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‘Grease’ With Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman, and Amanda Dobbins

August 15, 2022 · Grease (1978) · Comedy · Musical · Romance · 1:50:14

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Most Rewatchable Scene

Amanda Dobbins▶ 35:24Summer Nights - calls it one of the most iconic scenes ever seen in a movie and imprinted on their brain
Bill Simmons▶ 34:34Summer Nights as the main pick, plus opening credits, Look at Me I'm Sandra Dee, Greased Lightning, diner scenes, sports tryouts montage, Rizzo pregnancy reveal, and Sandy

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill Simmons▶ 53:10The strawberry milkshake

Den of Thieves Benihana Award

Amanda Dobbins▶ 53:49The drive-in
Bill Simmons▶ 53:35L.A. River

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Amanda Dobbins▶ 57:27Discussed multiple issues including Rizzo being unlikeable/mean, Jan's personality being only about eating, and car racing technology being unexciting
Bill Simmons▶ 54:24The ages of some of the 'kids' in this movie - actors too old to be playing teenagers

Ron Burgundy Flute Award

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:03:38The sports montage
Bill Simmons▶ 1:02:55Beauty School Dropout

Is There a Better Title?

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:04:31Rejected 'Summer Nights' because most of the movie isn't summer nights, doesn't think 'Grease' is great but doesn't mind it
Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:20Suggested 'Summer Nights' as alternative but ultimately likes the title 'Grease'

Best Quote

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:05:06John Travolta's lines including 'sloppy seconds ain't my style' and 'that's my name, don't wear it out'
Bill Simmons▶ 1:05:33Multiple quotes including 'flog the log', 'true love, didn't lay a hand on you. Sounds like a creep', and 'tell me about it, stud'

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:10:35Sandy looked better before her makeover - doesn't like the perm and preferred her original look
Bill Simmons▶ 1:06:01Sandy kind of sucked as a character - had no sense of humor, was constantly surprised, super sensitive, didn't put out, and wasn't compelling until the leather outfit

Casting What-Ifs

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:11:36Linda Ronstadt — Notes that Linda Ronstadt would have brought totally different energy and made it a different movie. Suggests Marie Osmond might be trying to associate herself with Grease's success after the fact
Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:19Linda Ronstadt — Discusses Linda Ronstadt as seriously considered for Sandy - thinks she could have pulled it off but glad they went with Olivia Newton-John. Also mentions Carrie Fisher, Susan Day, and Marie Osmond were considered, but doubts Marie Osmond's story about almost taking the role

Half-Assed Internet Research

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:13:13Provided commentary on the trivia, questioning Henry Winkler's dancing ability, agreeing the movie worked out better with Travolta, and expressing surprise about Stephen Ford being in When Harry Met Sally
Bill Simmons▶ 1:12:05Shared extensive trivia including: Marie Osmond turned down Grease for Going Coconuts, Olivia Newton-John took reduced pay for star billing, Lucy Arnaz lost Rizzo role due to her mother's interference, Henry Winkler turned down Danny Zuko, Elvis was considered for Teen Angel before he died, Lorenzo Lamas replaced Gerald Ford's son Stephen Ford, and porn star Harry Reams was originally cast as Coach Calhoun before being replaced by Sid Caesar

Overacting Award

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:16:21Didi Conn — Discusses Sid Caesar (says you're either in or out, personally in), but thinks it's Didi Cohn as Frenchie, and also mentions the T-Birds as providing too much comedic relief
Bill Simmons▶ 1:16:36Edd Byrnes — Vince Fontaine, the national bandstand host

Teddy KGB Award

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:17:10Annette Charles — Cha-Cha (agrees with another host's pick)
Bill Simmons▶ 1:17:05Annette Charles — Cha-Cha

Dion Waiters Award

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:18:40Eve Arden — Patti Simcox (after confirming Jeff Conaway wasn't eligible)
Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:22Susan Buckner — Suggested Patti Simcox and Vince Fontaine as options, with emphasis on Patti Simcox doing a lot with not much material

