The 1970s movie “Grease” is a love story about greaser Danny Zukko and a “good girl” named Sandy Olsson, who met over the summer in the year 1958 and reunited again that fall at school. This rom-com musical follows the friendships, adventures, and romances of a group of high school friends and it has become a major hit over the years. It’s practically impossible to find someone that hasn’t heard of it. But how well do you know this film about teenage romance? Take this quiz to find out.
The 1970s movie “Grease” is a love story about greaser Danny Zukko and a “good girl” named Sandy Olsson, who met over the summer in the year 1958 and reunited again that fall at school. This rom-com musical follows the friendships, adventures, and romances of a group of high school friends and it has become a major hit over the years. It’s practically impossible to find someone that hasn’t heard of it. But how well do you know this film about teenage romance? Take this quiz to find out.
Although “Grease” took place in 1958, the film was actually made in 1978 and it proved to be the big break that actors John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John needed to make it big in Hollywood.
Danny and Sandy met at the beach over the summer. But the guy she fell for was kind and sweet, which was completely different from the Danny that she met when she saw him again at school.
The fictitious high school name was given to the real-life Venice High School in Venice, California, where some of the film was shot. The writers came up with the name to honor a teen idol singer named Bobby Rydell, who was popular in the 1950s and 1960s.
Sandy’s family name was Olsson while the rebelliously handsome Danny’s last name was Zuko. When these two met, they knew they were destined for one another, but it took a little longer for these two lovebirds to realize it.
Frenchy initially dropped out of high school to go to beauty school. But she couldn’t dye hair correctly, so she decided to drop out of beauty school and go back to high school.
Although Kenickie was a T-Bird, he still needed a job, which he had at Bargain City. And although his summer job was horrible, he used the money he earned to buy himself a car.
Sandy was trying to win the Pink Ladies over, but it didn’t help that she tried out to be a cheerleader given that the group didn’t like cheerleaders. Patty convinced her to do it so she could meet new people and make some friends.
Always eager for a break from the teen drama, Sandy blurts out that there are 86 days left until Christmas vacation. This seemed to provide the office staff with some relief as they didn’t want to be at school either.
Kenickie argued with Rizzo over the fact that he didn't have a lot of money. This lead to an argument the resulted in her throwing a milkshake on him. But during this scene, Kenickie orders himself an Eskimo Pie with a knife at Frosty Palace.
The Pink Ladies gave Sandy a much-needed makeover to knock Danny’s socks off. And while she was at the carnival, she put her shoes on Danny’s chest, and audiences got to see that she was wearing red heels.
Frenchie was totally failing beautiful school when Frankie Avalon showed up at a restaurant and told her to quit and head back to high school. This provided her with the epiphany she needed to move on.
Danny offered Sandy his ring as a way to take their relationship further, but it came with a price. He told her that he wanted to get physical with her. And Sandy then decided to reject the ring by throwing it back at him and running away.
Sonny thought he was a smart aleck and in one instance, he was walking in the halls when Ms. McGee caught him and punished him by ordering him to bang erasers.
Kenickie was originally given the penny by Jan. But as Kenickie is about to car race against Leo, the Scorpions’ leader, he drops the penny, hits his head and suffers a concussion. So, Danny has to race for him.
Jan starts crushing on Putzie, who’s a member of the T-Birds, and eventually she invites him to go to her house. This leads to them going to the dance and truly hitting it off. This leads to another romantic backstory in the movie with a happy ending.
Although the band was featured as Johnny Casino and the Gamblers at the Rydell High dance in the film, they were actually a real famous band known as Sha-Na-Na.
Danny gets separated from Sandy on the dance floor and he ends up with a completely different person. And that dancer was called Cha-Cha, the self-proclaimed best dancer at St. Bernadette’s. The two of them won the dance-off by dancing to a song called “Hand Jive.”
When Rizzo jumps into the car with Kenickie, Kenickie kicks his friends out to be with his girl. So, the guys decide to walk over to get a slice of pizza.
In an effort to win Sandy over, Danny tried to clean up his act by trying out some sports with the help of Coach Calhoun. But Danny soon learned that he’s no good at any type of sport.
The school nurse didn't appear to be prepared on the first day of school as she was seen running into the office claiming that she didn't have any castor oil. Sandy, while cordial, is noticeably upset that the nurse doesn’t have all of her supplies.
During the morning announcements at the very start of the film, Rizzo is seen attempting to start a card game because she doesn’t really care about school and prefers to focus on things like having a decent social life.
Since they’re in the 12th grade, the members of the T-Birds and Pink Ladies know the ins and outs of how high school life works. Sandy was the only odd ball because she was new and struggled to find the right group of friends at her new school.
The T-Bird gang didn’t get into a lot of trouble at Rydell High, but they did have beef with another group called The Scorpions. Ironically, the character Rizzo hopped between both gangs to make Kenickie jealous.
