Grease Is The Word
Where Are They Now? Grease is the word
It’s Grease 3 for Olivia Newton-John, Didi Conn and John Travolta, but other original stars have been left behind…
Olivia Newton-John
Life’s been a roller-coaster for the 54-year-old who shot to stardom as the goody-two shoes Sandy Olsson. She has enjoyed pop success, gone through bankruptcy and fought breast cancer. Now living with American cameraman Patrick McDermott and her 17-year-old daughter Chloe. Livvy has just completed a US tour. Her solo Australian tour kicks off next month and Olivia confirms she has happily signed for Grease 3.
John Travolta
Thanks to Welcome Back, Kotter and Saturday Night Fever, John was a huge star when he walked onto the set to play Danny Zuko. But his career hit a lull soon after-until 1994’s Pulp Fiction. John can now command $33million a movie and says, anything in the world.” Married to actress Kelly Preston, he has two children, Jett, 10, and Ella Bleu, two. Before Grease 3, you’ll see him in Basic, co-starring Samuel L. Jackson, and Ladder 49. with Joaquin Phoenix.
Stockard Channing
“I felt like a 35-year-old among children,” recalls Grease’s oldest cast member, Elizabeth “Betty” Rizzo, whose grey hairs were hidden with black crayon. While a respected character actress, her career stalled after Grease, until she landed the Emmy award-winning part of First Lady Abby Bartiet in hit TV drama The West Wing.
Jeff Conaway
He’s lived Grease on stage, on camera and in his personal life for three decades. After playing Danny Zuko on Broadway in the early-‘70s, Jeff landed the role of Kenickie in the film. He married Olivia Newton-John’s older sister Rona in 1980 but his cocaine addiction ended the marnage five years later. Now a devout Christian, he played Vince Fontaine in the musical’s ’90s Broadway revival.
Didi Conn
Playing beauty school dropout Frenchy proved a career high for Didi, one of the few original stars to appear in Grease 2. She went on to release a behind-the-scenes book, Frenchy’s Grease Scrapbook. She remains friends with Olivia and was recently a waitress in Salma Hayeko artistic biopic Frida. She’s signed to work on the script for Grease 3.
Frankie Avalon
Perma-tanned ’50s crooner Frankie, 62, says he almost turned down the role of The Teen Angel because he was wormed about being typecast. While he starred as himself opposite Sharon Stone in the 1995 film Casino, the father of eight can be found on the Las Vegas circuit or promoting his health and self-tanning range.
Barry Pearl
The part of Doody has never been topped for Barry, despite numerous TV roles. I don’t think any of the T-Birds have got the celebrity we would have liked,” he admits. “Grease was a very high point in my career. But playing Professor Tinkerputt [in the touring version of Barney is a very high point, too.”
Fun Facts For The Hopelessly Devoted
The film producers wanted Danny to commit suicide at the end of the film. The writers refused, so he and Sandy flew off in a Cadillac instead.
Kylie Minogue was the one they wanted for Grease 3, as Sandy and Danny’s daughter, but the popstar’s management denies she signed on.
Grease is Hollywood’s highest grossing musical of all time.
Rydell High was originally meant to be in Chicago rather than LA-and Sandy was to be a local kid called Dumbrowski
While Susan Dey and Carrie Fisher were in the running to play Sandy, Henry “The Fonz Winkler turnd down the male lead for fear of being typecast
Producer Allan Carr said his only casting regret was not landing Andy Warhol to play the art teacher