Facts About Grease: Cast Choices
The award winning musical Grease swept the nation in June of 1978. It quickly became the highest grossing musical of all time. The main characters of the film were played by John Travolta, as Danny Zuko, Olivia Newton-John, as Sandy Olssen, and Stockard Channing, as Betty Rizzo. Secondary characters included Jeff Conaway (Kenickie), Barry Pearl (Doody), Michael Tucci (Sonny), Kelly Ward (Putzie), Didi Conn (Frenchy), Jamie Donnelly (Jan), Dinah Manoff (Marty Maraschino), Eve Arden (Principal McGee), Frankie Avalon (The Teen Angel), Joan Blondell (Vi), Edd Byrnes (Vince Fontaine), and Sid Caesar, as Coach Calhoun.
There were also minor parts played by Alice Ghostley (Mrs. Murdock), Dody Goodman (Blanche), Susan Buckner (Patty Simcox), Lorenzo Lamas (Tom Chisum), Fannie Flagg (Nurse Wilkins), Dick Patterson (Mr. Rudie), Eddie Deezen (Eugene Felnic), Sha-Na-Na (Johnny Casino and the Gamblers), Darrell Zwerling (Mr. Lynch), Annette Charles (Cha Cha DiGregorio), Dennis C. Steward (Leo), and Ellen Travolta as a waitress. There were additional dancers and gamblers used throughout the movie in minor roles.
The movie was a big break for Olivia Newton-John as she had done very little acting prior to this film. The part was originally offered to Susan Dey who turned it down because her manager recommended that she not play the part. Henry Winkler was originally selected to play Danny, but he also turned the part down because it was very similar to some roles he had played in the past. He did not want to become typecast in leather-wearing, bad-boy roles. Dinah Manoff was given the part of Marty without ever taking a singing/dancing screen test. When rehearsals started, she proved to be a very limited dancer, so she was relegated to the background during musical numbers.
Rumors have been rampant as to what often went on at the movie set. Former cast members have stated that it was a very “high-school” mentality, with lots of practical jokes. The actors playing the “geeks” didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the cast. There were supposedly a number of sexual hook-ups, although no one will admit to anything more than innocent flirting. Jeff Conaway later married and then divorced Olivia’s sister, Rona Newton-John.
In spite of Olivia’s early concern about having no chemistry with John Travolta, they sizzled together so much that they actually went on to star in another movie together (Two of a Kind). Grease was an iconic movie that was a launching board for both John’s and Olivia’s careers.
