Grease (1978) Is The Word!

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hey, everybody, this is Moya with how Betty Davis saved my life. Life lessons from classic Hollywood. And, you know, I got 20 buttons to push and I never push them at all at the same time. But we are here live and direct. And who do I have on board? My co conspirators. Co conspirator number one. What's your name, ma'am? [00:00:23] Speaker B: I'm Georgia. [00:00:25] Speaker A: And our very special guests are always insightful. The wizard of Oz, of all things. Costume designing and film from the ultimate, the ultimate fashion history. Your name, sir? [00:00:39] Speaker C: My name is Norman. [00:00:42] Speaker A: And you know, we always like to mess with Norman and have fun with him. And so I'm just going to go ahead on and remove this because we don't need this anymore. And look what Norman did to us, guys. He totally surprised he has our queen. That scene from all. So, Norman, I think I know what scene this is. So for those of you who are listening, hello out there to all our podcast listeners. So glad you could be with us today. Norman has as his avatar, the queen, our queen, Bette Davis, and a scene from all about Eve. I think I know what scene this is, but Norman, which one is it? [00:01:15] Speaker C: So this is after she sort of figured out what Eve is up to. And this is when she is proposed to by Bill at the cub room. And she's with her friends and she sees eve across the room and she salutes her with a celery stick, which I, you know, is, you know, I guess it's bad. But. [00:01:41] Speaker B: That'S Betty attitude right there. Perfect example. [00:01:45] Speaker C: Yeah. She can make a celery stick look menacing. It's pretty cool. Yeah. [00:01:50] Speaker A: So. And shout out to those of you who enjoyed and watched our all about Eve. We re upped it. We. We originally did it. Georgia, what, about three years ago we did it. I can't remember. We were live and we were at the, at the little cafe around the corner in our formerly Georgia's neighborhood. And then. But then I added some visuals to it, so I re upped it. Oh, gosh. Georgia, what about six months ago? And added some of pictures like Norman has here. And just because before it was just us talking outside or something. I don't remember. But, um, anyway. And we guys, we're gonna get to our movie. [00:02:28] Speaker C: We. [00:02:28] Speaker A: Yes, we are doing grease, but we have a lot of stuff to talk about, so just hang on. So Georgia and Norman all about even just Betty. Just Betty's performance. Do you think this is a good way for people to behave? Like, let's talk about Bette Davis for like, her. Her character, her doing that with the celery stick. Tosin, what I'm trying to say is this is bad encouragement for people like me because I don't see anything wrong with hashi characters. I don't see anything wrong with her character and George Sanders. Now, y'all correct me. Cause I'm serious. Really correct. [00:03:08] Speaker C: I mean, I think she intended another gesture, but she used a celery stick instead, which I think is kind of a classy alternative. I think it's kind of classy. Yeah. [00:03:19] Speaker A: True, true, true. Georgia, what do you think? [00:03:23] Speaker B: You know, it wouldn't be the same. I love it, because that really illustrates her character so well, and I love it. It's just so Betty. I mean, who else would do that? She has to get away with it, because that's her character, and I love it. [00:03:38] Speaker C: And let's not forget she's doing it to somebody who's really trying to make her life undermine her life. I think she's justified. So. [00:03:47] Speaker A: So. But should we, as in the real world, like, be. And I don't want to say catty. Cause I don't think it was catty. You know what I mean? Like, is it okay to come at people like that who've done you? You know what I'm. Do you understand what I'm saying? Or should we just, like, be the upper, be the bigger person? That's what I'm trying to say. Should. No, we would not have this fantabulous movie. But because Betty, you know, we love. We want Betty. We always love Betty in these scenes, but is that bad for society? I guess that's what I'm trying to ask. [00:04:18] Speaker C: Well, she didn't do anything else. She didn't try to ruin her life in any way. She just kind of gestured across the room. She smiled at her, and she raised a celery stick. And then she went about her life and married Bill and allegedly had a fabulous life. So that's the best revenge. So she didn't do anything more than this simple gesture, whereas the other character did quite a lot, too. So she. You know what I mean? So I think Eve got off quite nicely. [00:04:46] Speaker A: Well, what about George Sanders character? [00:04:49] Speaker C: Oh, he's a jerk. Yeah. [00:04:50] Speaker A: Okay, so was he justified in how and. Yes. Guys, we are so sorry. We are rehashing all about Eve. I'm sorry. You know, Norman is the cause of this. Cause I was not expecting this picture. So anytime I see Betty in her glory, I have to stop. So George Sanders, do you think, and Norman and Georgie, I'll chime in. Was he. Was he right in how he treated eve? Or should he just like, oh, screw her, you know, she'll. She'll learn. Get her come up and what do y'all think? [00:05:21] Speaker C: I think if you look at it as a satire, this whole thing is kind of a satire. It's kind of like showing you the dramatic, you know? And he's. He is emulating a number of critics of the day who were very much like this. So I think, you know, it just suited his character because he was kind of a snarky gentleman. [00:05:39] Speaker A: Right. [00:05:39] Speaker C: In his personal life. So I think that, you know, I think he's just sort of. He's. He's acting the role of this kind of character, and they were pretty vicious. I mean, they. They were. They were not pleasant people. [00:05:51] Speaker A: Right. Yeah, that is true. That is true. [00:05:54] Speaker C: I don't know what Georgia has to say about it, but I. That's what I think. [00:05:57] Speaker A: Right. [00:05:57] Speaker B: Well, I felt he enabled her and that. And, yeah, he was pretty low down. Yeah. Despicable character, as far as I'm concerned. [00:06:08] Speaker A: Well, we. Obviously, guys, we love that movie. Go back and listen to our podcast or on our YouTube channel of the same name. Go ahead on and, like, share, subscribe, comment about our all about Eve video that George and I did a while back, and we're gonna stop talking about that. And before we get to Greece, we do want to talk about something else. Guys, we have a star amongst us, a literary glitterati amongst us. And I just want to quickly. And I'm not