The moment Grease‘s opening notes kick in, you’re transported back to Rydell High and humming along. The 1978 film dominated the box office, launched careers, sold millions of soundtracks, and became a pop-culture legend.
But behind the singalongs there is a much stranger story. Believe it or not, almost nobody in Hollywood wanted to make Grease!
Critics were skeptical, and studios were hesitant. So the movie that would go on to become the highest-grossing musical of the 20th century was, at one point, going to be an animated one.
After becoming a success on Broadway, Grease still struggled to convince movie studios it belonged on the big screen. Most execs believed that by that time, movie musicals were relics of the past.
One even suggested it be a full-length animated film, writer Jim Jacobs confirmed. Thankfully, that idea was scrapped, but the animated opening credits are a leftover from that concept.
Actor John Travolta, who co-starred with Olivia Newton-John in the hit movie musical “Grease,” has posted a statement in tribute to the late singer. https://t.co/C3VBs1fqEt pic.twitter.com/dHgEP9KrlK
— CNN (@CNN) August 8, 2022
Even when filming finally began, Stockard Channing (Rizzo) said that Grease was resented for its commercial success. It was “just” a high school movie that made a lot of money.
Before audiences ever saw Danny and Sandy fall back in love, they heard You’re the One That I Want on the radio. Why? Bcause the song was released months before Grease hit theaters as a musical trailer.
The song soon shot to No. 1 and had the country singing along. Director Randal Kleiser was stunned as radio stations were packed with the movie’s tracks before its opening.
Also, Olivia Newton-John was 29 when she played 17-year-old Sandy and was worried that she was too old. John Travolta was 24. Jeff Conaway was 26. Stockard Channing was 33!
Kleiser’s casting rule was just that his leads needed to look young, so Channing had freckles penciled onto her face. Newton-John said the chaos on the set of Grease made it feel like a real high school.
Though he is now synonymous with Danny Zuko, John Travolta wasn’t the studio’s first choice. The role was given to Henry Winkler, who had just played Fonzie on Happy Days. But Winkler passed as he thought he was being typecast and didn’t believe he could sing well. Travolta said yes, after that, and the rest is history.
Ironically, though, did you know that Travolta had been part of Grease on Broadway? There, he had played Doody, and Jeff Conaway played Danny on stage for two years.
💥💥John Travolta, at age 71, surprised fans on June 27 at the Hollywood Bowl “Grease” sing‑along event, stepping on stage as Danny Zuko in a black leather jacket and slicked‑back grey hair. His unexpected cameo thrilled both fans and original cast members, who had no advance… pic.twitter.com/cMOyMAxl9j
— 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 – 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞 – 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞⭐️❤️ (@NgocThach74) November 11, 2025
Sandy’s transformation was brutal for Newton-John. The leather pants had to be stitched onto her body! So she couldn’t eat or drink as the set temperature reportedly hit 106 degrees. Worse yet, the sequence took seven hours to film, and when she was done, even her castmates barely recognized her.
The most unexpected romance to come out of Grease was that actor Jeff Conaway had fallen for and then married Olivia Newton-John’s sister, Rona. The two had met at a cast party.
Some bonus trivia includes the “Beauty School Dropout” sequence nearly being scrapped, as Frankie Avalon was scared of heights. Olivia Newton-John had almost turned down the role. But Grease survived and went on to earn more than $400 million worldwide and sell over 13 million soundtrack copies in a year.
So, when was the last time you rewatched this movie?
