The movie begins with Danny and Sandy's initial romance in the summer of 1958, a date which can be inferred from the fact that the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies are members of the class of '59 at Rydell High School. The story starts in earnest with the characters' first day of their senior year of high school, follows them through the '58-'59 school year, and ends precisely on their last day of school.
It's GREASE because the stereotypical '50s teen boy was "the greaser," meaning grease to slick back the hair and usually wearing a leather jacket as well
Yeah I don't remember ever being told what the "t" stands for but when he asked that question my first thought was "thunder, wasn't that a car". I'm not much of a car person so I don't keep track of names in my head, but I guess I got that right.
Watching Simone's pure, unadulterated joy as she read the lines and sang along to the tunes has to be one of my favourite things in the years of watching your channel!
Simone’s role as Eugene in High School was inspirational , and so very realistic Oh and that little dancy movie Travolta was in was called “Saturday Night Fever”
Saturday Night Fever has the biggest gulf between popular culture impression--Travolta disco dances---vs. the actual content of the film which is a pretty dark drama. I'd say they should watch it, but there'll be broad sections where they're just wincing (for the right reasons as it has some tough spots.)
Not sure why he thinks this is set in the 1970's lol, everything about it screams the 1950's. The clothes, the hair, the lingo used, the music, etc....
Here's a fun fact, despite being one of the younger looking cast members, Olivia Newton John celebrated her 29th birthday on set when Grease was filmed. Sonny was 31, and Stockard Channing who played Rizzo, was 33. Travolta was one of the younger members at 23. Lorenzo Lamas was actually the youngest at 19.
The car flying away is nothing more than a touch of magic. It's eluding to the dreamscape that they just painted. The perfect ending...a dream that they all get together and live the happiest of lives.
Their teacher that helped them build Grease Lightning literally told them after the reveal….. “if it was in any better condition it would fly”. Thus them flying off into the sunset 😂 People taking it way to literal
Otherwise know as High School Drama. When ur in HS everything seems so important. Then u grow up and you realize how little ur problems were and how easy/relaxed those years could have been.
@@EDTGO1 Part of the human condition really. And while it's rational that the first time you experience heart break, might be the worst one, and that it will fade somewhat, once you've tried it a few times. It's a whole different thing to live through it and feel it. :)
I’d like to think that the only reason Simone agreed to starting the channel was to show George this movie, but she’s been biding her time for the opportune moment like Emperor Palpatine
3:46 Something the movie embraces from the original stage musical is having clearly older adults playing the teens. However, the part they skip over is at the beginning of the stage musical they're at their class reunion - I want to say, 10, maybe 25 year reunion - and the conceit of the rest of the musical is that the story is essentially playing out in flashback, with the present day, older depictions of the characters embodying their teenage selves.
That's interesting. Though depending on the tone of the play they might have wanted the movie to finish on an upbeat note, so Danny and Sandy fly of into their/future full of hope and excitement.
The 70s was very nostalgic about the 50s: Grease, Happy Days, American Graffitti (set in 1962 but mostly covers 50s culture), etc... I suppose that happens 20 years after every decade, though I think 80s nostalgia has yet to let go of pop culture since the 2000s: GTA Vice City, VH1's "I Love the 80s", Rock of Ages musical, Michael Bay's Transformers, TMNT, Angry Video Game Nerd, Stranger Things, Cobra Kai, GLOW, The Goldbergs, Bumblebee, Wonder Woman 1984, It Chapters 1&2, Ghostbusters Afterlife, Top Gun Maverick, etc...
‘50s also = Postwar economic boom in the US (which didn’t get ravaged by WW2 as much as rest of the world) ‘80s = Post-Vietnam/Hyperinflation era economic boom People tend to remember these as better times.
I save some of my actual 80s/90s clothes so my kids could borrow them for the 80s days. I didn't realize 80s would be bigger than Happy Days or Hipoies. GENX =legendary. Lol
The nostalgia for decades used to be a 20-year thing, but now it has been so long that it either comes back again or lingers longer thanks to it being accessible always through TH-cam, for example. It used to be that we could sit and remember commercials or fashions and songs without having immediate access to them.
@@Tr0nzoid Perhaps, though whether it's the 60s & 70s or 90s & 2000s, they have yet to surpass the 80s in terms of pop culture nostalgia in the 21st century.
I think them flying away in the car at the end is symbolic. It represents them going off together to start their own lives. It's in the air because their going to start their own heaven. And they show their friends waving goodbye and getting smaller, to symbolize how our high school friends slowly just vanish from our lives.
I guess the theory is Sandy died that summer when she met Danny. The whole movie is hurt stuck in purgatory and the end is her flying off into heave...Weird, I know lol
I can tell Simone did this in High School because only those of us who did, know how to sing "Ramma-lamma-lamma-ka-dingity-da-dinga-dong Shoo-wop-sha-whada-whadda-yippidy boom-da-boom Chang-chang, changity-chang-shoo-bop Yip da dip da dip shoo bop sha dooby do Boogity-boogity-boogity-boogity-shooby-do-wop-she-bop Sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-yippity-dip-da-do A-womp-bop-a-looma A-womp-bam-boom"
The guy singing "Beauty School Dropout" is Frankie Avalon, who actually was a teen hearthrob in the 1950s. He had a string of hit songs. Most notably "Venus". But he's probably best know for the series of Beach Party movies he made with Annette Funicello in the '60s. Vince Fontaine is played by Edd "Kookie" Byrnes. Byrnes played a character named Kookie on the hit TV detective series "77 Sunset Strip". The popularity of that character, who was constantly combing his hair, lead to a hit song "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb". The coach is played by comedy legend Sid Ceasar, who starred in a hugely popular comedy sketch show in the 1950's called "Your Show of Shows". Comedy writers who started their careers writing for Ceasar include Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, and Neil Simon. An observation concerning Eve Arden, who played the principal. I've always thought she sounded like Vincent Price. I wonder if they ever acted together.
@richardb6260 The part of the waitress at the diner was played by Joan Blondell. She was a big movie star in the early 1930s, appearing in a lot of risqué pre-code movies.
@@Lensmaster1 I recognized Joan Blondell. She was very much in the Mae West mold. She had a memorable role in the original "Nightmare Alley". But I remember her most from all the TV appearances she did in the 60s and 70s.
I had to look it up. Turns out, Eve Arden and Vincent Price were in the movie "Curtain Call at Cactus Creek" together. It was a comedy western starring Donald O'Connor. I have to see that movie.
This movie catapulted John Travolta into a level of absolute superstardom in such a short amount of time that it's kind of hard to fathom. He went from starring in Saturday Night Fever, one of the biggest and most iconic movies of the entire decade, to starring in Grease, one of the biggest and most iconic movies of the entire decade, in a span of less than seven months.
This was probably set in 1956 or 57, based on the real songs referenced. The T in T-Birds was likely for Thunder. The Thunderbird was a classic car made by Ford. They were usually called T-birds. Platters is term used for vinyl records. Singles were one song long and played at 45 RPM. LP, or long plays were full albums. Played at 33 1/3 RPM. Then there were 78's which were the highest quality audio recordings of the day. Putting an aspirin in a coke was an urban legend contraceptive. When I was in HS in the 80's it was putting a green M&M in Mountain Dew. Girls were also told to hold an aspirin between their knees as birth control. The idea is there's no way to fool around if knees are pressed tightly together.
One of the reasons this movie was such a mega success in 1978 was the fact that Travolta had exploded in 1977 in the “dancy movie” called Saturday Night Fever, which was also a phenomenal hit. Olivia Newton-John was a well established pop star when she took the role of Sandy, with no acting experience, but the voice to sing the songs. The soundtrack was a double vinyl album and also a huge success at record stores.
