1. The original choices for the role of Sandy were Susan Dey and Deborah Raffin.
Dey passed on the role, but Raffin was set to play Sandy until producer Allan Car met Olivia Newton-John.
2. Stockard Channing wasn't the first choice for the role of Rizzo.
Lucie Arnaz was originally cast for the part, but lost it — allegedly her mother, Lucille Ball, called the studio complaining that her daughter shouldn't have had to do a screen test for the role.
3. Carrie Fisher and Lorna Luft were also considered for the role of Rizzo.
Luft went on to play Paulette in Grease 2.
4. The role of Coach Calhoun was originally given to Harry Reems, star of the pornographic film "Deep Throat."
5. Jeff Conaway played the role of Danny Zuko on Broadway before being cast as Kenickie.
6. And John Travolta played the role of Doodie in the Broadway show.
7. Henry Winkler (aka the Fonz from "Happy Days") was originally offered the role of Danny Zuko.
8. In the stage version, Sandy's character is actually an American girl whose last name is "Dumbrowski."
9. Rydell High was named for Bobby Rydell, the teen idol singer of "Swingin' School."
The hit sold 1 million records in 1960.
10. Danny's windbreaker at the beginning of the film was a nod to "Rebel Without a Cause."
11. The "hickeys from Kenickie" were real hickeys that Jeff Conaway insisted planting on Stockard Channing.
How method.
12. The water by the bridge in the car chase scene was actually stagnant and contaminated, and it made some of the cast members sick after filming.
13. Director Randal Kleiser shot a scene portraying a gritty and heated fight between Rizzo and Kenickie that would have given some background to their milkshake incident in the diner scene.
14. Several songs from the stage version of the film were cut from the film.
Songs such as "Those Magic Changes," "Freddy, My Love" and "It's Raining on Prom Night," however, were played on a jukebox or by the prom band in the film.
15. In the stage version of Grease, Kenickie sings the song, "Greased Lightning."
John Travolta, however, convinced the director to let him sing it in the film instead.
16. The plastic wrap in the "Greased Lightning" scene was a symbol for condoms.
17. "Hopelessly Devoted To You" was written after the movie had wrapped because the producers thought Olivia Newton-John needed a big ballad for the film.
The song was later nominated for an Academy Award.
18. The "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee" scene, which has memorable lyric about Elvis Presley, was filmed on August 16, 1977 — the same day that Elvis died.
19. The "You're The One That I Want" scene was shot with a traveling carnival.
20. Olivia Newton-John had to be sewn into the black leather pants for the carnival scenes.
21. Kleiser hated the opening title song because he thought the lyrics were too cynical.
I've heard that conventionality belongs to yesterday, though. Also, Grease is the word.
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