Behind The Scenes Facts About Grease That Will Make You Sing 'Tell Me More!'
Greased hair, tight pants, and plenty of leather — this is Grease! Bringing the youthful angst and rebelliousness of the '50s to life like never before, Grease set the benchmark for what a great musical should be: fun, catchy, and filled with heart. But for a musical so iconic, Grease sure had plenty of unexpected drama behind the scenes. So get ready to be begging "tell me more, tell me more," because these Grease facts go together like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong — wah-oooh, yeah!
1. Not so hopeless
While "Hopelessly Devoted To You" is easily one of Grease's most iconic songs, it actually wasn't written or shot until after the film was pretty much wrapped. This last-minute addition was clearly a worthwhile one, as it was the only song from the movie to be nominated for an Oscar.
2. Fonzie almost played Danny
Henry Winkler was famous for playing Fonzie in classic ’70s sitcom Happy Days, and he was also considered for the role of Danny in Grease. In fact, it seems that Winkler was actually Paramount’s top choice for the character, over John Travolta. Winkler said no to the movie, however, because he didn’t want to be pigeonholed as a young working-class cool guy in leathers for the rest of his career.
3. The "crow's feet test"
At the time of filming, the entire main cast was too old to be in high school. Director Randal Kleiser actually administered a "crow's feet test" around their eyes to see if they could pass for teenagers! It's safe to say that a few of the "students" looked more like tenured teachers...
4. Stockard Channing was in her thirties
While many of the actors cast to play high schoolers in the film were actually well out of their teens, Stockard Channing was the oldest of them all at 33. The actress even ended up having freckles painted on her face in an attempt to make her look younger.