saying that to be funny. Norman is a writer, and I just want to highlight. So, Norman sent us this. Okay. Yeah. Y'all can see this. This is. So, Norman's gonna tell us about this website. I had no idea about this website, and I love writing. I. As for catharsis, I just really love it. Always. I've always written. Never to publish. Just writing, to be writing. And so here's Norman. He's okay with us showing his face. Well, he's here. He is bigger than life on this website. But here's Norman, and he wrote this story, the death of Rhetta Brown. And I'm gonna stop talking. But, guys, if you love. And, Norma, you could correct me if I'm wrong. Say Moya. No, that's not it. But if you love. So, the first thing came to my mind was a little murder. She wrote a little British. You know, British. The British did mysteries just fabulously. And comedy just snarky. Was saying snarky, and I'm leaving the whole stuff out. You have to read this story, so I'm gonna stop talking. Please, Norman, tell us about your process. Tell us about this website, your process. This was. This was such a fun read. [00:07:51] Speaker C: Oh, I'm really glad. Yeah. So, I've been writing for a really long time, for many years. I published a number of, like, what they call creative nonfiction, sort of like events that, you know, were mostly part of my life, but maybe, you know, changed around a bit. So I had a number of short stories published for, you know, doing that. And so I kind of ran across a number of literary journals. There's quite a few. So people who are interested in publishing, I would suggest the poets and writers website. It's very easy to use. It's quite a list of publishers that are accepting any kind of poetry, any kind of literary output that you might have. I encourage everybody to try to publish. It's just a fun thing to do. You might get rejected. You probably will get rejected. And that is part of the process. You just keep on going and keep on working and workshop and take classes or whatever. I suggest getting into a community of writers, too. That really helps. But this particular story is a change of venue for me. I've been excited about changing into just fiction because I think it's just more creative and more fun. And so I've got these two characters. They're older gentlemen. They've been friends for a really long time, and, you know, they're contemplating retirement and what to do with their life, and all of a sudden, people start dropping dead all around them, and they find themselves, you know, sort of trying to solve murders. Not very efficiently, but they have fun doing it. And I really got a kick out of this story. I got a kick out of writing this. It was a lot of fun to write, so I'm glad that it was a lot of fun to read. This will be one of a series I'm working on, so I'm expecting to do three, and I want to publish those together as a collection. So I'm working on the other two currently. [00:09:47] Speaker A: And are you going to keep the same gentleman? Like, is it different characters, and they eventually all converge on each other, or is it the same guys? What's the. [00:09:57] Speaker C: Yeah. No, for me, the story, like, the murders are just like a MacGuffin. The real story is the story about the two friends. [00:10:02] Speaker A: Okay? [00:10:03] Speaker C: So they're the. They're the. They will be in every story. The other cast of characters might change, but these two friends, you know, and the nature of their friendship and the strength of their friendship, that to me is the most important part of the story. [00:10:15] Speaker A: And I, and so George and I kept saying, Norman is a word painter, a wordsmith, because you can see every character. I just, he's just so disc and without just bombarding you with adjectives and metaphors or whatever. And you know what I mean? It wasn't too heavy, but it sounds cliche, but they really did leap off the electronic page of you and come to life. We could really. We didn't, we couldn't. I don't know about you, Georgia. I would, I couldn't stand rhetoric. He made me not. I don't even, you know, this is a total fictional person, but I want to ring her freaking. So I'd have been in line. I'd have been a suspect. Let's just go with that. It. [00:10:57] Speaker B: I thought those characters are so magnificently drawn and I could just see them so clearly, which, and I have trouble doing that with other mysteries that I read but didn't have that problem with these. And so I found myself stealing moments out of my day to try and get right back into your story. I didn't want to have to put it down. I loved it so much. It was so. Moya said it so well. It is a fun read. You will be just drawn in to it and just get. And there. I love your sense of humor, the wit that you have in there. I just thought, wow, this is just, I felt this is just as good as anything I ever read. And any other kind of mysteries, every bit that good. And I loved it. And I just want to encourage you to keep on writing. I mean, you really shine in these stories. [00:11:47] Speaker A: Yes. [00:11:48] Speaker C: Well, I hope you like the next two coming up. So I'll tell you when they're ready. I will send them along to you. [00:11:55] Speaker A: Perfect. And so this is the website, guys, so you can see as I was scrolling, look, they have every genre here and how, for those people who are aspiring, how, what's the process of getting published on this website? [00:12:13] Speaker C: So everyone, so what I like about poets and writers is like, it's an almost inexhaustible list. You can filter it, you know, if you're into humor or mystery or, you know, LGBT or feminist or whatever your niche is, poetry, whatever, you can filter down the list and it'll refine the list of places that are accepting the kind of things that you're working on. And they have guidelines. They'll tell you like, we want it in twelve point front, we want it in new times, roman, we want it cover better, but they will tell you exactly, like, what their qualifications are. And you just, you know, you just. If you pay attention to directions and you. You submit your piece the way that they want, want it to, at least you won't get rejected out of hand because they're really picky. I've been an editor in a magazine, and if people just don't follow the basic directions, you're out. So just follow the directions. Each magazine will have its own directions, public. You'll send them to anybody you want as many times as you want. It's like playing the lottery, and it's a lot of fun once you get into the groove of it. I have so much fun with it. And you get to meet editors, you get to meet people. You develop a network over time. [00:13:24] Speaker A: Wow, that sounds so