred times and never tire of. 30 of 41 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Grease - Official® Trailer [HD] - YouTube Grease - Official® Trailer [HD] Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video?

Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jul 16, 2013 Release Date: June 16, 1978 During a visit to America, Australian Sandy meets Danny Zuko at the beach and falls in love. She is heartbroken when Summer ends and she has to return home and their last kiss on the beach is a very emotional one. But fate lends a hand - her parents decide to stay in America and she finds herself attending the same school as Danny. But Danny at school is different from Danny at the beach. He is the leader of the T-Birds, a leather clad gang, and has a reputation to keep up. He can't be seen to fall in love with just one chick! Sandy is upset and seeks solace with some new friends she has made - a female gang called The Pink Ladies. But her prim and proper virginal ways do not fit in and she soon finds herself almost alone. A change must be made. Does she attempt to get her man by turning him into a jock? Or must she get rid of her "Sandra Dee" image?

Cast: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Didi Conn, Eve Arden, Frankie Avalon, Joan Blondell, Edd Byrnes, Sid Caesar, Annette Charles Studio: Paramount Pictures Hit musical Grease on Silja Line! - Tallink & Silja Line Read more » Greasers, swing skirts and muscle cars Grease is a musical written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The premiere was in the famous Kingston Mines blues club in Chicago. The 1978 film adaptation, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, was a huge success. The musical is set in Rydell High School in the 1950s. Grease is a story of young love and all the drama that comes with it. The audience follows the love story between Sandy Dumbrowski and Danny Zuko. The story also features group pressure and identity issues of the youth during those times. Danny is the tough guy at school, the leader of a boys' gang called the T-Birds. A girl gang called the Pink Ladies buzzes around these greasers, and Sandy, a newcomer to the school, wants to join them.

The story of these young people is driven forward by fantastic music and amazing songs. A swinging journey into the world of musicals! The Grease musical is produced by the award-winning Belinda King Creative Productions company. In the creative team there are renowned musical director, vocal coach and choreographer who, who have previously worked with productions in London's West End, such as The Lion King, We will rock you and Saturday Night Fever. In this Silja Line’s version the cast consists of 15 professional performers who sing and act. Music is played by a live band. What, where, when? •1st show: 17:00–18:45 (Swedish time) • 2nd show: 19:45–21:30 (Swedish time) Duration of the show is 105 minutes, including a 15 minute interval. The bars in Atlantis Palace are open during the performance. The musical contains some intense scenes, which is why the recommended minimum age for the show is 12 years. The musical is performed in English. Customers who have booked tickets in advance are directed to their seats in their order of arrival.

If you have not booked your ticket in advance, you can request available seats at the entrance of Atlantis Palace once the people who have booked their tickets in advance have been shown in. An early bird catches the best seats Make sure you have the best seats and book your trip and tickets for the musical well in advance.

Question: Which 1978 film featured gangs called the T Birds and the Pink Ladies?
Answer: Grease