I remember that we liked Saturday Night Fever a lot, and comparing that to Grease we found Grease so silly. Now at least I appreciate Olivia's singing.
@@MFuria-os7lnthe actual theatrical release of Saturday Night Fever was good…lest we forget they came out with a ‘silly’ PG version with ridiculous dubbing over the swear words that made no sense. Much like Godfather 3, we’ll act like that one doesn’t exist…
7:07 I love Frenchy too. I was a boy of about 12 when this came out and I hated the whole make-up and beauty thing she had going on... BUT now, as an adult looking back on it, I think she is just the loveliest, nicest character in the movie. She's so loving and full of empathy.
The movie begins with Danny and Sandy's initial romance in the summer of 1958, a date which can be inferred from the fact that the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies are members of the class of '59 at Rydell High School. The story starts in earnest with the characters' first day of their senior year of high school, follows them through the '58-'59 school year, and ends precisely on their last day of school.
the original lyric for Sandra Dee was "Nonono Sal Mineo, I would never stoop so low". they changed it because Mineo had died, so the line about Elvis and his Pelvis was added. After they filmed that, the actors found out Elvis had died.
I don't know about anyone else, but the ending where Olivia turned, smiled and flew off into the clouds, it hits me different this time! Also, Grease is like the Star Wars of musicals (popularity wise). It was huge when this movie came out in 1978 and still is popular till this day.
Agreed. There's Rocky Horror then this in my opinion. Might be different in other states but being a 85 kid in southern California. there was always a rocky horror concert every weekend (small local bars you can dress up and act out the whole movie) and all the punker/goth girls i hung out with in 2000 all loved clockwork orange, rocky horror and grease.
Also, George Lucas and the director of this movie, Randal Kleiser, were college roommates. When they were in college, Kleiser was kind-of famous because he was a model and his face was on this billboard ad that was all over LA.
@@Cadinho93 The made ten more Grease movies and a number of Grease related TV series on Disney+. Not to mention comic books, tie-in novels, and a line of toys.
@@s1lentsamuraiRHPS was an instant cult classic. The issue with that one is, it's not nearly as enjoyable without audience participation and all the antics that go with it. You can't enjoy the movie minus any of that, like how GREASE can be enjoyed.
@@SurvivorBri beautifully said. Yeah, seeing the IT clown as a singing cross dresser and singing about being a transsexual transvestite. Doesn’t work much past the 90s.(yes I know Rocky was before IT)
Hopelessly Devoted to You was written during filming when they realised that Olivia Newton-John didn't have a solo and they needed something. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song.
One of my favorite guilty pleasure musical numbers. I chuckle at the idea that for the writers this song was probably just “another day at the office” whereas I would give anything to be able to write something that epic.
@@DavidMeddowsTaylor John Travolta spent a lot of down time hanging out with the members of Sha Na Na, the band who performed at the dance. He complained that no one had written a special song for him. Scott Simon, the keyboardist, wrote Sandy for him so he could have his own special song.
As a 10-year-old Rizzo was the cautionary tale of the trashy bad bitch I never wanted to grow up to be. As a 35-year-old Rizzo is my hero and I only rewatch Grease for her.
Did you see her in the 1973 movie, "The Girl Most Likely to..." - it was the first movie I saw her and the movie was crazy amazing. A must see if your a fan of hers.
@@andreshernandez1180 The fact that you deleted your comment from yesterday after no one cared what you had to say just to post this comment a day later is pathetic. Crawl out from under your bridge and go stand in the sun.
@@andreshernandez1180 Too bad you couldn't find anything better to do than delete your lame comment from yesterday and repost this gem today. Crawl out from under your bridge and go stand in the sun.
Very fun reaction. Simone was so excited for this. Glad George also enjoyed it. I was only 3 when this came out but remember my older sister playing the sound track on vinyl with her friends.
That's what I thought. Patty is the butt of so many jokes in the musical but never gets to have a moment. She even gets smoke blown in her face in the stage production.
The flip that Edd 'Kookie" Byrnes does in this movie has always wowed me. He was 45 when he did it and caught the mike! Amazing. Thank you guys again for what you do.
Seeing Grease upon first release was an amazing experience. I was 9 years old and all my friends went to see it. It was more than a movie. It was a cultural phenomenon. Our local theater would show it with Saturday Night Fever as a double feature. By the way, no adult supervision required. The freedom we had as kids then was amazing and everything was an epic adventure.
"Prince of the Platters" is probably what he called himself as a radio disc jockey. A nick name for a record album was "a platter". Alternatively, the turntable itself was called a platter. So, it makes sense that a guy who played records on the radio might call himself "the prince of the platters".
34:27 The theory is that Danny drowned trying to save Sandy. Unfortunately, they both died in the ocean at the beginning. HINT: "she nearly drowned." In other words, Danny died before Sandy did, so he thinks he saved her life. Also Sandy's family didnt go back to Australia because "they had a change of plans." (Sandy died). Another hint of it was Sandy at the small pool with the letter and Danny appears in the water. The theory is that Danny and Sandy are ghosts among the living. The theory continues that Danny and Sandy, at the end of the movie, ascend to heaven in the heavenly chariot Grease Lightning II. My wife is a lunatic fan of this movie and educated me on the fan theory. Although, I have heard there are others.
I played Kenickie in my HS performance of Grease. The thing is, folks didn't realize that Kenickie is the one who performs "Greased Lightning" in the play version and "You're the One that I Want" was actually created just for the movie. So, for the stage play, I think Kenickie was the real fun role. :) HS song translations: "pussy wagon" became "dragon wagon," and the chicks will "scream." G rated! Our principle tried to ban us from doing the pelvic thrust, but we defied him. We figured he didn't want the scandal of suspending a bunch of straight-A theater nerds for something so stupid.
I've seen local productions of Grease and on top of all that, there are songs that were not part of the movie as well. They all included the extra movie songs because people were expecting them.
I know several high school drama teachers that would have seen you calling their bluff and making you find out it wasn't a bluff, so you got lucky. Though my brother, a middle school music teacher, is in charge of the musical and his problem every year is editing down stuff because _parents_ would object, not him.
Thanks for watching this I grew up with this movie, now it keeps my memory alive of my mum this was her favourite movie watching this made me smile for the first time in a long time
The T in T-birds is for thunder. T-bird was a nickname for the Ford Thunderbird a car that was popular in the 50’s and much cooler than them being called the Burger Palace Boys in the original musical.
Greased Lightning was a 1948 Ford De Luxe., Rizzo drove a 1957 Ford Thunderbird , funny that gang called T-birds , non of the boys drove a T-bird. Kenickie drove a 1949 Mercury coupe and Putzi a 1950 Ford custom convertible . Grease refers also to amount of hair grease used by gang members to get that hair style
Sandra Dee was a popular movie actress in the 1950's and 1960's. She was the epitome of the "girl next door" type. She starred in films with he husband, singer and actor Bobby Darrin "If a Man Answers, " and separately in the drama "Imitation of Life. "
This was the comment I was looking for before I said the same thing. Saturday Night Fever had more grit to it as well. Great movie about the disco era.
Grease was huge at the time. Several of the songs were top five hits in my country. I was given the soundtrack double album for Christmas in 1978. Still got it.
My dream role would've been Rizzo!! I loved her song "There Are Worse Things I Could Do". I sang it out like I had an idea what it was actually about. Hahahaha
I was my own personal heartbreak cause there were several girls I had a crush on in high school but was too shy to say anything so I played the funny guy. But I do remember one in particular (my last high school crush) she got sent outside for being disruptive, so I purposely disrupted the class next to get sent out to be with her. It was a happy moment for me and I wish I said more. Even now, 30 years on, that memory puts a smile on my face.
