5,000 turn out for a star's return...
…but few saw Olivia in the crush
Few of the 5,000 people who went to see Olivia Newton-John arrive by hot rod at the premiere of her film, Grease, in Sydney last night, would have had a glimpse of her.
The small blonde haired figure was almost totally obscured by a phalanx of body-guards and photographers at the Paramount Theatre.
The crowd had begun gathering late in the afternoon to see the 29-year-old expatriate singer who arrived in Sydney from the United States in the morning. By 7 pm it was swollen by late night shoppers.
As the time of Miss Newton-John’s arrival drew nearer, the crowd spilled across the street, despite the efforts of police to hold it behind barricades.
There was a false start as guest at the premiere, the wife of Status Quo musician, Alan Lancaster, arrived. She is the image of Miss Newton-John’s transfigured self in the film set in the 50s.
Miss Newton-John, for those who missed her, was wearing a three-piece double breasted evening suit styled like a man’s, with velvet rib bens tied around the neck of a white evening suit.
SYDNEY - Four thousand fans mobbed Australian screen and music star Olivia Newton-John at the premiere of Grease last night.
Dozens of fans were pushed off their feet as the crowd surged through barricades outside Sydney’s Paramount Theatre surrounded the star.
A bodyguard of burly police and security men struggled to keep the throng from crushing Miss Newton-John.
Once inside the theatre Miss Newton-John beamed a big smile to cinemagoers who had managed to get a ticket to the Australian premiere of the film.
Grease, a film about Rock-n-Roll in the 1950s, has earned more than $55 million in seven and a half weeks since it opened in the United States.
After last night’s premiere, Miss Newton-John went on to the Paddington Town Hall for a Grease ball. All the guests were dressed. 1950’s-style.
Grease is Miss Newton-John’s first starring role in a movie. The film also features John Travolta.
Miss Newton-John arrived at Sydney airport early yesterday morning and was greeted by a horde of photographers and reporters.
But all she would say was that it was “good to be back home”.
Because of the hustle at the airport she spent the rest of the day in a city hotel.
Before coming to Australia, Miss Newton-John said she wanted the visit to be “a quiet family affair”.
But as the crowd showed yesterday, it was not to be.
It was announced yesterday that Miss Newton-John will be back in Australia in November for a concert tour.
Olivia Newton-John arrives at the Grease premiere in Sydney last night.
By Christine Hogan