Grease (franchise) explained

Grease
Creator:Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey
Origin:Grease
Owner:Paramount Pictures
(Paramount Global)
Years:1971–present
Films:Grease (1978)

The Grease franchise consists of American films and television productions, based on the 1971 musical. The stage production was first adapted for film with Grease (1978), followed by Grease 2 (1982). A prequel titled Summer Lovin entered development beginning in 2019.

The franchise centers around the students of Rydell High, with each individual entry depicting the love story of a couple at opposite ends of the popularity spectrum: one, a popular and unruly student while the other is a shy immigrant and new student who is well behaved. The pair ultimately help each other step out of their comfort zone, balance each other out, and realize their ideal selves. The musical explores the themes of classic rock and roll overcoming differences (including opposing gangs), as the students experience high school and make memories together.

Revered as a cult classic,[1] the original film was met with critical and financial success, and quickly became highest-grossing musical film ever (circa 1978),[2] while its soundtrack album ended 1978 as the second-best-selling album of the year in the United States.[3] The film earned an Oscar nomination at the 51st Academy Awards. In 2020, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4] The sequel however, did not fare well at the box office nor with critics and was nominated for a Stinkers Bad Movie Awards for Worst Picture.[5] Later on, it was awarded #13 in the 100 worst films of the 20th century, in Stinkers' "100 Years, 100 Stinkers" list.[6] [7]

The film series expanded into a franchise with the release of a Broadway musical adaptation, various reality television programs centered around the Broadway production, as well as releases in various other mediums. It will continue with the release of a streaming television series titled , an exclusive on Paramount+. Additionally, a prequel film titled Summer Lovin, which will depict the summer prior to the events of Grease, is in early development.

Origin

Grease is a 1971 stage musical, originally written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, that originated from the Chicago theater scene. It moved to Off-Broadway and then to Broadway in 1972, where it ran until 1980. The original musical was set in urban Chicago and was based on Jacobs's own teenage years, with several of the characters having identifiably Polish-American and Italian-American ethnicities. The Chicago production was more profane and had less musical elements, while the writers partially sanitized the production for Broadway audiences.[8] The musical functioned as an ensemble comedy, while the subplots involving supporting characters were given greater development. The stage production ends with a definitive decision in Danny's favor, as he reverts to his old ways while Sandy transforms into the wild Pink Lady to fit in.[9]

Film

FilmU.S. release dateDirectorScreenwriterStory byProducer(s)Status
GreaseRandal KleiserBronté WoodardAllan CarrAllan Carr & Robert StigwoodReleased
Grease 2Patricia BirchKen Finkleman
Summer Lovin'Brett HaleyJohn August & Leah McKendrickJohn AugustErik FeigIn development

Grease (1978)

See main article: article.

In fall 1958 following their summer romance, wholesome Australian immigrant Sandra "Sandy" Olsson and popular greaser Daniel "Danny" Zuko find themselves classmates, when Sandy enrolls at Rydell High School (in a generic setting based on suburban Philadelphia)[10] instead of moving back home. At Rydell, Danny has long been the de facto leader of the T-Birds, a crew of fellow greasers; the T-Birds' female counterparts are the Pink Ladies, a tight-knit clique helmed by queen bee Betty Rizzo. As Danny attempts to maintain his reputation in the T-Birds as the coolest guy at the school amongst his peers, he struggles with keeping his relationship with Sandy alive. Sandy stands by her morals and education, being torn between the upright preppies of Rydell High (typified by cheerleader Patty Simcox) and the cruder Pink Ladies, to whose influences she eventually succumbs in order to keep Danny. Along the way the couple and their friends, experience adolescence amongst 1950s rock and roll culture: sex, substance abuse, and music.[11]

Re-releases

Grease was re-released in May 1979 in 1,248 theatres in the United States and Canada, Paramount's biggest ever saturation release at the time, and grossed $4.5 million in its opening weekend.[12] [13] During the reissue, it overtook The Godfather and became Paramount Pictures' highest-grossing film of all-time.[14] It was re-released in March 1998 for its 20th anniversary where it grossed a further $28 million in North America. An additional re-release in 2018, for its 40th anniversary grossed $1 million.

Grease 2 (1982)

See main article: article and Grease 2.

