THE GREASE FILM STILL FASCINATES US

The film Grease with Jhon Travolta and Olivia Newton Jhon, even today, engages people of all ages.

I don't know if dozens or hundreds of cartoons set in Grease, have commissioned me.

I also declare myself a fan of this film since I first saw it "hundreds" of years ago (which I also lost count of) The truth is that I have seen it a few dozen times, and I still like it.

You may never have wondered what ‘Grease’ means. The literal translation of the word into English is “fat”.

In some countries such as Chile or Colombia they called it ‘Brillantina’ or in some other countries in South America they recognised it as ‘Vaselina’.

The name of the film refers to the young people of the 50 known as the "greasers". 

This is how they were identified by their hairstyles ‘greased back’, gummed and combed backwards.

We were all ecstatic with that impressive musical and just to name it, we already see his music in our head, an endless melody, for a story of teenage romance.

Olivia Newton-John asked to take a screen test before accepting the role of Sandy. (The first actress thought to play the role was Carrie Fisher) so the director decided to shoot the drive-in scene between her and Danny as a test.

The actress was delighted and accepted the film. The writers had to change the Sandy of the play a bit to make Olivia fit in.

In the original text, which takes place in Chicago,

Sandy is an American Catholic girl of Polish origin named Dumbrowski; for the film, it was changed to Sandy Olsson from Australia, since Newton-John is Australian.

One of his most iconic songs, ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’, was added after filming. When the producers realized that Sandy didn't play a ballad in the whole movie. So they composed it, the scene was shot, and it was included in the final footage. Then she would end up being nominated for Oscar for Best Original Song.

What can we say about the movie Grease, this work of art that has not yet been told?

Some curiosities about Grease:

The Casting of John Travolta y Olivia Newton-John:

It's hard to imagine anyone else playing the roles of Danny and Sandy, but the producers had other actors in mind.

Henry Winkler was considered for the role of Danny, while Sandy was to be played by Marie Osmond. However, eventually Travolta and Newton-John were chosen and became icons of cinema.

The Age of Actors:

Despite playing teenagers in the film, many of the main actors were actually more than 20 years old at the time of filming. John Travolta was 23 and Olivia Newton-John was 29 when they played high school students.

Danny's famous leather jacket:

The iconic leather jacket worn by John Travolta in the film originally had the T-Birds logo embroidered on its back. However, Travolta wanted the jacket to reflect his character's personality, so the jacket was modified to remove the logo to better reflect Danny Zuko's style.

The song "You're The One That I Want":

This song was added to the film after the main shoot was completed. Originally, the final scene was going to have a different song, but "You’re The One That I Want" was written specifically for the film after the producers felt they needed a more catchy and commercial song.

In the original musical, the topic ‘Greased Lightning’ Kenickie (plays it)Jeff Conaway), but Travolta influenced to sing that part.

The director, Randall Kleiser, He thought it was necessary to tell Conaway, who at first did not want to, but finally gave in.

Conaway was not the only one to complain to the producers, but also the majority of the cast, and even the choreographer, Patricia Birch. 

Travolta considered that this number should be for him after Olivia had been added two more songs than he has in the theatrical version; so they were more evenly matched.

The song was supposed to have some badge for Conaway who, upon filming it, fell and injured himself in the back, was forced to take painkillers, which resulted in drug abuse and later a drug addiction that would take him to the grave in 2011 at age 60.

Tribute to Elvis presley:

The scene where the Pink Ladies are having a sleepover at the house of Frenchie It also has its musical number, "Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee".

In one of the parts of the song, Rizzo picks up a poster of Elvis Presley and moves his hips like the singer. At first the image was going to be that of Sal Mineo, but just the day it was shot was the day of the death of the King of Rock & Roll. In homage to him, they changed it.

Dancing at the fair:

The choreography for the dance scene at the fair between Danny and Sandy was created at the last minute. Olivia Newton-John was sick that day and couldn't rehearse the choreography with John Travolta, so they had to improvise on the fly.

Despite this, the scene became one of the most memorable in the film.

The names of the characters:

The names of the main characters, Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson, were inspired by rock singer Danny Zuko and actress Sandra Dee.

Dee was a teenage movie star in the 1950s, which fits perfectly with the film's setting at the time.

The soundtrack of Grease:

Soundtrack Grease (1978):

1. Grease – Frankie Valli
2. Summer Nights – John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John
3. Hopelessly Devoted to You – Olivia Newton-John
4. You’re the One That I Want – John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John
5. Sandy – John Travolta
6. Beauty School Dropout – Frankie Avalon
7. Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee – Stockard Channing
8. Greased Lightnin’ – John Travolta & The T-Birds
9. It’s Raining on Prom Night – The Pink Ladies
10. Alone at a Drive-In Movie – John Travolta
11. Blue Moon – The Mavericks
12. Rock 'n' Roll Is Here to Stay – Sha Na Na
13. Those Magic Changes – Sha Na Na
14. Hound Dog – Sha Na Na
15. Born to Hand Jive – The T-Birds and The Pink Ladies
16. Tears on My Pillow – Little Anthony and the Imperials
17. We Go Together – John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John & The Cast

It is a soundtrack full of successes that has endured over the years.

Do you have any favorites on this list?

How was Grease made?

Some of the specific locations included high school Rydell High, i.e. Rydell Institute, which was actually high school Venice High School in Venice, California.

Other filming locations included Venice Beach, the Main Street Paramount Studios, and the park Griffith Park.

The dance contest scene was shot in the summer, when in the Venice High School, no classes were given.

The gym had no air conditioning and the doors had to be closed to prevent light from entering, so the building became a greenhouse.

In fact, many extras fainted of heat had to be taken out during the filming of the scene.

Originally, Sandy was not scheduled to participate in the contest.

She was supposed to be grabbed by Sonny (Michael Tucci) to deflect her and Cha Cha won. 

But Olivia Newton-John wanted to dance in the film, although she was not a professional, like Travolta, so she convinced Kleiser to let her take part in the contest for a few minutes and Sonny to enter later.

The film "Grease" was filmed mainly in two locations: Paramount Pictures studios in Hollywood, California, and at various locations in and around Los Angeles.

The choice of these locations contributed to recreating the atmosphere of the 1950s, which is the period in which the film is set. The sets and setting transport viewers to that era full of music, style and fun.

Filming of "Grease" lasted about four months.

Filming began in June 1977 and ended in September of the same year. During this period, the cast and crew worked hard to capture the film's iconic scenes, including choreographies, musical numbers, and dialogue scenes.

Although it was a demanding process, the end result became a musical film classic that continues to be loved by generations of viewers.

It is difficult to provide an exact figure of how many times "Grease" is seen today around the world, as it varies depending on different factors such as the availability of the film on streaming platforms, broadcast on television channels, screenings in cinemas and reproductions in physical formats such as DVD and Blu-ray.

However, the movie "Grease" is still very popular and has a large number of followers, so it is likely to be seen quite frequently.

It is especially common at special events, such as outdoor screenings, music movie marathons, or movie retrospectives.

Its legacy endures over time thanks to continued playback on digital media and streaming platforms, ensuring that the film continues to be enjoyed by new generations of viewers.