Ep 59: Grease

This week CFX covers one of the most popular OLD movies ever, Grease. This classic 1970s/1950s musical about a bunch of high school SENIORS, with its mix of fun musical frivolity and MATURE subject matter, seems to have AGED well....or has it? We do the usual..going into the whole 1970s/1950s nostalgia that birthed the original stage show and eventually, thanks to the growing popularity of actor John Travolta, led to the blockbuster film and soundtrack, a worldwide phenomenon. We also do a walkthrough of the entire film, adding in bits of trivia along the way, and, as you might imagine a few jokes at the expense of the cast, who, let’s face it, are the OLDEST HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS EVER. We also talk about the social issues that Grease so obviously does and does not address and whether any of that matters. And, as usual, along the way, we learn…

• What the word, the time, the place and the notion are
• How the main premise of the movie make no logical sense whatsoever
• Who Olivia Newton John’s grandfather was (Hint: One of the most important scientists of the 20th century)
• What the term “false alarm” meant in the 1950s
• Why a muscular, handsome football star is more pitiful than the school’s quintessential nerd
• How not to be a high school guidance counselor
• Which character is so fat it’s hard to believe
• What saran wrap was actually used for back in the day
• Why Rizzo was actually cool and Sandy….well, maybe not
• How this supposedly kid-friendly movie was secretly pretty dirty…

 

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