much fun. [00:13:27] Speaker C: They don't pay a dime, so you're not gonna get rich. [00:13:33] Speaker A: Yeah. So. Cause that was gonna be my next question. I'm glad you brought that up. But just an honor to be published. [00:13:40] Speaker C: And again, yeah, that's what they try to tell you. [00:13:46] Speaker A: Well, I'm ignorant. I don't know about Georgia. I'm ignorant to the whole thing. So, like I said, this was also fascinating to me. But. No, but your work, I assume, because I only had a chance to look at your work, and I said I was gonna go back and check out, and I'm just a really picky reader. It has to be quality. I can't. Cause my mind, I'm always trying to guess what's gonna happen next. It could be a mystery. It could be a romance. I don't care. So if it's predictable, I am out. But I could not. Georgia, could you predict what was gonna happen in this story? [00:14:19] Speaker B: Oh, no. Not even. [00:14:21] Speaker A: Right, right. And he didn't take you on a wild goose chase. It wasn't a lot of, like I said, macguffins and wild goose. Red herrings. Red herrings. Thank you. Red herrings. It was. When you finish, you're like. They go wild. Like, it was right there. That's how I felt, Georgia. Like, it was. The mystery solved. Whatever. You know, like on Scooby Doo, pulling the mask off, it was like, oh, my gosh. Like, how did I not see that? Cause my brain is always working. I know who it is. I had not a clue who it was. So you will be thoroughly impressed. And it's just an honor to have you on here, Norman, to talk about this. So guys who are listening on the screen is the writing. It's writingdisorder.com. and I was on a page about submission. So go to that. And if you don't have it, I'll put the link somewhere on our description box on our YouTube page. But yeah, so I put link to Norman's story, obviously, and then you can, when you go to the page, you'll see at the top the different menus and they have submit, donate, blah, blah, blah. But thank you. And thank you, Norman, for sharing the story with us. And the criteria and what you said was so true, you know, follow directions. [00:15:38] Speaker C: Yeah, they're very specific. Each one is very, very specific. I just want to wrap up with. I'm sure you guys are all familiar with little women. And the character of Jo is a writer, and she submitted a story and she got paid, you know, $100 for her story and 100 and something years later, you're lucky if you get $100 for a story. It's like writers. Writers are still getting paid like what they were getting paid in the 1860s. So there's that yeah way. [00:16:04] Speaker A: What? So I know how you make it, and we gotta get off of this, but how do you make it big, as they say, especially in today's digital world, because people self publish and what have you. [00:16:13] Speaker C: Yo, how do you make it big? I have no idea. But I'm having fun. I'm having fun. You know, if eventually, you know, if I get this collection going and I can peddle it to an agent, you know, once I get there, I will let you know how I did it. [00:16:29] Speaker A: Hilarious. Hilarious. So, guys, I'll put the links, like I said, somewhere on our Facebook and YouTube page. And please go and read Norman stories. Hit us up and let us know what you think. Let Norman know what you think. He's on the ultimate fashion history's Facebook page, and he also has his own page about fashion. So, you know, just do a search for him and you can obviously get in touch with him. So now, without further freaking ado, let's finally get to Greece, guys. And there is so much information about Greece, I don't know where to start. So I. I. I'm gonna turn it over either to Georgia or Norman. And y'all can start however you want because I have, like, several pages up about all things Greece. So y'all, y'all take it away. [00:17:15] Speaker B: Okay, I'll go ahead and jump in. I liked doing grease because this is a fun summer movie. It's got a great vibe to it as we go into the summer. We hadn't done a musical in a while, and I do like musicals. This movie was, for a time, the third highest grossing movie of all time, behind only Jaws and Star wars. And it was the highest grossing movie at the time when it came out for a good while, anyway. And so this is back in 78. And so they had kind of a nostalgic feel in the late seventies for the fifties. And so that engendered, like, other things, like american graffiti. They also did. Yeah, they did Porky's. They did, you know, happy days, Laverne and Shirley. So this is part of that nostalgic thing that was going on in the late seventies where they were looking back at the 1950s. And, of course, this was also on the heels of John Travolta doing a Saturday night fever. And, you know, he was, at the time, the number one young male sex symbol at the time. And so I hadn't seen this movie since it first came out. So it'd been a lot of years for me. So, you know, I look at him now and I go, oh, my gosh. You know, people are just, like, mesmerized by the way he, like, dances, moves his hips. I mean, he doesn't walk. The man jiggles, you know. [00:18:46] Speaker A: When he. [00:18:47] Speaker B: Is on the screen, you know, your attention is just really focused on him in any scene he's in. And it's like. It's like, in the lyrics, he's electrifying. That's what I gotta say. [00:19:02] Speaker C: Yeah, total. Totally. He was beautiful. And, well, if you suspend disbelief and realize, like, you know, these high school players, these high school students are all 35 year old actors, you know, then you're fine. But it's so much fun to watch. So much fun to watch. [00:19:17] Speaker A: It's nothing but fun. Like, you turn your brain off and just. And it transcends color, race, creed, social. I don't know anybody who does not like grease, like, unless you just don't like musicals. But, no, I've never heard anything bad about Grease. Have you all? [00:19:35] Speaker B: I have heard some bad things about grease, yes. Yes. There's. Well, see, you know, it was so popular for a long time because, you know, you would hear that music at proms and, you know, and it has such a great. I had the soundtrack. I mean, I pretty much memorized every word to all the music in it. I loved. I just loved it. A lot of people criticized it because they said it was so thin on plot, and they would say things like, nobody there looked like they were in high school. They're all way too old to be playing, but, you know, you have to. But that's part of a musical. You have to suspend belief. [00:20:09] Speaker C: That's right. [00:20:09] Speaker B: And you have to get into the spirit of it and let yourself get into the fantasy and enjoy the music. The dancing and choreography