John Travolta gave chills that were multiplyin’ this week, showing up as Grease character Danny Zuko at the Hollywood Bowl during a sing-a-long performance of the movie.
John Travolta showed up in full Danny Zuko garb (yes, he wore a wig) during the Grease screening, surprising not just the crowd of thousands but his fellow castmates from the 1978 film. According to People, these included T-Birds Barry Pearl (Doody), Michael Tucci (Sonny) and Kelly Ward (Putzie), alongside Pink Lady Didi Conn (Frenchy). Also in attendance was Randal Kleiser, who made his directorial debut with Grease.
Travolta would later take to social media to share his gratitude over the moment, posting a pic of himself as Zuko and writing, “Tonight at the Hollywood Bowl, for the first time I surprised everyone at the GREASE Sing-A-Long and dressed up as Danny Zuko. No one knew. Not even the cast. Thank you for a great evening.”
Released in 1978 fresh off of John Travolta’s career-making turn in Saturday Night Fever, Grease was a smash hit for both Travolta and co-star Olivia Newton-John, who passed away in 2022. With a prime summer release, would be the highest-grossing movie of that year, topping Animal House and Jaws 2. To date, it remains Travolta’s biggest box office hit with nearly $400 million worldwide. The iconic soundtrack – which features classics like “Summer Nights”, “You’re the One That I Want”, “Greased Lightin’”, and the Oscar-nominated “Hopelessly Devoted to You”, has also sold around 30 million copies, making it one of the best-selling movie soundtracks ever.
Prior to John Travolta taking over Danny Zuko, the Broadway version of Grease featured Barry Bostwick in the role, while one of the later productions would see Richard Gere take the stage. Various cast replacements included Jeff Conaway (who would play Kenickie in the movie), Patrick Swayze, Treat Williams, and Peter Gallagher.
John Travolta remains an icon in Hollywood, but turning up as his Grease character in a venue packed with die-hard fans of the movie is just an awesome move on his part. In 2019, Travolta pulled a similar trick alongside Newton-John, who was decked out as Sandy.
What’s your favorite song from Grease? Give us your pick in the comments below!