So in high school, I spent most of my freshman and sophomore year with one guy, almost 2 years so it was absolutely devastating when we split. So I definitely understand the "drama" of the teenage love.
One of my biggest heart breaks was finding out when Olivia died. She was everyone's "girl next door" in Australia as we all just adored her so much, when I saw this as a kid I so had the biggest crush on her.
The oldest high school class in history. John Travolta (Danny) - 23 years old. Olivia Newton-John (Sandy) - 29 years old. Stockard Channing (Rizzo) - 33 years old. Jeff Conaway (Kenickie) - 27 years old. Barry Pearl (Doody) - 27 years old. Michael Tucci (Sonny) - 31 years old. Kelly Ward (Putzie) - 21 years old. Didi Conn (Frenchy) - 26 years old.
@LosNativos743 I'll second Cry Baby...great cast with an equally good soundtrack.And this is coming from someone who usually avoids any film starring Johnny Depp.
My mother had snuck into American Bandstand as a 15 year old kid. The grease album had a picture of American Bandstand on the inside cover. She was in it. :) . Yes this is the 50s
"prince of the platters" platters referring to music albums which were all on records back then, which were flat circular discs about the size of a dinner plate, hence 'platters'
Couple things...back then, radio hosts were actually DJ's so calling them "Prince of the Platters" meant they were badass DJ's since they used platters to describe records or vinyl. As far as the car flying at the end, if you go back to the scene with the auto shop teacher, she said, "If this thing was any better, it would fly"....hence, the car flying at the end. A little hokie, but kinda fun. Enjoyed your reaction!!
That's how I took the flying car. Besides, it's a fun ending, like the shock ending of Carrie. The weird urban legend is she actually drowned that summer (referenced in the Summer Nights song) and it's all in her head going to heaven, or something like that.
L.A. Filming locations: front of school was done at Venice High. The drag race was done in the L.A. River ( which long ago was a natural river done in concrete to prevent more floods ). Beach scene was done at a beach a bit above Malibu.
This movie is what endeared John Travolta to Australia, as Olivia Newton John was one of our national gems. He even bought an eq-Qantas jet and had a premium pass to land here for awhile. For those who don't know he even has a runway at one of his houses.
The "T-Birds" are short for "Thunder Birds" which was a car made by Ford Marty telling Rizo that she caught Vince Fontane putting aspirin in her Coke at the dance is a reference to the fact that it used to be believed (urban legend) in the 1950's that if you dissolved two aspirin in Coke it could make you drunk. it means he was trying to take advantage of Marty.
My favorite fact : the tightest pants was literally sown onto sandy in the last scenes. They had to unsew her to use the restroom so she held it in for long periods of time. That is some dedication ❤
Was 16 years old in 1976, she was 18 and in college. We went together for over a year and a half. We happened to watch this movie at the drive-in. Best times ever but her parents and my parents were dead set against our relationship. Her parents threatened to stop her college. My parents literally threw me out of the house. No cell phones and long distance phone calls were expensive beyond belief. We never "broke up". I took a job out of state. We simply lost contact. Our parents got what they wanted. 2 years later I tracked her down and we went out, for one last time, on Valentine's Day. Neither of us had dated anyone else but we also knew forces against us were too much to risk it again. We never saw each other again. Final moment was staring into each other's eyes. Part of me died that night. I've lived a long life and can safely say, she was the ONE. I've been in many relationships. There is only ONE for you. Don't believe anybody that tells otherwise. When you mesh, there is no work involved. Enjoyed your reaction, guys.
The car is called Greased Lightning. The name of the movie refers to the hair. I once read a story book about gangs back in this time and they referred to the Italians as Greasers. Because they looked like these guys and used grease in their hair. Hence the name of the movie. The car name is just extra, but it fits very well.
Greaser is generic for someone who uses hair grease, like brylcreem or vaseline type products to keep their hair in place. Associated with gangs, probably due to movies. Greased lighting just meant something was very fast. Lightning is already fast, but if it was greased it would go faster, right?
John Travolta was well known for his dancing early on. Though he was in the tv show "Welcome Back Kotter", he was dancing in film in "Grease" and in "Saturday Night Fever." His career fell off a cliff and Tarantino really bought him back when he cast him as the hitman in Pulp Fiction. And thus the famous dance contest scene was a huge hit because the audience had been asking for Travolta to dance again on camera since Saturday Night Fever decades earlier. So when he danced i Pulp Fiction my theater cheered and started whistling!
Simone - great call on the guy in the green shirt. For years every time this movie is on, my kids and I point out him in the entire closing minutes. He’s all over the place throughout the carnival.
@35:00 theory - Travolta’s character got drafted and ended up with Kurze’s unit from Apocalypse Now, went mad in the jungle, and now this entire movie is his fever dream 😅 he’s being held captive in a tiger cage with Martin Sheen and Dennis Hopper 🤣
Yea, the theory was that the entire movie is a dream/hallucination of Sandy's. That when Danny sings about saving her life because she nearly drowned in the beginning, that she never actually woke up from that and was in a coma with the ending being that she was passing and going to heaven. After hearing the theory, the guy who wrote it (or co-wrote it) said that whoever came up with that was either "high" or "on acid" (can't remember exactly which one) and that they were all very much alive in the movie and the ending was just a metaphor for them riding off into the sunset and starting their new life together.
Super reaction -- Simone clearly loves this movie.... 100% understandable. Grease defines an entire culture in a single film -- the music, the cars, the clothes, the romance... everything... and every year that passes, I love reminiscing with this movie even more!
Tommy Wiseau's The Room almost had Johnny have a flying car because Wiseau saw Grease and interpreted the ending as "maybe he's vampire" and Tommy that would be a cool twist for Johnny (to secretly be a vampire). While The Room never explicitly says Johnny is a vampire, it would make many things make "sense"- or at least as much sense as anything in The Room.
The dichotomy between Simone's high school and George's really makes me want you two to watch some 'tough school' movies - Dangeous Minds, The Substitute, The Principle, and maybe the parody High School High.
Olivia Newton John was huge in the 70s and 80s. A worldwide phenomenon. Between this and Xanadu, with her amazing voice and stunning looks, she was huge. RIP ONJ
Saturday Night Fever is definitely worth checking out. It was Travolta's breakout movie (after starring in a sitcom) and while it has some great dancing it's also a more well-rounded story.
Though a great & culturally significant movie, people tend to forget, partly because of the Bee Gee's wonderful soundtrack album, & that dancing is oft associated with fun, unlike "Grease", a fun movie, "Saturday Night Fever" is a tragedy, so newer generations may not enjoy it so much.
I could totally see Simone playing a role in this, or anything for that matter. And how cute was she singing along? Oh my heart! 💗 I would've pictured her playing Frenchy though.
My middle school had a fair on the summer every year (closed it down last year, it been a thing for 50 years). Its even way larger than the one in the movie. The school actually don´t pay for it, rather get payed for renting out the land. (and also providing power). The fair was not directly at the end of the school year, but like pretty much in the middle of the summer. Still it was very typical for friends to meet up there, and when you went to the last year (that would be year 9) that would typically be the last time you ever meat your friend, so that is really very relatable to me. So to me the car flying away is pretty much Danny and Sandy basically getting married and slowly forgetting about there friends that they leve behind to never meet again.
Lorenzo Lamas played the football player Sandy dates; who later went on to have some success in the 90s as the lead of the series Renegade; where he sported a very different look.
