Grease

[kurt]

please dont get mad at me for this!!!! But i read somewhere on the internet that Elvis was supposed to play John Travolta´s roll in Grease.
Maybe this is the most stupid QUESTION I EVER ASKED
IF SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME

[SatninLove]

Your definantly NOT stupid for posting this question...
This is a good question..!!!
Although I'm not sure it's true though...I don't think so..I read Henry Winkler was supposed to play the part of Danny....but I could be wrong..
-SatninLove

[Elvislives72]

I've heard this before too so you're not alone on that. But I have my doubts of it being true. I believe the last role he was approached with was A Star Is Born.

[KPM]

Grease came out in 1978-a year after Elvis died.
Elvis was 42 in 77 and the role Travolta played was a senior in high school so I seriously doubt that Elvis was ever considered for that role. Now the role of Teen Angel which Frankie Avalon played that might have been something they would have considered for. But I have never heard that anywhere.

[Dekethecreep]

are you serious hahaha

[Genie]

please dont get mad at me for this!!!! But i read somewhere on the internet that Elvis was supposed to play John Travolta´s roll in Grease.
Maybe this is the most stupid QUESTION I EVER ASKED
IF SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME

Yes that is true......but then again... a lot of roles Elvis might have had, were nixed by the guy with the big cigar....which intrfered with everything Elvis wanted to do for himself..he wanted real roles, to show he was in fact a great actor, capable of handling serious roles, not just dance, girls, music...and all that jazz so to speak

[Genie]

Grease came out in 1978-a year after Elvis died.
Elvis was 42 in 77 and the role Travolta played was a senior in high school so I seriously doubt that Elvis was ever considered for that role. Now the role of Teen Angel which Frankie Avalon played that might have been something they would have considered for. But I have never heard that anywhere.

Haven't you heard that it takes time to do a movie...........it's in the making (especially back then) for sometimes 2 or 3 yrs +.......the fact it came out in 78 has no bearing on who was considered for the part when it was first put togeather by the script writers and coreographers.

[utmom2008]

Grease came out in 1978-a year after Elvis died.
Elvis was 42 in 77 and the role Travolta played was a senior in high school so I seriously doubt that Elvis was ever considered for that role. Now the role of Teen Angel which Frankie Avalon played that might have been something they would have considered for. But I have never heard that anywhere.

I agree with you Ken...Teen Angel is the only part he could have played. Regardless of whether or not they were thinking on it for 2 or 3 years, that still puts him WAY over the correct age. This is something that has never been mentioned in any book that anyone can recall.

[Getlo]

Elvis was never considered for this. Ever.

It would have been a joke had he done it, or anything like it.

[Merry]

Sorry, I can't cut and paste the full article, I can only supply the link.

According to this excerpt, from the book Risky Business by R. Serge Denisoff, and William D. Romanowski:

"The musical Grease opened in New York in 1972 to indifferent reviews <snip> Carr had sold Stigwood a half interest in the movie rights to Grease; he had originally intended to cast Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley in the leading roles. Failing he offered the lead to Henry Winkler ......"




http://books.google.com.au/books?id=...um=1&ct=result

[presley31]

Sorry, I can't cut and paste the full article, I can only supply the link.

According to this excerpt, from the book Risky Business by R. Serge Denisoff, and William D. Romanowski:

"The musical Grease opened in New York in 1972 to indifferent reviews <snip> Carr had sold Stigwood a half interest in the movie rights to Grease; he had originally intended to cast Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley in the leading roles. Failing he offered the lead to Henry Winkler ......"




http://books.google.com.au/books?id=...um=1&ct=result

interesting Kimmi thanks

[KPM]

Haven't you heard that it takes time to do a movie...........it's in the making (especially back then) for sometimes 2 or 3 yrs +.......the fact it came out in 78 has no bearing on who was considered for the part when it was first put togeather by the script writers and coreographers.

Yes I totally understand the production time before a movie is filmed.
Lets say they even had begun this project it in 1970 Elvis was 35 years old-not the 17-20 year old kid that the role required.
John Travolta was 23 when he filmed this-but still looked 18. Even in 1964 Elvis would have been still too old to play a teenager in high school-he was 29 at the time.

[KPM]

Sorry, I can't cut and paste the full article, I can only supply the link.

According to this excerpt, from the book Risky Business by R. Serge Denisoff, and William D. Romanowski:

"The musical Grease opened in New York in 1972 to indifferent reviews <snip> Carr had sold Stigwood a half interest in the movie rights to Grease; he had originally intended to cast Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley in the leading roles. Failing he offered the lead to Henry Winkler ......"




http://books.google.com.au/books?id=...um=1&ct=result

Stigwood must have been in a time warp-"Ann was 31 in 72" and "Elvis was 37" both youthful but in no stretch of the imagination could they have been mistaken for teens.

[utmom2008]

Yes I totally understand the production time before a movie is filmed.
Lets say they even had begun this project it in 1970 Elvis was 35 years old-not the 17-20 year old kid that the role required.
John Travolta was 23 when he filmed this-but still looked 18. Even in 1964 Elvis would have been still too old to play a teenager in high school-he was 29 at the time.

You are 100% right on this one Ken! The idea of Elvis playing a HS Sr. is absurd! And....don't forget, the opening scene is the summer before his Sr. year.

[presley31]

Dunno how l would feel about elvis in grease..

[italianfan]

I think this is the last thing Elvis would have wanted, sure he wanted to star in a hit film and be recgonised for his acting but playing a character set two decades before around the time he became a star would just have re-enfored his image as a rock and roll star. Elvis wanted to be seen as more than this, which is one of the reasons he sped up all shook up etc in the 70s. jst my opinion

[rhythmknights]

that was not the sort of role he would have looked for, IMO. if he didn't like singing in his own movies, why would he want to sing on stage night after night after night after.. .
personally, i don't think he could have handled it - he suffered from stagefright.

[Merry]

Stigwood must have been in a time warp-"Ann was 31 in 72" and "Elvis was 37" both youthful but in no stretch of the imagination could they have been mistaken for teens.

Hiya Ken,

Livvie (Olivia Newton John) was 30 in September, of 1978.

Kim

[utmom2008]

Hiya Ken,

Livvie (Olivia Newton John) was 30 in September, of 1978.

Kim

True, but "Livvie" had a much more innocent youthful look about her than Ann Margret ever did. No one ever accused ONJ of looking like a "sex kitten."

[rickb]

I also recall reading that Elvis was originally earmarked for that role.
Logically it would have been a support role and it could have been fun