The Great Grease Sing-Along

Fun Fact:  First released in 1978, Grease remains the highest grossing movie musical in the United States (Chicago is number two, in case anyone was wondering).  Last night on July 10 it was re-screened in Cinemark theatres across the country as part of their Classic Series for the Summer of 2013.  This was the final of three showings, and it was quite popular.  I know because I was there.

To be precise, the version that played last night was the Grease sing-along edition, first released in 2010.  I was curious: who would show up to sing along with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John?  A lot of people, as it turns out.  A gang of teenagers sat near the front and sang out every word.  A pair of mom’s encouraged their daughters to act out the zany choreography.  I was not surprised that so many people should know all the songs by heart (and the lyrics were right there on the screen in case anyone forgot) but I was surprised when I heard members of the audience impressively recalling multiple jokes and one-liners word-for-word.

I had seen this movie before, probably fifty times at least, but never on the big screen and not since I was eleven or twelve.  A couple of things took me by surprise.  For instance, was there always so much sexual innuendo?  The sing-along edition has some fun with this, inserting humorous pictorial references rather than spell out the racier lyrics of Greased Lightning.  “It’s a real [picture of a cat] wagon” indeed.  This was most likely a thoughtful attempt to try and save parents who brought their kids a certain amount of embarrassment.  No such remedy exists, however, for when Rizzo turns to the T-birds and asks them point blank, “What do you guys think this is?  A gang-bang?”  This sort of thing apparently earned you a PG rating back in the day. 

 I was also shocked by how funny the film was.  I think my pre-adolescent brain was distracted by the bright colors and musical numbers, but the humor of the film holds up remarkably well.  People laughed, a lot. 

In short, the music still pops, John Travolta can still dance, and Olivia Newton-John can still sing.  And people will still go see it.  Its official, Grease is an enduring cultural landmark.  Long live the Pink Ladies and the T-Birds.