LOL....George,..It was SHOT in the 70's, but the movie is SET in the 50's.....I was in High School in the 70's and there were no poodle skirts for me to look up.😥...Keep on watching you too!....Also it was very funny watching Simone mouth all the words to everybody's song.😄 P.S. John Travolta was in a little movie called Saturday Night Fever 1977.
They originally wanted Elvis to sing Beauty School Dropout but he turned it down and died shortly after. Then they got singer and actor Frankie Avalon who famously made a series of "Beach Movies" with Annette Funicello in the 1960s.
I think it is difficult for those who did not live through this era to measure how iconic Travolta was. Just mentioning his name was synonymous with the coolest, most fashionable thing you can imagine.
When Grease was released in the theaters, my Mom worked at our local movie theater. She brought me to work lots (we couldn't afford daycare) so I watched Grease more times than I can count and could sing every note without missing.... I've loved movies ever since. If you're interested in going down a rabbit hole, check out Xanadu (Staring Olivia Newton John), there are some fantastic songs in that movie too! Or for something more modern... maybe try watching Chicago staring Katherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere.
FYI…there was a huge 50’s/early 60’s nostalgia thing happening in the 70’s with shows like Happy Days, Sha Na Na and movies like American Graffiti. When we get into the 80’s the nostalgia shifts to the late 60’s with movies/shows about Vietnam and hippies (Platoon, 1969c, Wonder Years etc). As soon as a generation gets a seat at the big table they cram their nostalgia down kids’s throats. This is why we had the whole 80’s flashback a few years ago and now starting to see early 2000’s nostalgia.
Check out the Bob Fosse Musicals. There are 3. Cabaret --with Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey (both won Oscars). It is around 1931 in the Weimar Republic. The Nazis are rising in power ,dark echoes --a great musical and movie . Chicago-takes place in the 1920s in Chicago. Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta Jones (who won an Oscar), Richard Gere -a brilliant dark movie with great music involving murder. All that jazz --an autobiographical movie that is a musical. Roy Scheider (the Police Chief in Jaws), Ben Vereen. A Great but dark movie.
23:04 thank you, Simone, for pointing put it’s supposed to be the 1950s! George kept saying 1970s, and… and… my blood pressure! 😬
Srsly. I'm old, I can't afford blood pressure spikes like that.
The movie begins with Danny and Sandy's initial romance in the summer of 1958, a date which can be inferred from the fact that the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies are members of the class of '59 at Rydell High School. The story starts in earnest with the characters' first day of their senior year of high school, follows them through the '58-'59 school year, and ends precisely on their last day of school.
@@ferchrissakes yees, but for us it's *the* movie/soundtrack experience of late Seventies.
@@zvimur And? What does that have to do with when the movie is set?
@@katphish30 My whole point is that when I hear "I got chills" song, I'm thinking of the seventies.
It's GREASE because the stereotypical '50s teen boy was "the greaser," meaning grease to slick back the hair and usually wearing a leather jacket as well
My Grandpa was one.
I wouldn’t say most boys were greasers, anymore than most were nerds.
Back in school in the 70s we had Greaser Day where we all dressed up like that.
I think the guy in the green shirt was a choreographer.
@@rhinoburger no, it was just the stereotype
16:20 Thunder. Thunderbird was a car, usually known as a T-Bird. 22:10 A "platter" was a record.
and a 'prince of the platters' would be a DJ
A platter is what you put the record on and the record.
Forerunner of the Thundercougarfalconbird.
Yeah I don't remember ever being told what the "t" stands for but when he asked that question my first thought was "thunder, wasn't that a car". I'm not much of a car person so I don't keep track of names in my head, but I guess I got that right.
Greased Lightning was a Thunderbird.
Watching Simone's pure, unadulterated joy as she read the lines and sang along to the tunes has to be one of my favourite things in the years of watching your channel!
Simone’s role as Eugene in High School was inspirational , and so very realistic
Oh and that little dancy movie Travolta was in was called “Saturday Night Fever”
With the sequel "Staying Alive"...
@@AshLee92490: Best sequel ever! Bonus: It was co-written, co-produced and directed by Sylvester Stallone!
And it got one of the most iconic opening scenes ever. I'm pretty sure Simpsons had a version of it, so George will recognise it.
"Saturday Night Fever" is not what most people think it is - not just a "dance movie".
Saturday Night Fever has the biggest gulf between popular culture impression--Travolta disco dances---vs. the actual content of the film which is a pretty dark drama. I'd say they should watch it, but there'll be broad sections where they're just wincing (for the right reasons as it has some tough spots.)
George: And they all get drafted to Vietnam and died!
God dammit George it’s the 1950s, it’s not Vietnam! It’s Korea.
He's incredibly stupid, I can't believe thousands of people subscribe to watch these two idiots watch movies and blather over the dialogue.
He's dumb, doesn't know history or movies
He need to watch "Hair" 😂
@@Trofnoker He needs to read a book
Grease is set in the Rock n' Roll era, late 50s. The Korean War ended in 1953.
George" She doesnt like it when other people are happy"
Also George a minute earlier "Uggggh, THAT person way to eager to be there"
George = Rizzo 😆...
takes one to know one I suppose
😅😅😅😅
@@Rio..o7.. Yeah, I noticed that
@@andreshernandez1180 braindead loser equates everything to politics what's new
The fact that George mistook the 50's for the 70's, made me feel really, really old...😂
Not sure why he thinks this is set in the 1970's lol, everything about it screams the 1950's. The clothes, the hair, the lingo used, the music, etc....
@@ilovegames9708the music was definitely 70s, all those ballads.
@@ilovegames9708 Because it released in the 70's maybe
??? I thought it was because he didn't grow up in the states and therefore doesn't know American history.
@@pleutron George rocks
“The tightest pants in history..!”
- “I’m not complaining..”
😂
Olivia was literally SEWN into those pants!
@@minnesotajones261and we thank God she wore them well
I had a poster of her in that outfit when I was 10.
beautiful Olivia !!
And neither is any man who's got a pulse! 😅😂😂
Here's a fun fact, despite being one of the younger looking cast members, Olivia Newton John celebrated her 29th birthday on set when Grease was filmed. Sonny was 31, and Stockard Channing who played Rizzo, was 33. Travolta was one of the younger members at 23. Lorenzo Lamas was actually the youngest at 19.
RIP to our Livvy 🙏
Dear lord, Please let simone show george all of the guilty pleasure musicals that she loves.
Hoping for Rocky Horror
I vote for Grease 2 to be next!
No reason for GREASE to be a guilty pleasure, it's terrific!
@@jkhooverI'll never get the hate Grease 2 gets. Michelle alone makes it decent.
@@Beardo2517 We quiver, with anticipppppppppppppppppppppppppppppation!
The car flying away is nothing more than a touch of magic. It's eluding to the dreamscape that they just painted. The perfect ending...a dream that they all get together and live the happiest of lives.
Right, it's not supposed to be taken literally.
Alluding. Eluding means evade, escape from.
@@treetopjones737 Thank you!
It’s exactly the same as the end of the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from 1968. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a flying car
Their teacher that helped them build Grease Lightning literally told them after the reveal….. “if it was in any better condition it would fly”. Thus them flying off into the sunset 😂 People taking it way to literal
It's so funny the plot happens because Danny just won't say he's happy to see Sandy in front of his boys.
Otherwise know as High School Drama. When ur in HS everything seems so important. Then u grow up and you realize how little ur problems were and how easy/relaxed those years could have been.
@EDTGO1 A lot of people still are like that after growing up unfortunately, people care too much about what other people think.
@@EDTGO1 Part of the human condition really.
And while it's rational that the first time you experience heart break, might be the worst one, and that it will fade somewhat, once you've tried it a few times.