In 1961, Stephanie Zinone has succeeded to the leadership of the Pink Ladies following Rizzo's graduation in the first film. Tired of the recurring drama, Stephanie breaks up with her boyfriend Johnny Nogerelli. She receives the admiration of Michael Carrington, a mild-mannered bookish new exchange student and Sandy's cousin. Michael seeks to overcome his nerdy ways while earning her affections by learning to ride a motorcycle, and taking on a secret identity that his peers call the "Cool Rider". Johnny grows jealous of Michelle's romantic pursuits, and as the leader of the T-Birds attempts to use his popularity to win her back.[15]

Summer Lovin (TBA)

In April 2019, Paramount Pictures announced a prequel movie titled Summer Lovin was in development, with John August serving as screenwriter. The project will be a joint-venture production from Paramount Pictures, Paramount Players, Temple Hill Productions, and Picturestart. Receiving its title from the song, the plot will center around the summer in which Danny and Sandy met and fell in love.[16] By July 2020, Brett Haley was hired to serve as director with the most recent draft of the script being written by Leah McKendrick.[17]

Television

Reality television

See main article: article, Grease: You're the One That I Want! and Grease Is the Word.

Grease: You're the One That I Want! (2007)

A reality television series of a talent competition of singing and dancing. From the producers of Dancing With the Stars, the series was patterned after a format designed and created by Andrew Lloyd Webber for the BBC series How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?. Hosted by Billy Bush and Denise van Outen, the series featured celebrity judges Kathleen Marshall and David Ian alongside co-creator Jim Jacobs, who helped narrow the search for the Broadway leads amongst the contestants.[18]

The program generated so much interest in the upcoming Broadway revival that, ticket sales had topped $9 million. Despite this the series was declared a "ratings loser".[19]

Grease Is the Word (2007)

The United Kingdom version of NBC's Grease: You're the One That I Want!, which aired in 2007. The series was a production of Syco TV for ITV, with Simon Cowell serving as producer. The winning couple, Susan McFadden & Danny Bayne, became the stars of the West End revival production of the stage musical at the Piccadilly Theatre.

The judges were David Ian, David Gest, Sinitta, and Brian Friedman. The series was hosted by Zoe Ball. The after-show titled Greased Lightnin shared unseen auditions, behind-the-scenes videos, and interviews; was hosted by Holly Willoughby and aired on ITV2.[20]

Television production

See main article: article and Grease Live!.

Grease Live! is a television special that was originally broadcast by Fox on January 31, 2016. It was a live, televised remake of the 1978 film Grease, executive produced by Marc Platt, directed by Thomas Kail, and starring Julianne Hough, Aaron Tveit, Vanessa Hudgens and Carlos PenaVega. Patterned on similar live television musicals that had recently been produced by NBC, the production incorporated elements and songs from both the original stage musical and the 1978 film version of Grease, as well as additional songs and a few elements (such as changing Sandy's last name to Young to reflect Hough's own background) that were not present in either. In an effort to emulate the "energy" of a theatrical setting, live audiences were incorporated into the production's stagings. Grease Live! was broadcast from Warner Bros. Studios, utilizing two soundstages and the studio's outdoor backlot—the usage of the latter was notably affected by rain in the Los Angeles area on the day of the broadcast.[21] [22]

Series

See main article: article and Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.

In September 2019, a musical television series was announced to be in development titled, Grease: Rydell High. The show was ordered straight-to-series, and was to release exclusively on HBO Max. The project was a joint-production between Paramount Television, Picturestart, and Temple Hill Entertainment. Erik Feig served as producer for the show. The series was a prequel to the original film with returning and new characters, as well as new and old songs.[23] By April 2020, Annabel Oakes was hired as writer and executive producer for the series.[24] In May of the same year, the project was retitled as Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.[25] In October 2020, it was announced that the series would be moving to Paramount+.[26] Paramount+ released the ten episodes of the series over the course of spring 2023 before abruptly removing the series from public view that June.[27]

