Grease is a 1978 American romantic comedy film based on the 1971 musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Written by Bronte Woodard (edited by Alan Carr) and directed by Randall Kleiser for her theatrical debut, the film follows the life of chubby Danny Zuko and Australian transfer student Sandy Olsen, who develops relationships during a summer love affair. The film stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as Danny and Sandy.
Leo Carrillo Beach
We see the last summer moments of Sandy and Danny in a summer flight, while the waves hit the rocky shore, the sun sets, and the refrain “Love Is Many Wonderful Things” rises. He returns to Australia and lags behind. The film’s opening was filmed on Leo Carillo Beach in Malibu, the most filmed beach in film and T.V.
He has appeared in films, including Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello’s beach party films, The Karate Kid (1984) and The Craft (1996) and another Newton-John Xanadu musical (1980). Curtis said of the beach’s location: “The rocks here have a character that other beaches in L.A. County do not have. It’s beautiful, but it’s flat. “It’s good to go with architecture.”
Frenchie’s House
After Danny breaks Sandy’s heart at a Rydell rally, amateur hairdresser France (Diddy Cohn) invites Sandy to her house for an evening with the pink ladies. The frame house chosen as the home of the French was built in the early 1900s and is just minutes from Marshall High School. “I know we don’t shy away from feeling like Los Angeles, but I think the house has a Midwest flavour,” says Curtis. “It was fun but a house that could be in another part of the country.” “It looked like a country house,” says Kleiser.
“I needed a place where Rizzo could go out the window. I think I saw a few [houses] and said, “It’s great.” Franzi’s bedroom, where Rizzo sings, “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee.” The backyard, where Sandy sings “Desperately Devoted to You,” written primarily for the film, was recorded on the Paramount sound stage.
Rydell High School
Grease was named after Philadelphia rock legend Bobby Rydell of L.A. Filmed between June and September 1977, the perfect time for a change of look at school, Rydell High. The high school in Venice is widely known as Rydell’s face. In fact, the entire page of the school’s website indicates that the campus serves a location in Greece.
Curtis says the high school in Venice was perfect for its classic Art Deco facade. He said: “Unlike other schools, there was a lot of depth from the street to the front of the building. The park feeling is excellent. It’s the first day of school, so when girls and other friends come to the parking lot, they play very well and can speak well to take them in front of the building. … and it worked, photographically.
The film not only started on the first day of school, but the inaugural filming of Rydell High, which deviated from the animated sequence of the film’s title, was filmed on the first day of Grease’s production. The high school in Venice received a filming period between graduation and the start of summer school and a second filming period after the end of summer school and the regular school year began.
Thunder Road
As an additional expression of the era represented by Greece, Kleiser played several adult roles alongside the stars of the 1950s. Eva Arden plays the head of Rydell McGee, Sid Caesar as coach Calhoun, Frankie Avalon as Teen Angel and Joan Blondell as the server Ice Palace Vee. Kleiser also planned to celebrate another iconic piece of the show in the 1950s.” I wanted to play the final on a football field. I tried to put a big cart in the centre of the area to make him look like Ben-Hur,” says Kleiser. “It was my original concept, but [the manufacturer] said it was too expensive to make this float. They suggested we go to the L.A. River, and I objected. … because I thought Ben-Hur’s concept would be great. “Kleiser also said that the nickname of another school was Gladiators.
