Look at Grease and feel rama-lama-ding-dong - Veronica

Issue number 36.

It still exists, but now it's different. Summer romance no longer has the same thrill of twenty years ago. Those butterflies in your stomach... That tension... That intense sadness at parting... That longing for a new encounter and finally, the disillusionment when harsh reality takes its toll on the romance. That's how it used to be. With a little imagination, today's young father can recall that atmosphere while listening to a golden oldie. That emotion... That nostalgic feeling is priceless. Yet, it is.

A movie ticket for the film Grease lets the viewer relive it all. Something for everyone, because women can languish over John Travolta's figure, and men can let their imaginations run wild with the innocent girl Olivia Newton-John. All the ingredients are there.

Grease has been called the Saturday Night Fever of the 1950s. Whoever came up with that idea wasn't far off the mark. In June 1971, two writers tried out their new concept in a small theater in Chicago. Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey had gone wild with the theme of nostalgia. Grease was the result. Two clever producers from New York pocketed a fortune and moved the show to Broadway, where it has now played nearly 2,500 performances.

Reason enough for super-producer Robert Stigwood to pick up the musical theme for one of his monster productions. We know the man by now from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar and Saturday Night Fever. The Bee-Gees rake in millions on his RSO record label. The man is dynamite. Robert Stigwood had Grease adapted into a film.

Major events cast their shadows before us, as the hit You're the one that I want had already been on the Dutch Top 40 for weeks before anyone knew when the film would be released in our country.

From Australia: Six months ago, virtually no one had heard of super idol John Travolta, but now his fame is forever established. When you're called a cross between James Dean and Fred Astaire, nothing can go wrong.

All we knew about Olivia Newton-John was that she (like the Bee Gees) came from Australia. To us, she was a clear voice, adorned with gold records, in which we had no part. In Travolta's wake, she suddenly rose to the top. And to think that Grease is only her film debut... Things can change!

What explains that unwavering formula that has captivated all of America, and now Europe as well? That longing for the innocence of the 1950s. That yearning for recent history, which we ourselves have written. Robert Stigwood: saw it.

Communication has increased enormously in the past twenty years. We are bombarded with misery, mess, death, war, cancer, and destruction through all kinds of media. Every hour of the day we hear about disasters, which we no longer even worry about. We are immune. We are numb. That is an excellent breeding ground for nostalgia. Back then, none of that existed for us. The misery we saw was close to home, and we could handle it. But there was also more room for happiness. At least that's what we think.

Whether that's actually the case, I wouldn't know. It's an illusion, in any case. Dream factory Robert and his ilk are capitalizing on this massive desire. The cinema, as a dream factory, is once again operating at full speed.

Travolta's charisma is also indispensable, says the producer. He has an animalistic appeal that harmonizes beautifully with his innocence. Olivia has that sweetness. Those two complement each other wonderfully.

Grease brings back the era when musicals could be transformed into films. A dive into an innocent period with lots of music and dance. It gives you that rama-lama-ding-dong feeling. Isn't that wonderful? To make the film feel as authentic as possible, they drew on the idols of the 1950s. Well-known figures in America, but names foreign to us. Only Frankie Avalon stands out. We remember him from Radio Luxembourg.

Sock Balls One thing's for sure: Americans enjoy Grease more than we Dutch do. The fifties were a lot more swinging there than here. It seemed like a big party. Did we ever go to the drive-in movie theater with a ponytail, two hamburgers, and cold Coca-Cola, hand in hand in the armchairs of one of those American sleds? No, we didn't. We had sock balls, wore baggy sweaters, and if you owned a Solex, you were already above average.

No rock & roll cult for us, but Time for Teenagers with Co de Kloet on the radio, and that only for an hour a week. We didn't even have Veronica, damn it. We were idiots compared to that cheerful baseball-playing crowd on the other side of the ocean. That's why Grease will become a film hit in the Netherlands. Now we want to know what we've been missing...!

Text: Anne Bergsma Photos: Paramount Pictures

Television Thursday, September 7, Nederland 1