Among those scheduled to attend are Barry Pearl, who played Doody, Kelly Ward, who played “Putz” Roger, Michael Tucci, who played Sonny, Didi Conn, who played Frenchy, Jamie Donnelly, who played Jan, and Lorenzo Lamas, who played Tom Chisum.
Who are the original cast members of Summer Lovin Grease 45th anniversary celebration?
For the movie's 45th anniversary, actors from the 1978 film took part in the Summer Lovin' Celebration at the Wonderland of the Americas over the weekend. Cast members included Didi Conn (Frenchy), Jamie Donnelly (Jan), Barry Pearl (Doody) and the director, Randal Kleiser.
Who starred in the movie Grease in San Antonio Texas?
Fans got the opportunity to meet Didi Conn (Frenchy), Jamie Donnelly (Jan Pink Ladies), Barry Pearl (Doody, T-Birds), Kelly Ward (“Putzie” Roger, T-Birds), Michael Tucci (Sonny, T-Birds), Lorenzo Lamas (Tom Chisum), and the Director of the film, Randall Kleisser.
As part of a three-picture deal with Stigwood, Travolta was given the lead role after Henry Winkler turned down the role for fear of being typecast as a greaser, having been playing the similar bad-boy greaser Arthur Fonzarelli on Happy Days since 1974. (Winkler would later regret the decision.)
After an out-of-town tryout in Coventry, Grease made its London debut at the New London Theatre on June 26, 1973, with a cast that included Richard Gere as Danny, Stacey Gregg as Sandy, and Jacquie-Ann Carr as Rizzo.
Marie's brother Donny was imagined as the Teen Angel. And so was Elvis. Carr had Donny Osmond in mind for the appearance, and Elvis—who died during the summer the film was shot—was also rumored for the part, which eventually went to Frankie Avalon.
Did Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta date in real life? Despite numerous rumours to the contrary – and some steamy pictures of the pair kissing at a party in 1978 (below) – there has been no romance between the two stars.
Actress Annette Charles, who played Cha Cha DiGregorio in the hit film Grease, has died at the age of 63, after suffering from cancer. As raunchy Cha Cha, she stole the limelight from Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) by dancing the hand jive with Danny (John Travolta) to win the televised school dance competition.
Patrick Swayze's first professional appearance was as a dancer for the Disney Theatrical Group in a show called Disney on Parade. He then starred in the role of Danny Zuko in one of the replacement casts for the long-running Broadway production of Grease.
The casting of grown-ass adults as high school students is a longstanding tradition in Hollywood, but Grease is especially shameless in this regard. 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.
"There was a lot of press speculation about whether they were romantically involved or not. But Olivia insisted, and always said, that Andy was one of her dearest friends. And even when Andy was alive, he would say the same thing about her. Some people have speculated on whether they were more than friends.
Did Olivia Newton-John fall in love with Travolta?
Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta as Sandy and Danny in 1978's “Grease.” Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta were a couple only when they appeared together on the big screen. But their platonic love for each other endured long after they played Sandy and Danny in the hit 1978 movie “Grease.”
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.
Osmond became the front-runner but dropped out in protest over Grease's ending and Carr turned to Olivia Newton-John instead. Rather than her be flattered, Newton-John was reluctant to commit because her musical career was going well and her film debut, Toomorrow, had tanked and she didn't want to make another flop.
“Initially the script came to me, and the script was much edgier then what Olivia (Newton-John) came up with. But I was at a place in my life where I wanted to have children and I didn't like the fact that the girl had to turn bad to get the guy.
Though the actors stayed in character as Sandy and Danny on set, their romance was limited to the script. In her autobiography, Newton-John recalls having a mutual "attraction" with Travolta but explains that they were both committed to other people.
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.
Producer Allan Carr had a deal to feature Pepsi in Grease. But the prop manager didn't get the memo and put a Coca-Cola sign in the Frosty Palace, according to Kleiser. Carr blew a gasket when he saw the scene after production wrapped. "He made us blur it with 1978 technology, which looks terrible," says Kleiser.
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.