in this is absolutely amazing. And so, yeah, I did. I did hear things like that, but this was meant to not be taken seriously. It is a spoof of 1950s stereotypes and movie musicals. And it's an opportunity for these movie producers to put together a collection of songs into a massive selling soundtrack album. And that's what you're seeing here. And it's just meant to be. It's supposed to make you happy. It's like a sugar rush of a movie. It's just a ton of fun. [00:20:49] Speaker C: That's amazing. I love that. All of that. Absolutely. And the thing is, the soundtrack, like you said, was everywhere. I mean, we listened to the radio all the time. That's how we got music back then. And these songs were on the radio constantly. You're the one that I want was number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It went platinum. I'm reading here because I did a little research. It was an international hit and was one of the best selling single records of all time. And then hopelessly devoted to you was number three on the Billboard Hot 100. And so those songs, these in the Greece, the title song, they were on the radio constantly. You couldn't escape this soundtrack if you tried. It was a mega hit. Mega hit. And a lot of fun. I think people had a lot of fun with it. Besides the naysayers. [00:21:34] Speaker A: Yeah, the naysayers have to be in a minority because, I mean, it's so. I don't know if Georgia or Norman, in your research, how were they able to. Because, you know, musicals were pretty much dead. So, like, the last big musical may have been what sound of music? I guess. I don't know. I'm not a great historian, but, like, that really blew the box office off because that was what, like the sixties or something? And then the seventies was you had like maybe about a ten year or a little bit more period before a huge musical. So how did they pull this off? Because, like, I mean, so, like. Like George's writer had the zeitgeist of the reminiscing about the nostalgia of the fifties and stuff and everything. You said, you're so spot on, Georgia, but, like, to put money behind this. So just before you answer that, I didn't know Olivia Newton John had a career before Greece. Like, I. You know, I was a kid. I was like four when this came out. So I only knew her, and I saw it on tv, so it had already had its theater run. So it was like, you know, on tv at that point. And I knew. I only knew Travolta from Vinnie Barbarino, you know, from welcome back, Carter. Then later on tv, Saturday Night Live, I didn't know he had a career, you know, outside of that, what I just said. But how were they able to do this? Because Olivia Newton John, she wasn't that big, you know. Of course, she's from Australia, rest in peace. She wasn't. Was she that big? Like, how did they get this done? [00:22:58] Speaker B: Well, they originally wanted to look at some other people to star. Like, they wanted Henry Winkler, but he was too afraid of being typecast and. But with John Travolta's natural dancing ability and his screen power and presence, you know, he was easy to cast. But they looked at Marie Osmond and she turned it down because she thought it was just a little bit too edgy or racy for her to do. Yes, I know they did. I know. It's amazing. And they also looked at Susan day for her role. Deborah Raffin. Yes. And the Rizzo character. The other two people they considered were Lucy Arnaz and, believe it or not, Carrie Fisher. But they did. They did such an excellent job, I think, with Stockard Channing, because I think she's truly a standout character. [00:23:46] Speaker A: Keep your paws off my silky drawers. I would say that all the time when I was a kid and my granny and him, look, they're like, what are you saying? [00:23:55] Speaker C: Well, I mean, the lyrics are just great, right? The lyrics are just funny and. Yeah, I mean, we loved it. We ate it up. I was in 7th or 8th grade. I was in the summer of 7th, going into 8th grade. So I was like, the target audience. We loved this movie. We went to the movies and saw it, like a few times, at least five or six times. Then it was at the drive in, then it was on tv. I've seen this movie so many times, it's like in my blood. [00:24:21] Speaker B: You know. There was actually the height of movie musicals was from, like, the thirties to the fifties. That was really considered the golden age of Hollywood musicals because it was kind of, if you could bookend it, it probably started around either maybe the jazz singer and showboat in 1927 and then finally to fiddler on the roof. So this is probably the last one that was done in this big, huge movie musical style like this. [00:24:47] Speaker C: And then we can't even. We cannot talk about grease two, which, you know, you know, which really was the death knell for the whole thing. You know, they should have stopped with this because this was just a classic. [00:25:00] Speaker A: But, you know, Norman, guys, when I was looking on facebook, like, there. If you say that, Norman, them's fighting words. Because some people are like, grease, too, is better than grease when they are out of their minds. But I can't. [00:25:12] Speaker C: I don't know a single song. Greece to. Except for maybe we're gonna bowl tonight, which doesn't. You know, it doesn't. It's not a. It's not a toe tapper at all. [00:25:22] Speaker A: Toe tapper. I mean, I've never seen it. I can't. So maybe I shouldn't say that out of their minds. I honestly never. Cause I was like, there is no Jon Trav as a kid. I wasn't stupid. I was like, there's no John Travolta and there's no Olivia Newton John. I know. [00:25:38] Speaker C: Michelle Pfeiffer is amazing. Michelle Pfeiffer is amazing. [00:25:41] Speaker A: She is. Okay. Absolutely. [00:25:43] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, I think she was good, but, you know, she was it. [00:25:48] Speaker A: Dog on it. So should I look at it before I judge it? [00:25:54] Speaker C: Well, we have grease. Greece was perfect. Greece was perfect. [00:25:58] Speaker A: I love. Norman is such a gentleman and diplomat. I love how he answered that. Hilarious. Yeah. I don't want to ruin. See, that's my thing. I don't want to ruin my image of the grease with grease, too. And so many people's poo pooed on it. So, yeah, I'm not going to look at. I'm sorry if y'all love grease, too. I'm not trying to be mean. I just. I just suspected before I even really knew, like, people didn't like it. I just suspected as a kid, like, this ain't gonna work. So anything else before I wanted to get into the merchandise. So, Norman, I had a question for you. And I had George. I had said this to Norman last minute, and his reply was so funny. I was like, Norman, can