The Script
The idea in the shooting script for the title sequence was conceived to be live-action footage. The personalities of the various characters would be shown by actions and different props. In the shooting script, Frenchy is the student who pops her head through the neck of a tight angora sweater (“slowly, painfully—like something being born”) while in the animation, Rizzo gets to do that in a highly stylized fashion. The original idea was that the characters would be getting ready as if in front of a mirror, with the audience members being the mirror. John Wilson’s animated sequence turned that idea of introducing the characters on their first day of school into a fun, surreal adventure.
The Animation
Animated by John Wilson, a renowned Disney animator who worked on Lady and the Tramp, the title sequence is loose and funky. Its shaky-line style and caricatures of the actors make it look as if a Rydell High student might have drawn it. When the radio starts jumping with the rhythm of Barry Gibb’s “Grease,” it kicks the movie into gear.
“It’s the main brain . . . Vince Fontaine . . . beginning your day with the only way . . . Music, music, music!” says the DJ Fontaine, played by Edd Byrnes, a real-life teen heartthrob of the fifties and, in the movie, the National Bandstand host. “Get outta bed; it’s the first day of school!”
Wilson then introduces animated versions of the characters. Getting ready for school, Danny Zuko squeezes out some Brylcreem. The greasy goop transforms into the title of the movie. (Note the hot pink shirt hanging in the animated Danny’s closet—which the live-action Danny will later wear in the dance contest.) Sandy awakens in her bedroom, her innocence and naïveté shown by the Disney-like birds, deer, and rabbit cavorting around her. Always the rebel, Rizzo wriggles into a tight sweater typical of the fifties, then takes it off in favor of her trademark black shirt. The T-Birds, snapping their fingers in unison, show off their synchronized moves and the red hot rod from “Greased Lightnin’,” which gulps down Kenickie working under the hood.
Mixed in with these mini characterizations is a time capsule of the era. Blink and you’ll miss quick shots of fads such as a crammed telephone booth, Hula-Hoops, Davy Crockett hats; Eisenhower-era political mementos like “I Like Ike” and Jules Feiffer’s “Sick Sick Sick” comic strips; glimpses of Stalin, General MacArthur, and, signifying the changing times, Martin Luther King Jr.
The T-Birds and the Pink Ladies race their cars through the town, passing by landmarks like the Frosty Palace and pop culture references, like a billboard showing a Roger Corman B movie and my favorite movie, The Ten Commandments. Chased by a motorcycle cop, the racing cars transition to live-action teens in front of Rydell High.
The Song
The title sequence was actually animated to a song written by Bradford Craig. Just as we were finishing post-production, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack was becoming a hit. Robert Stigwood, who hadn’t even heard Craig’s demo, called Bee Gee Barry Gibb and asked him to write a song for our movie. When Barry heard the title, he replied, “Grease? What a word!” (He incorporated that comment into the lyrics as “Grease is the word,” which became the movie’s catchphrase.)
Soon after, while I was working in the editing room I was handed an audio cassette. When I slipped the cassette into the tape deck, I honestly didn’t know what to expect—I had never heard a demo before. It was Barry Gibb singing the song accompanied by a single rough piano. The low-quality, scratchy sound didn’t reassure me, and neither did finding out that Barry had neither read the script nor seen any footage. His angst-ridden lyrics weren’t at all what I had envisioned for our lighthearted version of Grease.
Concerned that the lyrics didn’t fit our movie, I asked Stigwood if Barry could change them. He told me to go meet with Barry, who was acting in Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Stigwood’s other film shooting at the same time. I went to the set, and Barry greeted me wearing one of the psychedelic quasi-military outfits from the Beatles’ album. We went behind one of the flats to talk. I explained our movie was a feel-good musical and that the lyrics “This is a time of illusion, wrapped up in trouble and laced in confusion,” were a bit serious. Could he possibly adjust them? He looked at me a moment, then said, “Why don’t you shoot a serious scene?” I didn’t know what to say to that.
But when we ran Barry Gibb’s “Grease” over the title sequence, it was clear to us that it would start the movie off with a bang. And no one ever seemed to notice that the lyrics didn’t reflect the tone of the movie. (For Grease freaks, we included Bradford’s alternate title tune with the added content on the 2018 Blu-ray.)
The Voice
A quintessential musical icon was chosen to sing Barry Gibb’s “Grease”: Frankie Valli. He was already well-known for hits he had as the lead singer of the Four Seasons, like “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “Walk Like a Man,” and “Sherry.” Gibb’s song “Grease” was originally planned to run over just the end credits, since the title sequence had already been animated to Bradford Craig’s demo. When we shifted Gibb’s song to the title sequence, it came alive, encapsulating 1950s nostalgia as seen through a 1970s lens. The song became a huge hit and, being a big fan of Frankie Valli, I was overwhelmed when years later he thanked me for the opportunity.
Original live-action opening concept, showing the opening, characters, and kids arriving at Rydell High
