Frenchy was played by Didi Conn, who was 26 while filming during the summer of 1977. Conn had appeared in multiple TV shows and movies before hitting it big with "Grease."
Grease Cast: Where Are They Now? The late Olivia Newton-John, who costarred as Sandy, was 29 at the time Grease was filmed; Stockard Channing, who played Rizzo, was the principal cast's oldest member at 33 during filming, according to a 2016 Vanity Fair article about the production.
The Grease girls, who played memorable best buds and cousins Sandy and Frenchy in the 1978 classic, joined one another on stage at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino during Newton-John's show.
In 1977, at the age of 33, Channing was cast for the role of high school teenager Betty Rizzo in the hit musical Grease. The film was released in 1978 and her performance earned her the People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Supporting Actress.
John Travolta was 23 at the time of filming, Olivia Newton-John was 29, and Stockard Channing was 33. Annette Charles, who played bad girl Cha Cha DiGregorio, was 30.
Grease (1978) Cast THEN AND NOW 2023, All cast died tragically!
Who was the youngest actor in Grease?
Kelly Ward brought the youngest member of the T-Birds, Putzie, to life in a role specifically created for the film. Grease wasn't his first time working with costar John Travolta, as the two worked together on 1976's made-for-television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.
With only a few television roles and small film appearances, Michelle Pfeiffer, then aged 23, was a relatively unknown actress when she attended the casting call audition for the role of Stephanie. Other actresses considered for the part included Lisa Hartman, Kristy McNichol, Andrea McArdle, and singer Pat Benatar.
She was played by then-33-year-old Stockard Channing.
According to Vanity Fair, the 33-year-old actress "was the oldest of the principal actors cast." Two years after the movie was released, she went on to star in her own sitcom, "The Stockard Channing Show."
Following her Grease days, Channing really hit her stride in the world of TV, playing the Emmy-winning role of First Lady Abbey Bartlet on The West Wing for seven years. She's also a frequent player on the Broadway stage, appearing in shows like It's Only a Play and Other Desert Cities.
Jeff Conaway took on the role of Kenickie, who was Rizzo's love interest. He was 26 at the time of filming. He did star in the broadway version years before and would have been closer to his character's age at the time. Marty Maraschino, who was played by Dinah Manoff, was the second youngest cast member and was 21.
The New York Times said: “Grease 2 is dizzy and slight, with an even more negligible plot than its predecessor had.” Film critic Roger Ebert described it as Grease, “without the stars, without the energy, without the freshness and without the grease.” The Washington Post gave one of the few positive reviews, saying: “ ...
Olivia Newton-John has confirmed they were approached, while also confirming she didn't think much of the final product. Why they didn't appear is down to the change of plans: the cameo intended to bring them back never made it beyond the conception stage.
Named after the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as greasers, the musical is set in 1959 at the fictional Rydell High School in Northwest Chicago. This fictional high school was based on Taft High School in Chicago, Illinois, and named after rock singer Bobby Rydell.
The film is also notable for having Danny (played by John Travolta, who had already had top-40 hits before Grease) sing lead on the song, while Kenickie (Jeff Conaway) contributed with a few call-and-response lines.
Grease was shot in various locations across the Los Angeles area, from the lively South Bay to the charming Silverlake neighborhood. Much of the production was filmed on-site, including exterior shots of Rydell High, taken at Venice High School, Huntington Park High School, and John Marshall High School.
Stewart was diagnosed with HIV in 1993 and died from pneumonia as a result of complications from AIDS in 1994. Stewart was buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park Whittier, Los Angeles County, California, USA along with his mother Evelyn M. Stewart.
Sandy is bashed by Rizzo and the other women for her lack of sexual experience. Rizzo is judged by the women and men in the movie for her promiscuity. They highlight her problematic expression of her sexuality by Danny Zuko saying, “Sloppy seconds ain't my style”.
In Grease, Rizzo is painted as one of the villains, seemingly bullying Sandy when she turns up at Rydell High - partly because of her resentment at Sandy's moral purity and how easily she is accepted by the school's social hierarchy.
The Grease co-stars were still very close up until Olivia's death in August 2022, and even famously reunited in LA in 2002 to sing their classic hit 'You're The One That I Want'. John Travolta was a huge support to Olivia Newton-John as she underwent treatment for breast cancer.
They're the ones who pave the way for the future Pink Ladies we know and love: Rizzo, Frenchie, Marty and Jan. But, as it happens, two of those ladies do get an appearance in this show, because one has a direct connection to the original Pink Ladies.
Did Stockard Channing do her own singing in Grease?
Stockard Channing sings lead on two of the tracks; the two tracks remain her only significant contribution to recorded popular music to date. The title track is featured twice on the soundtrack and performed by Frankie Valli, who had no other connection with the film.
Adrienne Barbeau, who played Rizzo during the first five months of the show's run, helped commemorate the 50th anniversary of the production as a co-editor of the 2022 book: “Grease, Tell Me More, Tell Me More – Stories from the Broadway Phenomenon That Started It All.” It features personal anecdotes from the Broadway ...
Instead, fans were left to wonder precisely why she just disappears: and it seems the answer is simple... the makers of Grease 2 realised halfway through that they just didn't want her. Perhaps she'd get better treatment if she returns (even briefly) in the upcoming Grease prequel movie.
How much did Michelle Pfeiffer get paid for Grease 2?
It is not known how much Michelle Pfeiffer was paid for her starring role in Grease 2 in 1982. As she was considered an unknown actress at the time, it is likely her salary was in the tens of thousands, definitely not more than the low hundreds of thousands.
Is Rydell High School a real school? Not only is Rydell High School fictitious, but the school scenes in Grease were also actually filmed in three different places—Venice High School, Huntington Park High School and John Marshall High School. Of the three schools, Venice High was used for its aesthetics.