you talk about the costume design? Because the costume is like, the costume and the cars and all in the hairstyle, that's like the second and third characters. Vince, like, manufacturing, like, making the costumes versus going get vintage. So I asked Norman which one is more cost effective. So, Norman, go ahead on and spill it. Guts on that one. [00:26:58] Speaker C: So you mean in terms of, like, a production, like on the Hollywood level or on the personal level? [00:27:03] Speaker A: No. On the production in the movie, yes. [00:27:05] Speaker C: Oh, I thought you were talking about the more personal level. No. So the designer for this one was Albert Walsky, who is, you know, regarded highly. And so I think that there was a lot of costume design going in here. I don't think in this particular production there was much being bought off the rack. What I did want to reference, though, I mean, everything that Georgia had said about the fifties revival at this moment was very much in play. I think that's one of the reasons why it hit so well at the moment that it was in. Um. And so what you're looking at fashion wise here is, like, there's two dominant silhouettes. In the fifties, you had, like, the poodle skirt, puffy petticoat, you know, ladylike thing, and then you had the slim pencil skirt type of thing. And I think that they use that Rizzo character sort of like the foil, like, she's sort of like the tight sweater, tight skirt, kind of. And they use the two silhouettes to kind of define character, which I think is pretty cool. I also think Sandy's transformation into, you know, whatever she transformed into to catch her pants, you know, I don't know if that's a good message for young ladies. Start smoking cigarettes and you will fall in love with you. But it's a. It was a dramatic transformation in the movie. It was very sexy. And so, again, you're using costume to denote sort of like a change in someone's character. I think it used things. But to answer your question, I think a lot of smart shows now, really, I think downton Abbey was known for using a lot of extant vintage items from that era. So they were really delicate. So there's a lot that goes into that. To wear the vintage clothing, you really have to be careful. You know, you don't want to be like a Kim Kardashian and ruin a dress that was made from Alan Monroe. You know, you wanna. So they were very. So the cast members from that particular show said you had to be really careful about tearing things. You had to be really careful moving. And the clothes were guarded, you know, quite well. So that's. Either one can be expensive because you have to have a whole team sort of keeping these clothes fresh and keeping them safe. So, um, at this, that level, I think, you know, you're. You're. It's. The budget's going to be big no matter what. If you want to do a quality production, you're going to have to do a mix of vintage looks and well done costuming. [00:29:38] Speaker A: Okay, that's. That's what I was wondering. Um, am I. Am I. Can y'all hear me? Because I keep muting myself. [00:29:45] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:29:45] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah, that's what I was wondering. Um, you know, because, like, well, they always have vintage shops, right? Like, they always have vintage because, like, could you find, like, if they just want to go vintage with this, did they have enough vintage shops? Like, now, you know, vintage is crazy. But would they have been able to find anything back then in the seventies? Because, like, all that stuff then the seventies and the twenties. Fifties. I didn't really start getting dumped till, like, what, the sixties? Seventies? I don't know. I don't know. I'm ignorant. [00:30:15] Speaker C: Well, a studio like this would have their own warehouse of costumes that they had kept and curated and were in refrigerated, you know, rooms and, like, things. So they had, you know, the bigger studios would have had access to whatever. And I think on the personal level, we at that time were doing a lot of vintage shopping because we loved the fifties. And if you could find, like, a vintage, like, shirt or a jacket, I mean, there were plenty of, like, you know, salvation armies, goodwills, little consignment shops. So by the time I got to college, a lot of people were wearing actual vintage items because they were, they were cheaper and we were all poor. We didn't know it, but we were. But that was the look. You know, like a man's suit jacket rolled up was kind of hot, you know, tuxedo coat that you found. You know, those, those looks were really very popular. So the Annie hall look, it was kind of like all of the heels of that. So it was like, kind of found and curated items was kind of like the look of the moment. [00:31:16] Speaker A: And so you kind of already answered that, that the prices were reasonable because now you try to get those looks in the vintage. Oh, you, you might as well go to Macy's or whatever, Saks Fifth Avenue, because the price, and I'm being facetious, but they're not inexpensive. [00:31:32] Speaker C: Well, here's the thing. Do you want to buy a really well crafted garment that's lasted this long, or do you want to buy a piece of crap from old Navy that's going to fall apart in the dryer? The choice is always yours. [00:31:48] Speaker A: Right? Right. But it's so, you know, it's really, really popular. It's like, so chic. Now, as, like I said, you guys were doing it because you're on a budget, you know, and if I know, I found Georgia. Have you found any, like, really good designer stuff? What do you. Thrift or consignment shop or vintage shop? Georgia? [00:32:05] Speaker B: I used to. I don't as much now anymore. But, oh, I love just the treasures and the finds that you can get. They're wonderful. But I wanted to say something. I don't know if you both came across this in your reading about the movie, but those cigarette style pants that Olivia Newton John is wearing in the final scene had to be sewn on her. They were vintage. The zipper was broken. But every time she had to go to the bathroom, they had to unsew her out of it and then sew her back into it. That's how you get those. Those pants. But, you know, I don't know how you would really describe, you know, because at the beginning, you know, she's wearing all these wonderful pastel colors, you know, for her character. But then, you know, that final scene and the transformation, she. I don't know how to describe it, except I would say Fredericks of Hollywood. Hooker. I don't know Hollywood. [00:33:03] Speaker A: I love it. Look, she got the fly off into the cold. [00:33:07] Speaker B: I loved it. [00:33:08] Speaker A: Huh? You