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1978'S Grease is the nearly perfect screen adaptation of the 1971 Broadway musical with a score by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical centers around the romance between a cheerleader/exchange student named Sandy (Olivia Newton-John)and a hood named Danny (John Travolta).
Travolta and Newton-John are charming leads but the film is practically stolen by Stockard Channing, in her knockout performance as Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies and Danny's ex. Mention should also be made of Jeff Conaway as Kenickie,inah Manoff as Marty, Eve Arden as Principal McGee, Sid Ceasar as Coach Calhoun, and Edd "Cookie" Byrnes as Vince Fontaine
The musical has been "cleaned up" for the big screen (the Broadway show was WAY raunchier) with energetic direction by Randal Kleiser and imaginative staging of the musical numbers by the stage show's choreographer Patricia Birch. Musical highlights include "Summer Nights" Danny and Sandy's duet on how they met. "Greased Lightning", "Beauty School Dropout", a very funny fantasy number led by Frankie Avalon,"Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee", "Born to Hand Jive", and Channing's solo "There are Worse Things I Could do".
As is the case with most Broadway to Movie Transitions, songs were cut and added. Some of the songs cut from the play can be heard as background music if you listen and "Grease", "You're the One that I Want", "Hopelessly Devoted to You", and "Sandy" were written especially for the movie.
For many years, this film held the record as biggest moneymaking musical film ever and the validation is up there on the screen. It's a little corny and predictable, but you can't help but get caught up. "Grease is the word have you heard have you heard it's got mood it's got feelin...grease is the time is the place is the motion...grease is the way we are feelin.
Travolta and Newton-John are charming leads but the film is practically stolen by Stockard Channing, in her knockout performance as Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies and Danny's ex. Mention should also be made of Jeff Conaway as Kenickie,inah Manoff as Marty, Eve Arden as Principal McGee, Sid Ceasar as Coach Calhoun, and Edd "Cookie" Byrnes as Vince Fontaine
The musical has been "cleaned up" for the big screen (the Broadway show was WAY raunchier) with energetic direction by Randal Kleiser and imaginative staging of the musical numbers by the stage show's choreographer Patricia Birch. Musical highlights include "Summer Nights" Danny and Sandy's duet on how they met. "Greased Lightning", "Beauty School Dropout", a very funny fantasy number led by Frankie Avalon,"Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee", "Born to Hand Jive", and Channing's solo "There are Worse Things I Could do".
As is the case with most Broadway to Movie Transitions, songs were cut and added. Some of the songs cut from the play can be heard as background music if you listen and "Grease", "You're the One that I Want", "Hopelessly Devoted to You", and "Sandy" were written especially for the movie.
For many years, this film held the record as biggest moneymaking musical film ever and the validation is up there on the screen. It's a little corny and predictable, but you can't help but get caught up. "Grease is the word have you heard have you heard it's got mood it's got feelin...grease is the time is the place is the motion...grease is the way we are feelin.