Main cast

CharacterFilmsTelevision
GreaseGrease 2Summer Lovin'Grease:
Principal McGeeEve ArdenJackie Hoffman
Fran "Frenchy" FaccianoDidi Conn Madison Elizabeth Lagares
Betty RizzoStockard Channing Emma Shannon
Danny ZukoJohn Travolta  
Sandra "Sandy" OlssonOlivia Newton-John  
Coach Vince CalhounSid Caesar 
Secretary Blanche HodelDody Goodman 
Eugene FelsnickEddie Deezen 
Leo Balmudo (Craterface)Dennis C. Stewart 
Mr. Rudie SpearsDick Patterson 
Kenickie MurdochJeff Conaway 
DoodyBarry Pearl 
Sonny LantieriMichael Tucci 
PutzieKelly Ward 
Marty MaraschinoDinah Manoff 
JanJamie Donnelly 
Michael Carrington Maxwell Caulfield 
Stephanie Zinone Michelle Pfeiffer 
Johnny Nogerelli Adrian Zmed 
Goose McKenzie Christopher McDonald 
Louis DiMucci Peter Frechette 
Davey Jaworski Leif Green 
Johnny Nogerelli Adrian Zmed 
Sharon Cooper Maureen Teefy 
Paulette Rebchuck Lorna Luft 
Rhonda Ritter Alison Price 
Dolores Rebchuck Pamela Segall 
Jane Facciano Marisa Davila
Olivia Valdovinos Cheyenne Isabel Wells
Cynthia Zdunowski Ari Notartomaso
Nancy Nakagawa Tricia Fukuhara
Hazel Robertson Shanel Bailey
Susan St. Clair Madison Thompson
Richie Valdovinos Johnathan Nieves
Buddy Aldridge Jason Schmidt
Gil Rizzo Nicholas McDonough

Additional crew and production details

TitleCrew/Detail
ComposerCinematographerEditor(s)Production companiesDistributing companyRunning time
GreaseMichael GibsonBill ButlerJohn F. Burnett & Robert PergamentPolydor Records,
Paramount Pictures,
Allan Car Production,
Robert Stigwood Organization
Paramount Pictures1 hr 50 mins
Grease 2Louis St. LouisFrank StanleyJohn F. BurnettPolydor Records,
Paramount Pictures
1 hr 54 mins
Grease:
Rise of the Pink Ladies
Paramount Television Studios,
Disappearing Ink,
Temple Hill Productions,
Picturestart Productions
Paramount+
Summer Lovin'Paramount Pictures,
Temple Hill Productions,
Picturestart Productions
Paramount Players

Reception

Box office and financial performance

FilmBox office grossBox office rankingHome video sales grossWorldwide Total incomeBudget
North AmericaOther territoriesWorldwideAll time North AmericaAll time worldwideNorth America
Grease$159,978,870$206,200,000$366,178,870223290$26,247,660$392,426,530$6,000,000[28]
Grease 2$14,297,083$874,393$15,171,4764,2835,735$15,171,476$11,200,000[29] [30] [31]
Total$174,275,953$207,074,939$381,350,346x̄ #2,253x̄ #3,012.5$26,247,660$407,598,006$11,206,000

Critical and public response

TitleRotten TomatoesMetacritic
Grease75% (73 reviews)[32] 70/100 (15 reviews)[33]
Grease 236% (36 reviews)[34] 52/100 (11 reviews)[35]
Summer Lovin

Broadways

Following the film's success, stage adaptations were revived. Despite this, the new productions were adjusted to align closer with the film release.