like it? [00:33:10] Speaker B: I loved it. But you noticed that his character, Danny's character, he also. It's not just her that transforms. He wants to get Sandy's attention. So what he does is he letters in track, and he is wearing a letterman's jacket, just like Moya is showing right there. [00:33:27] Speaker C: Yep. [00:33:28] Speaker A: Right. You know, I love the end. If you can change for your significant other, transform and fly off into the air in the car, I say do it. That just at the end, as a kid, that just did everything for me. I just like, oh, wow. Like, love is really great, you know? You know, your corner kid, what I'm showing you guys. So just some of the influences of this movie because, like, a lot of people say, well, grease, you know, it's just stupidly so. That's a white movie. And it's just. That's cuckoo. But look at the influence. So back in the day, ja rule. I don't know if y'all Norman or Georgia. I know it is. Just bear with me. He was like, hardcore rapper. He was like the. I ain't gonna say the successor to Tupac. Kind of not really, but kind of a contemporary, but kind of a successor, but not really. But anyway, he was a rapper, blah, blah, blah. And. But so he's hardcore, man. Cause he was with this rap group. Almost said it, the old crafty out. I'm gonna get thrown. I'm already out the black community, but I'm gonna get thrown into the hinterlands. Cause I can't remember the name of this group. But anyway. But they were like, hard. Like his producer name was Gotti and Capone and all this stuff. Anyway, anyway, so this dude, a hardcore rapper, y'all, so just bear with me. So look, he's got the letterman jacket on. This is all grease influence. You can see it. And I'm like, who the hell's idea was this? Cause I'm like, dude, I mean, I know what grease is, but like the people. Oh, lord, look at this song. Wait, hold on. Get these words off here. Y'all freaky. I didn't mean to do that. Y'all don't look at that. But that was supposed to be the scene from. Let me get this damn cc off of here. Good night, nurse. Whatever. This. Yeah, I won't change it. I want to see it. But anyway, so here comes Ashanti, and she's already transformed into the bad girl, you know? So you see the influence and all this kind of stuff. So look at the influence of this and the scene with the pajama party. And I don't know who these people are, but. So this group was really hot in, like the two thousands and stuff. And I'm like, do these people even know what grease is? Like, how did y'all. And that's cool. You agreed to it. But. So grease has transcend into the hood. Everybody is what I'm trying. So these people, they actually redid the whole fricking thing. [00:35:51] Speaker C: Oh, wow. [00:35:52] Speaker A: And you know, you know, these videos weren't cheap back then. And I was like, everybody just pretending. Everybody's an actor. So look at her doing her sandy. So she has like a catsuit on right here as opposed. So what do y'all think? What do y'all think about this? Yay or nay? [00:36:10] Speaker C: I want to see this video now. [00:36:12] Speaker A: Okay, let's. Let's look at it. Can I need to turn a cc off? Because if y'all up there talking all that kind of smack, this. This is a. This is a friendly show, a family friendly show. So I will mute it because I don't want. We'll probably get copyright struck anyway. I don't care. All right, so the song is. Okay, guys, it's not important. Let's see. So this is the crew. I can't. Junior mafia. No, no, no, that's wrong. That's. That's notorious b I j. I can't remember the name of these. It don't matter. But anyway, so they got. Said they got black. The black power movement. Then they got this dude. They got a whole lot of stuff going on in here. So I don't want to get copyright struck. I'll put the link in there. Let's see. [00:37:01] Speaker C: I just want to say that girl's hairdo is straight out of the Ronettes. [00:37:04] Speaker A: Ah, which one? Oh, right here. [00:37:06] Speaker C: The girl with the ponytail. Oh, yeah. That's, that's Ronnie. Ronnie Specter right there it is. Yep. I love this outfit. I think this is fabulous. It's a great, I think it's a great reinterpretation of the costume. Look at. Even the font is very font. [00:37:24] Speaker A: Everything. [00:37:24] Speaker C: Yeah. Did everything. That's amazing. [00:37:27] Speaker A: So ja rule, he, like, not in the spotlight anymore. Like, he fell off. Ashanti kind of fell off, too. This little girl here. [00:37:34] Speaker C: I love the spoof with the cigarette. That's funny. [00:37:36] Speaker A: Yes. Let me a few seconds of the song as enough. I don't get copyright strike. But this was a huge hit, like, on a radio. This was a huge hit, like in the two thousands. Yeah, yeah. And some you in the comments wherever. Let me know the exact year had to be, like, if it was in 2000, let me see. It'll show up. So, like, so for those of you who are listening, it's the mesmerized video with ja rule and Ashanti. And they totally reenacting the grease part. When they go to the fair and she's dressed up, like, saying she got the hair. She have, like, she don't have the pencil pants on, but she have, like, a cat suit on. It's kind of like the pleather look. So I'm so I ain't gonna spend too much time on that. But let me see. I think I just want to get to the end because they, like, literally fly off into the air and all this kind of stuff. Wait, where's the end of it? So, I mean, it's crazy. When I saw this, I was like, what y'all? Of all the things y'all, I would have never expected y'all hood hood homies to do no doggone grease. See, everybody's an actor. Y'all don't believe anything. Okay, let me just put it like that. [00:38:57] Speaker C: Well, there's nothing, there's nothing new under the sun, you know? And I think that the thing that I love about fashion and history and art is that we're constantly referencing other, other things, you know? And fashion is one of those things. I want to just talk about the seventies real quickly. You know, the fifties revival, that was such a big thing. But before that, like the forties revival, the Pointer sisters. If you look at the early pointer sisters, they were wearing, like, very forties inspired clothing, which was a look. And then before that, there was a 1930s revival. If you look at Halston, if you look at the late sixties of Bonnie and Clyde was a real big influence on what women were wearing in the street. So berets and longer skirts. And so this referencing. And now I'm seeing kids walking around the nineties and two thousands, which makes me feel so old. So it's like, I think we're constantly looking back about 20 years or so. And I think it's very interesting how