It's a whole different thing to live through it and feel it. :)
I’d like to think that the only reason Simone agreed to starting the channel was to show George this movie, but she’s been biding her time for the opportune moment like Emperor Palpatine
3:46 Something the movie embraces from the original stage musical is having clearly older adults playing the teens. However, the part they skip over is at the beginning of the stage musical they're at their class reunion - I want to say, 10, maybe 25 year reunion - and the conceit of the rest of the musical is that the story is essentially playing out in flashback, with the present day, older depictions of the characters embodying their teenage selves.
This is cool - works as a bit of fan/head canon for the film too
Most of the actors were in their late 20s to early 30s! Stockard Channing was in her mid 30s!
@@cyrilmauras4247 Yep, very much what they would later call 'Dawson Casting' :) Only Marty was played by an actual teen.
That's interesting.
Though depending on the tone of the play they might have wanted the movie to finish on an upbeat note, so Danny and Sandy fly of into their/future full of hope and excitement.
@@cyrilmauras4247yeah I didn't think Sunny looks like he is in his 40s. Definitely early 30s though.
The 70s was very nostalgic about the 50s: Grease, Happy Days, American Graffitti (set in 1962 but mostly covers 50s culture), etc...
I suppose that happens 20 years after every decade, though I think 80s nostalgia has yet to let go of pop culture since the 2000s: GTA Vice City, VH1's "I Love the 80s", Rock of Ages musical, Michael Bay's Transformers, TMNT, Angry Video Game Nerd, Stranger Things, Cobra Kai, GLOW, The Goldbergs, Bumblebee, Wonder Woman 1984, It Chapters 1&2, Ghostbusters Afterlife, Top Gun Maverick, etc...
‘50s also = Postwar economic boom in the US (which didn’t get ravaged by WW2 as much as rest of the world)
‘80s = Post-Vietnam/Hyperinflation era economic boom
People tend to remember these as better times.
Yup, all the folks that where in their teens and twenties where going into their forties and had a nostalgia kick
I save some of my actual 80s/90s clothes so my kids could borrow them for the 80s days. I didn't realize 80s would be bigger than Happy Days or Hipoies. GENX =legendary. Lol
The nostalgia for decades used to be a 20-year thing, but now it has been so long that it either comes back again or lingers longer thanks to it being accessible always through TH-cam, for example. It used to be that we could sit and remember commercials or fashions and songs without having immediate access to them.
@@Tr0nzoid Perhaps, though whether it's the 60s & 70s or 90s & 2000s, they have yet to surpass the 80s in terms of pop culture nostalgia in the 21st century.
I think them flying away in the car at the end is symbolic. It represents them going off together to start their own lives. It's in the air because their going to start their own heaven. And they show their friends waving goodbye and getting smaller, to symbolize how our high school friends slowly just vanish from our lives.
I was thinking something similar.
Yes, flying into the sky to their futures, but apparently the stage show starts as a reunion.
I guess the theory is Sandy died that summer when she met Danny. The whole movie is hurt stuck in purgatory and the end is her flying off into heave...Weird, I know lol
Stayin Alive is the other dancey movie John's in.
@@TSS0186people are too literal. Movies are fantasies.
I can tell Simone did this in High School because only those of us who did, know how to sing "Ramma-lamma-lamma-ka-dingity-da-dinga-dong
Shoo-wop-sha-whada-whadda-yippidy boom-da-boom
Chang-chang, changity-chang-shoo-bop
Yip da dip da dip shoo bop sha dooby do
Boogity-boogity-boogity-boogity-shooby-do-wop-she-bop
Sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-yippity-dip-da-do
A-womp-bop-a-looma
A-womp-bam-boom"
The guy singing "Beauty School Dropout" is Frankie Avalon, who actually was a teen hearthrob in the 1950s. He had a string of hit songs. Most notably "Venus". But he's probably best know for the series of Beach Party movies he made with Annette Funicello in the '60s.
Vince Fontaine is played by Edd "Kookie" Byrnes. Byrnes played a character named Kookie on the hit TV detective series "77 Sunset Strip". The popularity of that character, who was constantly combing his hair, lead to a hit song "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb".
The coach is played by comedy legend Sid Ceasar, who starred in a hugely popular comedy sketch show in the 1950's called "Your Show of Shows". Comedy writers who started their careers writing for Ceasar include Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, and Neil Simon.
An observation concerning Eve Arden, who played the principal. I've always thought she sounded like Vincent Price. I wonder if they ever acted together.
@richardb6260 The part of the waitress at the diner was played by Joan Blondell. She was a big movie star in the early 1930s, appearing in a lot of risqué pre-code movies.
@@Lensmaster1 I recognized Joan Blondell. She was very much in the Mae West mold. She had a memorable role in the original "Nightmare Alley". But I remember her most from all the TV appearances she did in the 60s and 70s.
I had to look it up. Turns out, Eve Arden and Vincent Price were in the movie "Curtain Call at Cactus Creek" together. It was a comedy western starring Donald O'Connor. I have to see that movie.
@@waynecanning4122 Frankie Vallee sang the theme song Grease.
@@richardb6260 That quuestion also made me curious, I found the same answer.
This movie catapulted John Travolta into a level of absolute superstardom in such a short amount of time that it's kind of hard to fathom. He went from starring in Saturday Night Fever, one of the biggest and most iconic movies of the entire decade, to starring in Grease, one of the biggest and most iconic movies of the entire decade, in a span of less than seven months.
The difference between these two..... George Staring in disbelief at the film and Simone totally re-living her childhood....
Simone: Oooohh, they're starting their lives together.😁
George: Or maybe thy ALL got drafted into the army to fight in Vietnam 😳
Quite true.
@@rickdaniel3230 George must be from the DC universe. #Deadpool
This was probably set in 1956 or 57, based on the real songs referenced.
The T in T-Birds was likely for Thunder. The Thunderbird was a classic car made by Ford. They were usually called T-birds.
Platters is term used for vinyl records. Singles were one song long and played at 45 RPM. LP, or long plays were full albums. Played at 33 1/3 RPM. Then there were 78's which were the highest quality audio recordings of the day.
Putting an aspirin in a coke was an urban legend contraceptive. When I was in HS in the 80's it was putting a green M&M in Mountain Dew.
Girls were also told to hold an aspirin between their knees as birth control. The idea is there's no way to fool around if knees are pressed tightly together.
One of the reasons this movie was such a mega success in 1978 was the fact that Travolta had exploded in 1977 in the “dancy movie” called Saturday Night Fever, which was also a phenomenal hit. Olivia Newton-John was a well established pop star when she took the role of Sandy, with no acting experience, but the voice to sing the songs. The soundtrack was a double vinyl album and also a huge success at record stores.
I remember that we liked Saturday Night Fever a lot, and comparing that to Grease we found Grease so silly. Now at least I appreciate Olivia's singing.
Also in the late 70s the was the re emergence of "oldies " 50s Americana pop culture
they should do Saturday night fever next
@@MFuria-os7lnthe actual theatrical release of Saturday Night Fever was good…lest we forget they came out with a ‘silly’ PG version with ridiculous dubbing over the swear words that made no sense. Much like Godfather 3, we’ll act like that one doesn’t exist…
One of two soundtracks in my music collection, right next to "Footloose" 😁
7:07 I love Frenchy too. I was a boy of about 12 when this came out and I hated the whole make-up and beauty thing she had going on... BUT now, as an adult looking back on it, I think she is just the loveliest, nicest character in the movie. She's so loving and full of empathy.
People tend to forget, while the movie came out in the seventies, the movie is set in the fifties. It's a period piece.
@@rmnffx George kept referring to the movie's time period as the 70s, although he finally got it later on in the reaction.
