Grease is the Word: R.I.P. Olivia Newton-John

I was saddened beyond belief on Monday to learn that Olivia Newton-John had passed away. The summer of 1978 will be emblazoned forever in my brain for two things: puberty and “Grease.” Countless times I sat in a darkened theatre and watched her and John Travolta make movie magic. I played the soundtrack over and over until I wore out the record. It’s the perfect movie with a perfect cast that re-frames high school as the way we wish it had been. For today’s post, I pay tribute to Olivia with all the film locations used in the movie that I have visited (so far!).

Venice High School was used for the exterior shots at the beginning of the film, when the T-Birds gather on the first day of school.



Yes, that’s me, filling in for Danny Zuko.



“Summer Nights” was filmed here, too. Remember the bleachers? Yes, me again.





“Summer lovin’, had me a blast…”





Venice High School was also the location of the track where Danny tells Sandy that she can dump her jock boyfriend and go with him to the prom instead.





Where Danny played basketball:



Why were multiple high schools (like Marshall) used? “I think we would have done a lot more at Venice High School, but the principal was not that cooperative. I’m trying to be politically correct,” says Alan B. Curtiss (location manager), laughing.

The John Marshall High School exterior has been seen in “Bachelor Party” (1984), “Pretty in Pink” (1986), and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1992):



Note the name in all caps. You should NEVER use all caps with a Gothic font! That’s just poor typography.



What we care about for the purposes of this article. The field behind the high school was where the Rydell High Carnival was held (“You’re the One that I Want” and “We Go Together”). From LA Curbed:

Alumna Anne-Marie Johnson, who attended JMHS from 1975-78 before going on to star in such TV series as What Happens Now, In the Heat of the Night, and In Living Color, speaks enthusiastically about seeing the film’s cast milling around campus. “Those of us in the theater arts department were all very excited because Sid Caesar and Eve Arden and John Travolta and Olivia [Newton-John]—I mean, we were all just starstruck,” she says. “They were all on our campus for several days ... I just remember sitting in the bleachers watching them film the same scene over and over and over.” John Marshall High’s Grease connection runs even deeper: Annette Charles (née Annette Cardona), who played Cha Cha in the film, was an alumna. As noted by Joanna Erdos, a former student who taught at the school for over 30 years, the actress’s death in 2011 prompted the school to plant a tree in her honor.



Remember the sleepover at Frenchie’s house? Here’s the exterior, just a few minutes from Marshall High School:



The window from where Rizz “shinnied down the drainpipe.”



The Los Angeles river was used for the Thunder Road drag race/“Greased Lightning” reprise.





All that’s missing from these photos is Cha Cha!



If you tour the Paramount lot, you might spot some of the wardrobe used in the film.



Dinah Manoff’s Pink Ladies jacket from “Grease” (1978) designed by Albert Wolsky (above). Are you ready to audition for the Rydell High cheerleading squad? Here’s one of the original uniforms:



See more pop culture and travel photos at my main website.