A summer fling turns into something deeper when bad-boy Danny and good-girl Sandy spend their summer together at the beach. Then Sandy has to go back to Australia and the two don’t know if they will ever see each other again. Little does Danny know, Sandy has a change of plans and soon the teens find themselves at the same school, Rydell High.
This hit Broadway musical features stars John Travolta (Welcome Back, Kotter and Saturday Night Fever) as Danny, Olivia Newton-John as Sandy, comedian Sid Caesar, and heartthrob Frankie Avalon. Randal Kleiser created this 1950s adult teenage world as his first directed feature film complete with music from the Bee-Gees.
Travolta morphed his character of Vinnie Barbarino into the equally charming leader of the T-Birds with ease. A couple of supposed high school students, like Rizzo and Danny’s ex-girlfriend Cha Cha, looked a little too much like their real age (can we say 30s and 40s?), but their believable acting made up for the shock.
The writers did an excellent job of transforming a play into an entertaining movie and the transitions into the big musical numbers were very smooth. For example, Sandy’s first day eating lunch at Rydell with the Pink Ladies evolves into the song “Summer Loving” when Sandy says she met a boy over the summer. All the while Danny is on the opposite side of the school telling the T-Birds how he spent his summer with a girl. Sandy’s innocent telling of her days at the beach throughout the song contrast to Danny’s boasting to the guys, but it is easy to see both teens care deeply about each other.
There are dance numbers on lunch tables, bleachers, a car affectionately known as “Grease Lightning!” and at the school’s Senior Fair. Sandy smokes her first cigarette while Danny learns what it is to work for what he wants. A cast full of energy makes you want to sing along.
Rediscover 1950s America full of drive-ins, soda fountains and juke boxes. Watch Grease and you will take the journey with Sandy and Danny as they recapture the feelings they had over the summer.