It's not a period piece. Rizzo skipped her period, remember?
@@rmnffx For younger people who haven't thought a lot about history, it's natural that historic periods would tend to blur together.
The movie begins with Danny and Sandy's initial romance in the summer of 1958, a date which can be inferred from the fact that the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies are members of the class of '59 at Rydell High School. The story starts in earnest with the characters' first day of their senior year of high school, follows them through the '58-'59 school year, and ends precisely on their last day of school.
@@rmnffx are you able to tell the difference between 1950s and 1970s China? a culture you didnt grow up in? no? guess youre kind of dumb then.
the original lyric for Sandra Dee was "Nonono Sal Mineo, I would never stoop so low". they changed it because Mineo had died, so the line about Elvis and his Pelvis was added. After they filmed that, the actors found out Elvis had died.
I don't know about anyone else, but the ending where Olivia turned, smiled and flew off into the clouds, it hits me different this time!
Also, Grease is like the Star Wars of musicals (popularity wise). It was huge when this movie came out in 1978 and still is popular till this day.
Agreed. There's Rocky Horror then this in my opinion. Might be different in other states but being a 85 kid in southern California. there was always a rocky horror concert every weekend (small local bars you can dress up and act out the whole movie) and all the punker/goth girls i hung out with in 2000 all loved clockwork orange, rocky horror and grease.
Also, George Lucas and the director of this movie, Randal Kleiser, were college roommates. When they were in college, Kleiser was kind-of famous because he was a model and his face was on this billboard ad that was all over LA.
@@Cadinho93 The made ten more Grease movies and a number of Grease related TV series on Disney+. Not to mention comic books, tie-in novels, and a line of toys.
@@s1lentsamuraiRHPS was an instant cult classic. The issue with that one is, it's not nearly as enjoyable without audience participation and all the antics that go with it. You can't enjoy the movie minus any of that, like how GREASE can be enjoyed.
@@SurvivorBri beautifully said. Yeah, seeing the IT clown as a singing cross dresser and singing about being a transsexual transvestite. Doesn’t work much past the 90s.(yes I know Rocky was before IT)
Travolta definitely dances in 80% of his movies. “Michael” is an underrated Travolta film.
Hopelessly Devoted to You was written during filming when they realised that Olivia Newton-John didn't have a solo and they needed something. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song.
They brought her in for 1 night to record this and I heard it was only 1 take for filming.
I aways thought that's what they did for Travolta?
One of my favorite guilty pleasure musical numbers. I chuckle at the idea that for the writers this song was probably just “another day at the office” whereas I would give anything to be able to write something that epic.
@@DavidMeddowsTaylor John Travolta spent a lot of down time hanging out with the members of Sha Na Na, the band who performed at the dance. He complained that no one had written a special song for him. Scott Simon, the keyboardist, wrote Sandy for him so he could have his own special song.
Man I just love Olivia Newton Johns smile 24:15 , and wow John Travolta looks like hes floating all over the dance floor.
As a 10-year-old Rizzo was the cautionary tale of the trashy bad bitch I never wanted to grow up to be. As a 35-year-old Rizzo is my hero and I only rewatch Grease for her.
Did you see her in the 1973 movie, "The Girl Most Likely to..." - it was the first movie I saw her and the movie was crazy amazing. A must see if your a fan of hers.
@@mannys4036 Ooh I'll check it out!
@@andreshernandez1180 Go be gross on someone else's comment.
@@andreshernandez1180 The fact that you deleted your comment from yesterday after no one cared what you had to say just to post this comment a day later is pathetic. Crawl out from under your bridge and go stand in the sun.
@@andreshernandez1180 Too bad you couldn't find anything better to do than delete your lame comment from yesterday and repost this gem today. Crawl out from under your bridge and go stand in the sun.
Very fun reaction. Simone was so excited for this. Glad George also enjoyed it.
I was only 3 when this came out but remember my older sister playing the sound track on vinyl with her friends.
Since Simone didn’t want to talk about her role, it’s probably Patty Simcox.
That's what I thought. Patty is the butt of so many jokes in the musical but never gets to have a moment. She even gets smoke blown in her face in the stage production.
That’s definitely what I was thinking as well
I assumed it was the hot chick aka the beauty school dropout.
@@John_Locke_108 No way she would be dissapointed to play Frenchie! Frenchie is the best!
You know it hit me right at the end. If it’s not Patty Simcox, it’s got to be the secretary to the principal.🎉
The flip that Edd 'Kookie" Byrnes does in this movie has always wowed me. He was 45 when he did it and caught the mike! Amazing. Thank you guys again for what you do.
That’s why it was such a big thing in pulp fiction when travolta ( v vega) dances with mia because he was well know for grease and sat fever.
And he dances in the third of his early movies, Urban Cowboy
And Staying Alive, and Look Who's Talking Too, and Michael, and Hairspray, and probably Carrie, and....
@@jlilley73 But not in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.
@@PhilBagels I'll take your word for it 😁
IIRC in the Pulp Fiction DVD commentary Tarantino said that was the first time Travolta had danced in a movie since Grease.
Seeing Grease upon first release was an amazing experience. I was 9 years old and all my friends went to see it. It was more than a movie. It was a cultural phenomenon. Our local theater would show it with Saturday Night Fever as a double feature. By the way, no adult supervision required. The freedom we had as kids then was amazing and everything was an epic adventure.
"Prince of the Platters" is probably what he called himself as a radio disc jockey. A nick name for a record album was "a platter". Alternatively, the turntable itself was called a platter. So, it makes sense that a guy who played records on the radio might call himself "the prince of the platters".
34:27 The theory is that Danny drowned trying to save Sandy. Unfortunately, they both died in the ocean at the beginning. HINT: "she nearly drowned." In other words, Danny died before Sandy did, so he thinks he saved her life. Also Sandy's family didnt go back to Australia because "they had a change of plans." (Sandy died). Another hint of it was Sandy at the small pool with the letter and Danny appears in the water. The theory is that Danny and Sandy are ghosts among the living. The theory continues that Danny and Sandy, at the end of the movie, ascend to heaven in the heavenly chariot Grease Lightning II. My wife is a lunatic fan of this movie and educated me on the fan theory. Although, I have heard there are others.
I played Kenickie in my HS performance of Grease. The thing is, folks didn't realize that Kenickie is the one who performs "Greased Lightning" in the play version and "You're the One that I Want" was actually created just for the movie. So, for the stage play, I think Kenickie was the real fun role. :)
HS song translations: "pussy wagon" became "dragon wagon," and the chicks will "scream." G rated! Our principle tried to ban us from doing the pelvic thrust, but we defied him. We figured he didn't want the scandal of suspending a bunch of straight-A theater nerds for something so stupid.
I've seen local productions of Grease and on top of all that, there are songs that were not part of the movie as well. They all included the extra movie songs because people were expecting them.
there was a specific version created for H S performances that toned down all the sexual humor, comments etc
I know several high school drama teachers that would have seen you calling their bluff and making you find out it wasn't a bluff, so you got lucky. Though my brother, a middle school music teacher, is in charge of the musical and his problem every year is editing down stuff because _parents_ would object, not him.
Also “Sandy” was not in the play. It was “I’m All Alone at the Drive-In Movie”.
Thanks for watching this I grew up with this movie, now it keeps my memory alive of my mum this was her favourite movie watching this made me smile for the first time in a long time
The T in T-birds is for thunder. T-bird was a nickname for the Ford Thunderbird a car that was popular in the 50’s and much cooler than them being called the Burger Palace Boys in the original musical.
Greased Lightning was a 1948 Ford De Luxe., Rizzo drove a 1957 Ford Thunderbird , funny that gang called T-birds , non of the boys drove a T-bird.