that works and how that gets reinterpreted each time. [00:40:01] Speaker A: That is so true. That's so true. And I just want to quickly show just a little bit more of the influence of grease. I looked up grease merchandising, and it's crazy. Here we go. So this stuff is still available, guys, like, on Amazon. So I, of course, I clicked on this. Tell me about this t shirt. And so it's $22 if you're interested. And it's on Amazon right here. Like, it's in stock. I can't get it. [00:40:34] Speaker C: A scroll. Yeah. No, this is marketed to kids today. This is marketed to kids, like, now. And so they know these references. They know grease. I mean, a pink lady jacket. Oh, my God. I would kill for that. [00:40:45] Speaker A: I would kill. I know what you said, georgia. [00:40:49] Speaker B: I would too. Oh, my gosh. So it's on targets for the ladies that they had. And the leather. Oh, my gosh. [00:40:57] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:40:58] Speaker A: I love this. And look at, this is cute, too. This. So we're looking at the grease Danny and sandy t shirt. Like, little silhouettes, like a little artsy fartsy thing of them. And then, of course, I had to look at some other stuff. So there's dolls of Barbie. Of course. Barbie. What hasn't Barbie made a doll out of? [00:41:23] Speaker C: Oh, can we talk about Frenchie for a second? [00:41:26] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:41:27] Speaker C: That character, Frenchie. Oh, I loved her. [00:41:29] Speaker B: Me too. [00:41:31] Speaker C: I loved her. Beautiful drop out. [00:41:34] Speaker A: But here she goes. Oh, let's look at this one. [00:41:37] Speaker B: Yeah. Whenever I am coloring my hair, I'm on everybody. Beautiful drop out. I said it to the guy who does my hair, and he just, like, rolls over laughing because, you know, I've had coloring problems. I'll just leave it at that. [00:41:52] Speaker C: She flung out. Well, so this movie also had a lot of cameos from, they were Frankie Avalon, Joan Blondel, Eve Arden, Dodie Goodman, Sid Caesar. There were a lot of characters like the teachers and the principal and, like the, you know, a lot of the background. I think Shananna was sort of like the dance group. So you had a lot of cameos from people that were from that era initially, that made it kind of, I don't know, feel more authentic. That's true. [00:42:28] Speaker A: That's true, cuz. And. Oh, okay. Look at these disco pants. Wait, I need to go back. Wait, where's the back? But no. Darn it. Um, see, I started calling those. Yeah, look at these. Now, this is my outfit right here. This is it. I had. I have. It wasn't this material. It was kind of like that plastic, shiny material, wasn't this. I don't know what that material was, but it was this color. And child, y'all couldn't talk to me. I thought I was the bee's knees, honey. And I have a pair of black. Well, we call them disco pants. I have a pair of black, and it. Well, I'm not gonna say I have wardrobe malfunctions with them. And that's all I'm gonna say about that. But this is the outfit, guys. And so you need somebody to sew. [00:43:14] Speaker C: You in and sew you out of. [00:43:15] Speaker A: Them and use the jaws of life to get me out of it. That's what we need. So, guys, those of you who are listening. So this is a throwback. Olivia, when the movie was out. So she has on purple pencil or cigarette pants or disco pants, the shiny ones. And then she has, like, a shiny. It's not the pink ladies, I don't think, but that satiny kind of material with, like, a lipstick red. She can fold the cuffs back and they're, like, a purple or lilac. And then she, under the jacket, she has the butterfly, the wide collar with, like, a light pink. I mean, I just love. You could wear this today and just kill you could totally be on with this one. [00:43:55] Speaker C: I do want to note the collar, the popped collar. Everybody was walking around with pop collars on their polo shirts on there. Our regular shirt. Everybody was walking around with little pop collars there for quite some time after this movie. Also perms. Every girl had a printed perm. They all looked like that. [00:44:14] Speaker A: It's so funny. Let me just. Quickly, before we get out of here. So I think this is all the Sandy dolls that Barbie did for grease. [00:44:24] Speaker C: I want a Rizzo doll. [00:44:26] Speaker A: Let me see. Rizzo doll. I know they did. They did. They did. Pinky Tuscadero. They did. Of course, Sandy. And they did. Who you just said. And then. I don't know about Rizzo. I did not see Rizzo. [00:44:43] Speaker C: Oh, boy. [00:44:44] Speaker A: How could you not? I could be wrong. Let me just before we go, I'll look it up. Let me look it up. Rizzo Dahl. [00:44:51] Speaker C: And I love that they made her, like, the bad girl with a heart, you know? She was such a great character. She was great. I think the casting, when you were talking about, like, the other casting choices, I'm glad they went with stalker Channing. I think she's perfect. [00:45:06] Speaker A: Okay, here it is. Here's. So I was wrong. They did have a rizzle doll. Oh, look at her. So they have her in this one, and they have her in her red dress, guys. [00:45:16] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, the red dress. [00:45:18] Speaker A: They have her. Let me find that. [00:45:21] Speaker C: Oh, it's only $39, right? Okay. [00:45:27] Speaker A: So I've never seen these in a while. I think this was a. I don't know if they were on the shelves. They may have been. Cause you see, it's 2007, and let me go back and see the other images. Um, let me do Rizzo. Rizzo Barbie. Rizzo Barbie doll. Okay, here she is. Okay, where is it? Oh, there we go. [00:45:57] Speaker C: Here's the red dress. Ooh, it's on sale. [00:45:59] Speaker A: Isn't it gorgeous? [00:46:01] Speaker C: Yeah, gorgeous. [00:46:04] Speaker A: They did that. So I don't know if this was the, like, exclusive label. I think the pink Barbie collector label. Like, you. You don't have to subscribe to Mattel or something like that. I'm not an expert. I don't know. But I think. So what? I think. I think these were on the shelves. The only ones I've ever seen were the little baby. Let me see. They were like, oh, I saw. I've seen these. So let me share this, and then we'll start wrapping it up. I've only seen it where big lots. Rip the big lots. They're closing their. Closing, George. They're closing the, um. A lot of the barbies. I mean, the barbies. The big lots in our area. [00:46:42] Speaker B: Yeah. And the 99 cent stores. [00:46:44] Speaker A: Yeah. Hold on. That's a whole nother talk show. Don't. I'm so. Here we go. So I've only seen these little. Cute. Look how cute that is. Can y'all