Apex Mountain

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:25:41John Travolta — Agrees with Travolta for Apex Mountain, noting his path after was totally screwy with no other streak or ascension
Bill Simmons▶ 1:24:57John Travolta — Travolta - nobody was higher on Apex Mountain after this movie, he could have made any movie and it would have been greenlit

Hall of Fame Plaque

Bill Simmons▶ 1:30:38No for Travolta (Saturday Night Fever would be his plaque movie), but yes for Olivia Newton-John

Racehorse Name Award

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:31:01National Bandstand, Pink Lady (for a filly), and Knicky (as the weird long-shot horse)
Bill Simmons▶ 1:30:52Hopelessly Devoted

Just One Oscar

Bill Simmons▶ 1:37:38John Travolta — Travolta

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:38:09Pink Ladies are like Mean Girls plastics, Rizzo song intentionally vague about abortion, Danny/Sandy beach sex is possible (50s movie code) but creates character inconsistencies, Kenickie likely a virgin despite his image
Bill Simmons▶ 1:37:47Multiple questions about Pink Ladies membership/structure, Rizzo abortion theory, and whether Danny and Sandy had sex at the beach (leans no based on her later behavior)

Best Double Feature

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:42:32Saturday Night Fever — Saturday Night Fever (primary pick) and Dirty Dancing (alternative pick)
Bill Simmons▶ 1:42:34Saturday Night Fever

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:44:49Agrees with Rizzo that there are worse things you could do than sleep with a guy or two, and endorses 'turn in your teasing comb and go back to high school' as good life advice
Bill Simmons▶ 1:44:34You have to be a bad girl to keep your man happy

Who Won the Movie

Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:45:08John Travolta — Travolta, though also acknowledges Olivia Newton-John really benefits from this

Movies Referenced (37)

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

27 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins▶ 2:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Titanic (1997)

9 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Bill Simmons▶ 1:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dirty Dancing (1987)

6 mentions · Amanda Dobbins▶ 19:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Happy Days (1978)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins▶ 23:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pulp Fiction (1994)

4 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Bill Simmons▶ 7:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 4:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Top Gun (1986)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins▶ 13:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mean Girls (2004)

3 mentions · Amanda Dobbins▶ 57:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rocky (1976)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 7:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Step Up (2006)

3 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Bill Simmons▶ 50:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Clueless (1995)

2 mentions · Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:28:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:24:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (5)

Lil Pump

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Good Boys▶ 59:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

George Clooney

1 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for The Ides of March, Michael Clayton▶ 14:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Martin Scorsese

1 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for Taxi Driver, Killers of the Flower Moon, Mean Streets▶ 1:21:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mitch Gaylord

1 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for Batman Forever▶ 1:29:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Walt Frasier

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:06:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (55)

John Travolta

75 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty, Saturday Night Fever▶ 2:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jeff Conaway

16 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Grease▶ 38:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Elvis Presley

13 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins▶ 16:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Olivia Newton-John

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Grease▶ 3:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Cruise

7 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Top Gun, Minority Report▶ 13:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Didi Conn

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Grease▶ 38:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Patrick Swayze

6 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Bill Simmons · Known for Dirty Dancing, Ghost, Point Break▶ 19:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Dean

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Amanda Dobbins · Known for East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause▶ 16:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Carrie Fisher

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi▶ 1:11:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Linda Ronstadt

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Abyss▶ 1:11:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sid Caesar

3 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Bill Simmons · Known for Grease, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World▶ 1:15:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stockard Channing

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Practical Magic, Grease, Six Degrees of Separation▶ 46:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (4)

Roger Ebert

2 mentions · Amanda Dobbins▶ 27:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Buddy Holly

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Big Fish, Almost Famous▶ 23:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jim Jacobs

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Grease, Easy A▶ 26:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Warren Casey

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Grease, Easy A▶ 26:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