Kenickie drove a 1949 Mercury coupe and Putzi a 1950 Ford custom convertible .
Grease refers also to amount of hair grease used by gang members to get that hair style
Yeah the ending is odd, but I just took it as symbolic. Riding off together into the sunset to live happily ever after.
Sandra Dee was a popular movie actress in the 1950's and 1960's. She was the epitome of the "girl next door" type. She starred in films with he husband, singer and actor Bobby Darrin "If a Man Answers, " and separately in the drama "Imitation of Life. "
I love you guys so much. You create a perfect contrast for reactions.
Saturday Night Fever is where Travolta got his reputation as a dancer
John Belushi was better in Samurai Night Fever
And, he received an Oscar nomination for best actor...
This was the comment I was looking for before I said the same thing. Saturday Night Fever had more grit to it as well. Great movie about the disco era.
Grease was huge at the time. Several of the songs were top five hits in my country. I was given the soundtrack double album for Christmas in 1978. Still got it.
Simone has a beautiful singing voice!! ❤
My dream role would've been Rizzo!! I loved her song "There Are Worse Things I Could Do". I sang it out like I had an idea what it was actually about. Hahahaha
I was my own personal heartbreak cause there were several girls I had a crush on in high school but was too shy to say anything so I played the funny guy. But I do remember one in particular (my last high school crush) she got sent outside for being disruptive, so I purposely disrupted the class next to get sent out to be with her. It was a happy moment for me and I wish I said more. Even now, 30 years on, that memory puts a smile on my face.
So in high school, I spent most of my freshman and sophomore year with one guy, almost 2 years so it was absolutely devastating when we split. So I definitely understand the "drama" of the teenage love.
One of my biggest heart breaks was finding out when Olivia died. She was everyone's "girl next door" in Australia as we all just adored her so much, when I saw this as a kid I so had the biggest crush on her.
It was the same here in the US. We all adored her😞
Yes and sadly patty simcox just passed a few months ago
Olivia Newton-John had a permanent place in my heart after I saw Xanadu
Well, also her grief of losing her long-term boyfriend being lost at sea and never found.
I’ve lived in a lot of places, and none of them had neighbors who looked like Olivia Newton-John.
The oldest high school class in history.
John Travolta (Danny) - 23 years old.
Olivia Newton-John (Sandy) - 29 years old.
Stockard Channing (Rizzo) - 33 years old.
Jeff Conaway (Kenickie) - 27 years old.
Barry Pearl (Doody) - 27 years old.
Michael Tucci (Sonny) - 31 years old.
Kelly Ward (Putzie) - 21 years old.
Didi Conn (Frenchy) - 26 years old.
Today students are just passed through by the teachers.
Back then they actually held non-performers back
@@shawnmiller4781 This is the actors ages. They still hold students back. Half of US states have standards tests that if failed will hold you back.
And the reason it's always an older person playing a teenage is because you cannot legally sign contract if you are under 18 years old.
@@ilovegames9708 Utter nonsense. Children have been acting in movies for over 130 years.
You forgot 1979's Rock n Roll High School, starring 29 year old P J Soles.
The Grease era generally runs through the 1950s up to 1962. I would recommend The Outsiders, a very dramatic take on this time.
Yessssss. Stay gold pony boy!
Yessss my favorite Greaser movie, next to this one and “Cry Baby” with Johnny Depp as a Greaser
@LosNativos743 I'll second Cry Baby...great cast with an equally good soundtrack.And this is coming from someone who usually avoids any film starring Johnny Depp.
Never knew Simone was a theater kid! She also has a really good singing voice.
My mother had snuck into American Bandstand as a 15 year old kid. The grease album had a picture of American Bandstand on the inside cover. She was in it. :) . Yes this is the 50s
"prince of the platters" platters referring to music albums which were all on records back then, which were flat circular discs about the size of a dinner plate, hence 'platters'
Couple things...back then, radio hosts were actually DJ's so calling them "Prince of the Platters" meant they were badass DJ's since they used platters to describe records or vinyl. As far as the car flying at the end, if you go back to the scene with the auto shop teacher, she said, "If this thing was any better, it would fly"....hence, the car flying at the end. A little hokie, but kinda fun. Enjoyed your reaction!!
Not to get too analytical but I took the car to represent leaving school behind and going into the great wide open of adulthood.
That's how I took the flying car. Besides, it's a fun ending, like the shock ending of Carrie. The weird urban legend is she actually drowned that summer (referenced in the Summer Nights song) and it's all in her head going to heaven, or something like that.
And the car flying away is not supposed to be taken literally lol.
L.A. Filming locations: front of school was done at Venice High. The drag race was done in the L.A. River ( which long ago was a natural river done in concrete to prevent more floods ). Beach scene was done at a beach a bit above Malibu.
Fun fact: The guy who plays Eugene did the voice of Mandark in Dexter's laboratory
Ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha ha
Makes sense, they even look slightly similar
And also Malvin ("Mr Potatohead") in WarGames and the hilariously dull Iggy Catalpa in "Duckman".
He's awesome in Critters 2 😂
He's also in "Midnight Madness" with Michael J. Fox and David Naughton (American Werewolf in London).
A platter is a slang expression for a record (usually a 45).
This movie is what endeared John Travolta to Australia, as Olivia Newton John was one of our national gems. He even bought an eq-Qantas jet and had a premium pass to land here for awhile. For those who don't know he even has a runway at one of his houses.
He flew supplies into New Orleans after the hurricane.
@@adaddinsanehe flew into ohio to have his "fat woman suit" made for hairspray
@@andreadeamon6419 If you've got a plane you're gonna use it.
The "T-Birds" are short for "Thunder Birds" which was a car made by Ford
Marty telling Rizo that she caught Vince Fontane putting aspirin in her Coke at the dance is a reference to the fact that it used to be believed (urban legend) in the 1950's that if you dissolved two aspirin in Coke it could make you drunk. it means he was trying to take advantage of Marty.
Frankie Valli absolutely crushed it with the opening theme.
My favorite fact : the tightest pants was literally sown onto sandy in the last scenes. They had to unsew her to use the restroom so she held it in for long periods of time. That is some dedication ❤
"Prince of the Platters"... he's a DJ, "platters" is a reference to record players.
Was 16 years old in 1976, she was 18 and in college. We went together for over a year and a half. We happened to watch this movie at the drive-in. Best times ever but her parents and my parents were dead set against our relationship. Her parents threatened to stop her college. My parents literally threw me out of the house. No cell phones and long distance phone calls were expensive beyond belief. We never "broke up". I took a job out of state. We simply lost contact. Our parents got what they wanted. 2 years later I tracked her down and we went out, for one last time, on Valentine's Day. Neither of us had dated anyone else but we also knew forces against us were too much to risk it again. We never saw each other again. Final moment was staring into each other's eyes. Part of me died that night.
I've lived a long life and can safely say, she was the ONE. I've been in many relationships. There is only ONE for you. Don't believe anybody that tells otherwise.
When you mesh, there is no work involved.
Enjoyed your reaction, guys.
The car is called Greased Lightning. The name of the movie refers to the hair. I once read a story book about gangs back in this time and they referred to the Italians as Greasers. Because they looked like these guys and used grease in their hair. Hence the name of the movie. The car name is just extra, but it fits very well.
Greaser is generic for someone who uses hair grease, like brylcreem or vaseline type products to keep their hair in place. Associated with gangs, probably due to movies.
Greased lighting just meant something was very fast. Lightning is already fast, but if it was greased it would go faster, right?