"Saturday Night Fever" was released shortly before “Grease” came out. So, in combination, the two movies turned John Travolta into a household name and a Hollywood heartthrob.
Danny met Sandy over the summer while she and her family were visiting from Australia. But the writers never explained why her family never went home. By fall, Sandy was enrolled in Danny’s school, but he was mean to her so his friends wouldn’t see him as soft.
The actress originally auditioned for the role of Sandy, but the casting directors felt that she was better suited for the role of Rizzo. And many fans would agree that Channing really was perfect as Rizzo.
There were 4 other members of Pink Ladies, and while they were pretty popular in school, they had a lot of attitude and practically controlled the school. And as far as Sandy was concerned, she didn’t become a Pink Lady until the film was almost over.
Besides directing “Grease,” Randal Kleiser also directed the films “The Blue Lagoon,” "Summer Lovers,” and “Flight of the Navigator.” And while he might not be as well known as Steven Spielberg, he is also an award-winning director.
Danny, of course, told the T-Birds his version of his romance with Sandy in a way that was super racy. Meanwhile, Sandy told her friends about her experience with Danny at the beach, but her version was way more romantic.
Danny tried out multiple sports to try and win Sandy over, but in the end, the only one he was good at was cross country. He finally managed to impress Sandy as a runner and she agreed to go on a date with him.
Danny wore a suit with a pink shirt, handkerchief and socks. While some guys would find pink to be emasculating, Danny was secure enough in his identity to totally rock this color.
Kenickie’s car was given the name Greased Lightnin’ by Danny because the car turned out to be white and had silver lightning bolts on it. The car can be seen in its full glory as the boys sing the song “Greased Lightnin’.
None of the girls thought Sandy was cool enough because she never drank or smoked. So, Frenchy offered to pierce her ears. Shortly after, they heard a scream from the bathroom and Frenchy came out and told the girls that Sandy had gotten sick after seeing blood.
While Sandy was in the bathroom during the sleepover at Frenchy’s house, Rizzo and the other girls sang “Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee,” to make fun at her. But Sandy overheard, confronted Rizzo, and then started crying.
The character Doody claimed that Frenchie looked like “a beautiful blonde pineapple.” They were, of course, making reference to the color of Frenchie’s dress, which was bright yellow.
Despite always being on a diet, Jan decides that it’s time to cheat a bit and get some pie. But she claims that her mom makes a better pie than the one that is sold at the diner.
Frenchy mentions this to explain her hairdo after someone at the diner tells her that her hair resembles an Easter egg. In fairness, her hair really did have an egg shape.
Although Rizzo comes off as a tough chick, she actually has a cute, albeit normal, name. She revealed her name was Betty while she was "makin’ bacon" in the backseat of her love interest Kenickie’s car.
While fixing Kenickie’s car, the T-Birds decided to steal the back fender from Putzie’s mother’s car. This happened right before the dance scene.
The film’s creator knew that the 1950s was the epitome of greasiness. Greasers typically wore their hair slicked back and dressed casually in jeans and tee shirts. So, the creator decided that “Grease” was an appropriate title for the film.
The actor, who was best known for his role on the sitcom “Happy Days,” played a character similar to Danny. So, when he was offered the role, he turned it down because he was afraid of being typecast by Hollywood.
Many of the film’s stars could never have been in high school because they were too old. Stockard Channing, who played Rizzo, was 33, John Travolta, who played Danny, was 23, Jeff Conaway, who played Kenickie, was 26, and Olivia Newton-John, who played Sandy, was 29 during filming.
Although the film was titled “Grease,” the word itself was never mentioned once in any of the dialogue. The only time the actors come close to saying the word is during the song "Greased Lightnin'."
The exterior of the fictional Rydell High was actually Venice High School, but the interior was shot in Huntington Park High School. And the field actually belonged to John Marshall High School.
The first film was such a hit that producers had every intention of producing various sequels to the original film. Unfortunately, those plans were canceled. However, in 1982, “Grease 2” was released. And then a live production of the musical titled “Grease Live!” premiered in 2016.
The late actress, who is best known for her role as Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” film franchise, was strongly considered for the role of Sandy. But the part eventually went to up-and-coming Australian actress Olivia Newton-John.
Although Carrie Fisher was a strong contender, Marie Osmond was the front-runner for the role of Sandy because she was a singer. But she was raised Mormon and didn’t feel comfortable with Sandy’s bad girl metamorphosis at the end of the film, so she turned the role down.
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s daughter, Lucie Arnaz was considered the first choice for the role of Rizzo, but her mother didn’t feel comfortable allowing her daughter to play a character that was considered promiscuous.
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John's epic duet as Danny and Sandy was such a hit that it reached the top charts in the United States and in the United Kingdom in June 1978.
The lovebirds decided to walk in each other’s shoes towards the end of the movie while singing “You’re the One That I Want” to prove to the other how much they were truly in love.