see the little baby ones? Oh, too cute. So I've only seen those in a while. I haven't seen anything else. And, of course, there's. It's just. You can just go grease mad there. There's so much. Well, guys, I'm gonna let you all have the last word. I had some other stuff, but I think you all covered everything. Anything else you want to say about this just wonderful, fun movie? [00:47:15] Speaker C: Go for it, Georgia. [00:47:17] Speaker B: Okay. Well, gosh, if you want something that's just gonna be a lot of fun and make you happy. Check out this movie. And one of the things that I have to say about movies in general and why I like them so much is I just wish we could have a revival of musicals like singing in the rain and an american in Paris and seven brides for seven brothers. And nowadays, we don't have stars that have the same charm, the style, the larger than life panache of people like, you know, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly and Ginger Rogers and Judy Garland. And, you know, the thing is that I find about musicals and one of the reasons why I like this movie is because there is, like, if you watch, like, these full blown MGM musicals, they have such an innocence to them. They make movie going such an exhilarating experience. And so that's why they have, like, a sing along version of Grease. And so if you don't know the lyrics to these songs, yeah, they can be a little bit edgy or racy but there is just so much fun in them. And they tell you so much about the way I would watch this movie is, I would say, watch it, enjoy it, sing along, pick a favorite song and character and go for it. Because Greece is the word, baby and my final word is going to be wa ba ba lubapa wa bamboo. [00:48:38] Speaker A: Look at all the different languages and countries. This movie is never gonna die, which I don't want it to. [00:48:45] Speaker C: Right. I mean, I think high school plays, you're doing it all the time. I mean, like, it's a class. It's a staple at this point. [00:48:51] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:48:52] Speaker C: And I agree with you, Joy. I think. I wondered, you know, I was thinking innocence was the word that came to mind. And I agree. I mean, if you look at, like, the Fred and Ginger movies, I mean, they're fabulous. It's such escapism that musicals offer you. And I just. I think. I wonder if we're. We've lost our innocence to the point where. I don't know if you could. I don't know, it'd be interesting to see. Well, mamma mia. Mamma mia was certainly a huge. So there's hope, I guess. There's hope. I'd like to think that there's hope. [00:49:22] Speaker A: Yeah, that's. That's true. That. That and what I just showed whilst Georgia and Norman were talking, that is like the. This is in the UK. That was like the latest at the King's Theater. That was like the latest. I think that was in April, latest production. So you're right. They're doing. So this is still. Greece is still alive. It's still the word, like Georgia said. And so you can still see live productions of this. And like y'all said, high schools, these enjoy. And these, those kids love this movie. I mean, every, like, for the most part, everyone loves this movie. Anything else, guys, before we get out of here. [00:50:02] Speaker C: You guys go together like Rama Lama ding dong. [00:50:06] Speaker B: I love it. [00:50:07] Speaker A: Norman, that's a mic drop moment right there, guys, thank you so much for tuning in and hanging out with us. You know, we always have a ball with you. We do this all for you. Norman, what's going on with the ultimate fashion history? I was perusing our page, and y'all had some. Y'all always have great posts, but what's going on over there? [00:50:27] Speaker C: Real quick, we were chugging along. Film fashion history. We did Belle de Jour, which was a Catherine Deneuve movie from 1967, some wonderful Eve Saint Laurent fashion. Yeah. So, and then, you know, there's Pride month, so there's like a number of things related to that. Yeah, it's chugging along. It's a great page. We have a lot of fun with it. So come on over and visit anytime. [00:50:50] Speaker A: Absolutely. So, like I said, I know for sure they're on Facebook. Any other social media platforms? Y'all Instagram too, right? [00:50:58] Speaker C: The YouTube channel. The founder had done a series of talks and lectures about fashion history. So if you're into that, if you're at all a nerd or like, you know, Hollywood fashion and things like that, all things that kind of touch on fashion history. Ultimate fashion history is a YouTube page. And I find her delightful to listen to. I really enjoy her lectures. I listen to them over and over again. [00:51:21] Speaker A: Right. And she is not boring and she has a wonderful accent, so. [00:51:25] Speaker C: Oh, so much fun. Yeah, yeah. [00:51:27] Speaker A: So you, you will have fun as edutainment as they say. Georgia, anything else before we go? [00:51:34] Speaker B: Yes, I just want to say a special thank you to Norman for making our podcast today so much more entertaining. It was packed full of great stuff. Thank you, Norman. [00:51:43] Speaker C: Oh, thank you. I always have fun with you guys. [00:51:46] Speaker A: And so, guys, our next, the next time we're all together, it's gonna be a Yankee doodle dandy. Good time, everybody. So right after, right in time for July 4. So on the 6 July, that's the first Saturday. And right again, right after the fourth, our independence day, we will have Yankee Doodle. So another musical. Sometimes we don't have. We have a musical drought and boom. We have, you know, two musicals back to back. So catch us here again live 01:00 p.m. central standard time for Yankee Doodle Dandy, starring none other than James Cagney. And we hope you have a wonderful fourth and a rest. This this month flew out. Oh, my gosh, Georgia, we just did. Harry met Sally in Rome and girl is over with. This month is over with. That's crazy. [00:52:35] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:52:37] Speaker A: Insane. So, you guys, thank you so much for tuning in. Don't forget to, like, comment, subscribe, subscribe and share on our YouTube channel. And also share, share, share on our Facebook page. And we'll see you right here live again. So for how Betty Davis saved my life, life lessons from classic Hollywood. I'm Moya. [00:52:56] Speaker B: I'm Georgia. [00:52:57] Speaker A: And Sir Norman. [00:52:59] Speaker C: Have a good day, everybody. Thank you, guys. [00:53:02] Speaker A: We'll see you next time. Take care. Thank you again. Shout out to all our new subscribers too, on our YouTube page. Thank you so much. We look forward to being with you again. Bye bye. Woohoo.