John Travolta was well known for his dancing early on. Though he was in the tv show "Welcome Back Kotter", he was dancing in film in "Grease" and in "Saturday Night Fever." His career fell off a cliff and Tarantino really bought him back when he cast him as the hitman in Pulp Fiction. And thus the famous dance contest scene was a huge hit because the audience had been asking for Travolta to dance again on camera since Saturday Night Fever decades earlier. So when he danced i Pulp Fiction my theater cheered and started whistling!
Simone - great call on the guy in the green shirt. For years every time this movie is on, my kids and I point out him in the entire closing minutes. He’s all over the place throughout the carnival.
I think one of the jokes went right by you two.
(5:15) "If you can't be an athlete, be an athletic supporter."
@35:00 theory - Travolta’s character got drafted and ended up with Kurze’s unit from Apocalypse Now, went mad in the jungle, and now this entire movie is his fever dream 😅 he’s being held captive in a tiger cage with Martin Sheen and Dennis Hopper 🤣
I love Simone singing and miming along to every song ❤
Now I need Simone & George to see Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean & Saturday Night Fever with Travolta! 🕺🏻
Yea, the theory was that the entire movie is a dream/hallucination of Sandy's. That when Danny sings about saving her life because she nearly drowned in the beginning, that she never actually woke up from that and was in a coma with the ending being that she was passing and going to heaven. After hearing the theory, the guy who wrote it (or co-wrote it) said that whoever came up with that was either "high" or "on acid" (can't remember exactly which one) and that they were all very much alive in the movie and the ending was just a metaphor for them riding off into the sunset and starting their new life together.
Co-creator Jim Jacobs is who you're thinking of. And nobody involved with the movie accepted that theory either.
Danny trying different sports is one of my favorite scenes that doesn't have music or dancing involved 😂
Super reaction -- Simone clearly loves this movie.... 100% understandable. Grease defines an entire culture in a single film -- the music, the cars, the clothes, the romance... everything... and every year that passes, I love reminiscing with this movie even more!
Tommy Wiseau's The Room almost had Johnny have a flying car because Wiseau saw Grease and interpreted the ending as "maybe he's vampire" and Tommy that would be a cool twist for Johnny (to secretly be a vampire). While The Room never explicitly says Johnny is a vampire, it would make many things make "sense"- or at least as much sense as anything in The Room.
Tommy’s reasoning for Johnny’s car being able to fly was that maybe the car is also a vampire. Truly a man of sensible, sound logic.
THAT'S WHERE HE GOT IT FROM?!
@3:45 - "Sonny is the oldest high school student I've ever seen on camera, EVER!"
Enter Rizzo . . . 😄
The dichotomy between Simone's high school and George's really makes me want you two to watch some 'tough school' movies - Dangeous Minds, The Substitute, The Principle, and maybe the parody High School High.
Damn, you definitely mentioned some throwback classics😊
Class of 1999
Class of '84
My Bodyguard
Stand and Deliver
My all time favorite.
@@jeffreyla74 Class of 1999 is so wild!
Olivia Newton John was huge in the 70s and 80s. A worldwide phenomenon. Between this and Xanadu, with her amazing voice and stunning looks, she was huge.
RIP ONJ
Saturday Night Fever is definitely worth checking out. It was Travolta's breakout movie (after starring in a sitcom) and while it has some great dancing it's also a more well-rounded story.
It is the "Rocky" of DISCO
The following up Staying Alive 1983 not so much.
Though a great & culturally significant movie, people tend to forget, partly because of the Bee Gee's wonderful soundtrack album, & that dancing is oft associated with fun, unlike "Grease", a fun movie, "Saturday Night Fever" is a tragedy, so newer generations may not enjoy it so much.
"a sitcom" :)
I could totally see Simone playing a role in this, or anything for that matter. And how cute was she singing along? Oh my heart! 💗 I would've pictured her playing Frenchy though.
In the 90's, Jeff Conaway was apparently a big fan of TV show Babylon 5, leading to him getting a recurring role in the show.
My middle school had a fair on the summer every year (closed it down last year, it been a thing for 50 years). Its even way larger than the one in the movie. The school actually don´t pay for it, rather get payed for renting out the land. (and also providing power).
The fair was not directly at the end of the school year, but like pretty much in the middle of the summer. Still it was very typical for friends to meet up there, and when you went to the last year (that would be year 9) that would typically be the last time you ever meat your friend, so that is really very relatable to me.
So to me the car flying away is pretty much Danny and Sandy basically getting married and slowly forgetting about there friends that they leve behind to never meet again.
Fun fact: the outfit that Olivia Newton John had to wear at the end of the movie, the zipper broke off and the cast had to sew the outfit together
Lorenzo Lamas played the football player Sandy dates; who later went on to have some success in the 90s as the lead of the series Renegade; where he sported a very different look.
Every time I hear Eugene's voice I hear his role as the nerdy kid in Polar Express.
The car flying away is crazy but especially since Olivia Newton-John's passing, it's pretty nice to see her turn and wave goodbye, smiling.
None of the Actors were near High School age, and actually Stockard Channing (Rizzo) was older than the actor who played Sonny.
I think Dinah Manoff (Marty) was the only actual teenager and she was 19
Fun one, S&G! This came out the summer before my senior year of high school, and it was all the rage, LOL! Thanks for sharing it!
LOL....George,..It was SHOT in the 70's, but the movie is SET in the 50's.....I was in High School in the 70's and there were no poodle skirts for me to look up.😥...Keep on watching you too!....Also it was very funny watching Simone mouth all the words to everybody's song.😄 P.S. John Travolta was in a little movie called Saturday Night Fever 1977.
I love simone mouthing all the iconic lines, especially the travolta laugh
They originally wanted Elvis to sing Beauty School Dropout but he turned it down and died shortly after. Then they got singer and actor Frankie Avalon who famously made a series of "Beach Movies" with Annette Funicello in the 1960s.
I think it is difficult for those who did not live through this era to measure how iconic Travolta was.
Just mentioning his name was synonymous with the coolest, most fashionable thing you can imagine.
That was my high school back in the days. Venice High School. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were in some of my classes.
When Grease was released in the theaters, my Mom worked at our local movie theater. She brought me to work lots (we couldn't afford daycare) so I watched Grease more times than I can count and could sing every note without missing.... I've loved movies ever since. If you're interested in going down a rabbit hole, check out Xanadu (Staring Olivia Newton John), there are some fantastic songs in that movie too! Or for something more modern... maybe try watching Chicago staring Katherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere.
The weird things like the car flying off into space makes sense when you remember this is a film version of a stage play.
That makes no sense. How does it being based on a stage musical explain flying off into space at the end?
...and it's not supposed to be taken literally anyway.
FYI…there was a huge 50’s/early 60’s nostalgia thing happening in the 70’s with shows like Happy Days, Sha Na Na and movies like American Graffiti. When we get into the 80’s the nostalgia shifts to the late 60’s with movies/shows about Vietnam and hippies (Platoon, 1969c, Wonder Years etc). As soon as a generation gets a seat at the big table they cram their nostalgia down kids’s throats. This is why we had the whole 80’s flashback a few years ago and now starting to see early 2000’s nostalgia.
Check out the Bob Fosse Musicals. There are 3. Cabaret --with Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey (both won Oscars). It is around 1931 in the Weimar Republic. The Nazis are rising in power ,dark echoes --a great musical and movie . Chicago-takes place in the 1920s in Chicago. Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta Jones (who won an Oscar), Richard Gere -a brilliant dark movie with great music involving murder. All that jazz --an autobiographical movie that is a musical. Roy Scheider (the Police Chief in Jaws), Ben Vereen. A Great but dark movie.
Simone actually has a wonderful singing voice