Good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?
Director: Randal Kleiser
Stars: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Didi Conn, Dinah Manoff, Eve Arden, Frankie Avalon, Joan Blondell, Edd Byrnes, Sid Caesar, Alice Ghostley, Dody Goodman.
Patricia Birch ... dances & musical sequences staged & choreographed by
Carol Culver ... assistant choreographer
Tommy Smith ... dance consultant
Watched online: part 1, part 2; ok print.
25 songs in the Soundtracks, 10 not by Written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Variety of writers among the 10.
I just don't care for this. The music might be the best part, and I don't like that very much.
The problems for me: the story (especially the ending), the characters and their value system. (The ending starts well, with JT having won a letter in Track to win over ON, but when she shows up in bad-girl clothing, and wriggle-dances like a bad girl, JT has lost his sweater and has his usual t-shirt and chinos. So she's given up her identity to convert to his. <big head shake: no>
The high points: EA is principal, AG is the shop teacher, and the song Beauty School Drop-Out advocates finishing high school.
JT does not look as good dancing in this style as he did in SNF ('77). He gets to sing here, and is competent.
All the actors playing HS students look much, much older.
Just a big shrug. I wonder if the B'way play had something extra going for it.
Paramount, dir. Kleiser; 6-