In other media

Video games

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: "What makes Grease a cult film?" . Vogue Paris . Garrigues . Manon . April 10, 2019 . February 23, 2021.
  2. Book: Hofler, Robert . Party Animals: A Hollywood Tale of Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'N' Roll Starring the Fabulous Allan Carr . ReadHowYouWant.com . 2010 . 9781459600072 . 145 . Despite the fact that Grease was well on its way to becoming the highest-grossing movie musical in the world, and eventually grossed over $341 million....
  3. Web site: Year End Charts—Year-end Albums—The Billboard 200 . . 2010-12-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071211064005/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_display.jsp?f=The+Billboard+200&g=Year-end+Albums&year=1978 . 2007-12-11.
  4. Web site: Alter . Rebecca . Shrek Has Been Inducted Into the National Film Registry . Vulture . 2020-12-14 . 2020-12-14.
  5. Web site: 1982 5th Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards . April 2, 2013 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070815214957/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1982/1982st.htm . August 15, 2007 .
  6. Web site: The 100 Worst Films of the 20th Century . https://web.archive.org/web/20020604014203/http://www.thestinkers.com/100stinkers.html . dead . 4 June 2002 . The Stinkers . 2 October 2019.
  7. Web site: The Top Ten [sic] Worst Films of All-Time ]. https://web.archive.org/web/20020607033606/http://www.thestinkers.com/worstever.html . dead . 7 June 2002 . The Stinkers . 2 October 2019.
  8. News: Bring back our own, original R-rated 'Grease' . 28 June 2015 . 8 January 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131117163229/http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/the_theater_loop/2009/01/bring-back-our.html . 17 November 2013.
  9. Web site: Newmark . Judith . 'Grease' gets the splashy Muny treatment | Theater reviews . Stltoday.com . 2014-08-01 . 2016-10-13.
  10. Web site: 'Grease's' Rydell High, inspired by Radnor High School, is getting an HBO Max series. Nick Vadala. 17 October 2019. February 21, 2020. May 25, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200525080836/https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/movies/grease-rydell-high-hbo-max-streaming-summer-loving-radnor-high-school-20191017.html. live.
  11. Web site: Grease . Variety . Variety staff . December 31, 1977 . February 23, 2021.
  12. Par's Biggest-Ever Saturation Due For 'Grease' Re-Release . . May 9, 1979 . 4.
  13. 'Grease,' $4,500,000, In 1,248 Situations For Re-Re-Runs. . May 23, 1979 . 27.
  14. . October 7, 1981 . 6 . 'Ark' Tops 'Grease'.
  15. Web site: Grease 2 . Variety . Variety staff . December 31, 1981 . February 23, 2021.
  16. Web site: 'Grease' Prequel 'Summer Loving' in the Works With John August Writing (Exclusive) . The Hollywood Reporter. Kit . Borys . April 9, 2019. September 19, 2020.
  17. Web site: 'Grease' Prequel Gains Momentum At Paramount As Brett Haley Comes On As Director . Deadline. Kroll . Justin . July 20, 2020. September 19, 2020.
  18. Web site: Grease - NBC.com. NBC.
  19. Web site: "Won't Give 'Grease' a Chance" . New York Post. Riedel . Michael . January 17, 2007. February 24, 2021.
  20. Web site: Zoe, Holly and Sinitta start search for new Sandy and Danny. 29 March 2007. 31 March 2018.
  21. News: Fox Plans 'Grease' Live Musical With Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens . Kreps . Daniel . January 17, 2015 . Rolling Stone . February 1, 2016.
  22. Web site: Keke Palmer Joins Cast of Fox's Grease: Live! . Hetrick . Adam . Viagas . Robert . May 28, 2015 . . April 20, 2018 . Gioia . Michael.
  23. Web site: 'Grease' TV Spinoff 'Rydell High' Coming to HBO Max. October 15, 2019. The Hollywood Reporter.
  24. Web site: 'Grease: Rydell High': Annabel Oakes To Write & EP HBO Max Spinoff Series. Deadline. April 10, 2020. September 19, 2020.
  25. 1266102388424716290.
    1. HBOMax is here! Our groundbreaking streaming platform features iconic and beloved programming from across the WarnerMedia portfolio, a roster of new Max Originals, & fan-favorite acquired franchises & films.
    . WarnerMedia. May 27, 2020. May 31, 2020.
  26. Web site: Thorne. Will. 'Grease' Spinoff Series Moves From HBO Max to Paramount Plus (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. October 14, 2020. October 14, 2020. November 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201119021453/https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/grease-spinoff-series-moves-from-hbo-max-to-paramount-plus-1234802991/. live.
  27. Web site: 'Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies', 'Star Trek: Prodigy', 'The Game' & 'Queen of the Universe' Canceled At Paramount+ As Streamer Pulls Shows From Service & Takes Content Write-Down. Deadline Hollywood. Peter. White. 23 June 2023. 23 June 2023.
  28. Web site: Grease. Box Office Mojo.
  29. Web site: grease 2 budget - Google Search. www.google.com.
  30. Web site: Box Office Mojo > Box Office by Movie . www.boxofficemojo.com . 17 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20041001005727/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=grease2.htm . 1 October 2004 . dead.
  31. Web site: Grease 2 (1982) - Financial Information . The Numbers.
  32. Web site: Grease (1978). Rotten Tomatoes. 7 July 1978 . May 18, 2021.
  33. Web site: Grease . Metacritic.
  34. Web site: Grease 2 (1982). Rotten Tomatoes. 11 June 1982 . October 15, 2020.
  35. Web site: Grease 2. Metacritic.
  36. Web site: TV-AIDED 'GREASE' FRIGHTENING. New York Post. Barnes, Clive. August 20, 2007. February 25, 2021.
  37. Web site: As Seen on TV! Danny and Sandy 4-Ever and Ever. New York Times. Brantley, Ben. August 20, 2007. February 25, 2021.
  38. Web site: Cool Rider! The Stage Adaptation of Cult Sequel Grease 2 to Return to the West End.
  39. Web site: "Cool Rider" was too good for Grease 2. . Ihnut, Gwen. September 28, 2015. February 25, 2021.