On G List of Movie Reviews
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Grease (1978)
Rate:
10
Viewed:
12/04, 1/25
1/25:
Grease is the best musical of all time.
That's how the genre should be: tell a story while the music advances it. There's no question the filmmakers
had to have John Travolta as Danny Zuko because of his immense star power after what happened to
Saturday Night Fever. As a result, Paramount Studios got two smash hits in a row.
I didn't know this until now that Grease originated as a stage production, having its first run
in Chicago during 1971 before relocating to New York City and London. The performances are outstanding, and I have
to give credit to some players for making the film better: Jeff Conaway, Stockard Channing, Didi Conn,
Sid Caesar, and Eve Arden as Kenickie, Rizzo, Frenchy, and the high school coach and principal,
respectively. Prior to being cast as Sandy, Olivia Newton-John barely did any acting in her life, so this
is the one she'll always be famously associated with.
What's impressive is the incorporations of stereotypical high school traits and fashions from the 50's that keep
reminding me of three films: Rebel Without a Cause,
American Graffiti, and The Lord's of Flatbush. There are a lot of
references to pop culture, and the songs play a big part as well. Of course, it's nice to see Frankie
Avalon having a part for one musical number (Elvis Presley was considered for it, but he died a year earlier).
The most prominent negative of Grease is how old-looking everybody is for the high school setting (Stockard Channing
was 33 at the time!). But I will ignore this because it's so well-made.
Had they cast their younger counterparts, the movie wouldn't work. Also, it's not 100% pure because
of the occasional sex stuff. The third is the lack of diversity; save a black person here and there,
everybody is so white with some Italians littered throughout.
During one scene, I was concerned about the guys getting on and jumping off the cars and thought
something bad could occur. Well, it's exactly what happened to Jeff Conaway while
dancing atop the car. As a result, he developed dependency on painkiller medications to treat his back injury
before progressing to harder drugs. After Grease, he found a second life in the TV show
Taxi, but he was gone by Season Four due to his spiraling drug abuse. He would die in 2011 at age 60. By
the way, in the film, Jeff Conaway gave Stockard Channing the hickeys for real.
All in all, unfairly dismissed by the Academy Awards, Grease will always stand the test of time.