SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
And now it’s time for motion pictures you missed out on.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
HUMPHREY BOGART: (As Rick Blaine) Here’s looking at you, kid.
CLARK GABLE: (As Rhett Butler) Honestly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.
MARLON BRANDO: (As Terry Malloy) I could have been a competitor.
BETTE DAVIS: (As Margo) Fasten your seat belts.
CUBA GOODING JR.: (As Frank Sachs) Show me the cash.
ROBERT DE NIRO: (As Travis Bickle) You talking to me?
ESTELLE REINER: (As Older Woman Consumer) I’ll have what she’s having.
OPRAH WINFREY: (As Sofia) I ain’t never believed I needed to battle in my own home.
BRANDO: (As Stanley) Stella.
SIMON: This week, souped-up automobiles, poodle skirts, high school drama and an excellent musical arrangement.
(SOUNDBITE OF TUNE, “GREASED LIGHTNIN'”)
JOHN TRAVOLTA: (As Danny Zuko, singing) Go Greased Lightnin’. You’re burning up the quarter-mile.
JEFF CONAWAY ET AL: (As the T-Birds, singing) Greased Lightnin’, go Greased Lightnin’.
SIMON: “Grease,” the 1978 musical with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as sweeties at Rydell High in the ’50s, a musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. You know it, right? Who does not? Well, Dori Bell of Houston never saw “Grease,” but she watched it for us today. First Of All, Dori Bell, thanks a lot for being with us.
DORI BELL: Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
SIMON: How did you miss out on “Grease”?
BELL: Well, when we were growing up – I matured in rural southwest Louisiana. And we had an antenna. And we had one local television channel that we would enjoy. And then we played outside the majority of the time. So if it wasn’t Saturday morning cartoons or, you know, a series on NBC, we missed it – or a Disney film. We saw numerous Disney films. However yeah, type of missed us.
SIMON: You saw it with this conversation in mind this week. What was your quick general impression?
BELL: When I first finished it, I resembled, what did I simply enjoy? (Laughter) Like, I thought it was so strange. And I thought it was truly unusual. And it wasn’t at all what I believed it was going to be. However I will state that when I went to sleep that night, I was singing the tunes in my head, and the tunes type of got stuck to me and …
SIMON: Ha.
BELL: … Stuff like that. So I did like the music. Some of the tunes I thought were respectable.
SIMON: Well, that’s an excellent indication. Let me ask you about a few of the great points because for many years, many people have stated a few of the stars who played high school trainees looked like instead they ought to have remained in “On Golden Pond”…
(LAUGHTER)
SIMON: … That they just look method too old to play high school kids. Did you notice that?
BELL: I definitely observed that. I took some notes. And one of the very first notes I composed was, these people are way too old to be in high school, dot, dot, dot. And then later in the movie, when – I think they’re at the dance …
SIMON: Yeah.
BELL: … And that other man is available in, who’s, like, from a rival high school or whatever. He walks in. I actually stated to myself, that is a grown guy.
(LAUGHTER)
SIMON: Well, maybe he just had issues making it through high school, OK?
BELL: Yeah.
SIMON: It takes place to a few of us.
BELL: I resembled, who are these individuals?
SIMON: Oh, my word. What about John Travolta? Among the great film dancers of perpetuity, right?
BELL: I actually liked his dancing. I liked – I took pleasure in watching him dance. I’m a huge fan of “Saturday Night Fever.”
SIMON: Oh, yeah.
BELL: So I believed he was a little bit goofy through the film. I mean, all the characters are. Like, that was one of the notes that I took. I thought everybody was type of goofy through the entire thing.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “GREASE”)
TRAVOLTA: (As Danny Zuko) Sandy, what’s a matter with you? I thought I meant something to you.
(SOUNDBITE OF CARS AND TRUCK DOOR SLAMMING)
TRAVOLTA: (As Sandy Olsson) Meant something to you? You think I’m going to remain here with you in this sin wagon? You can take this piece of tin.
TRAVOLTA: (As Danny Zuko) Sandy, you simply can’t go out of a drive-in!
BELL: However I really delighted in watching him dance. That was a lot of fun.
SIMON: Olivia Newton-John?
BELL: She was my favorite. Really, I composed that down. Like, she was my favorite character. I believed she was very grounded. I thought she was probably the most real out of all the characters. And I truly liked her singing voice. And I thought she was extremely pretty. I liked her a lot.
SIMON: Yeah. So what did you think about the tunes? I have a favorite, but I’m going to conceal it from you for a moment.
BELL: I in fact really liked the opening song, the one that’s overlayed on the animation when it opens. I liked that tune.
SIMON: Yeah, I like that song, too. Yeah.
(SOUNDBITE OF TUNE, “GREASE”)
FRANKIE VALLI: (Singing) I saw my problems, and I’ll see the light. We got a lovin’ thing. We got to feed it right.
BELL: Yeah. I liked that one. But then I likewise liked the – “You’re The One That I Desire.”
(SOUNDBITE OF TUNE, “YOU’RE THE ONE THAT I DESIRED”)
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN AND JOHN TRAVOLTA: (As Sandy and Danny, singing) You’re the one that I want – ooh, ooh, ooh – honey – the one that I desire – ooh, ooh, ooh – honey.
BELL: I have actually heard it prior to in karaoke bars at, like, 2 in the morning. But, like, I have actually never ever heard it in the context of the motion picture. And I really enjoyed it with the dance scene and the whole, like, carnival thing. Like …
SIMON: Yeah.
BELL: … I liked that a lot. That was most likely my preferred scene in the movie.
SIMON: All right. I got to inform you my preferred tune.
BELL: Yeah. What’s your favorite tune?
SIMON: My preferred song is “Summer Nights.”
(SOUNDBITE OF TUNE, “SUMMER NIGHTS”)
TRAVOLTA: (As Danny Zuko, singing) Summer lovin’, had me a blast.
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN: (As Sandy Olsson, singing) Summer season lovin’, occurred so quick.
TRAVOLTA: (As Danny Zuko, singing) I met a woman insane for me.
NEWTON-JOHN: (As Sandy Olsson, singing) Met a young boy charming as can be.
NEWTON-JOHN AND TRAVOLTA: (As Sandy and Danny, singing) Summer season days wandering away to, uh-oh, those summertime nights.
BELL: She sounds so great on that. Yeah.
SIMON: Yes, does not she? Yeah. I like that song. Would you see it once again?
BELL: Most likely not (laughter). I would enjoy clips on YouTube if …
SIMON: Oh.
BELL: … I wanted to review some particular scenes, like the dancing at the end. If I wanted to see it once again, I would rewatch it. I would not sit through the whole movie again, though. No.
SIMON: Let me – because you are, I think, a really observant critic, did you discover a major note about human civilization and human experience in “Grease”?
BELL: Yes. And actually …
SIMON: You did? I was asking the concern as a joke. But let me hear this. OK.
BELL: Yes. And the factor I state that is due to the fact that I didn’t think the motion picture was excellent overall.
SIMON: Yeah.
BELL: I can see why individuals like it. But I didn’t know the musical preceded the movie. I believed that it was a film, and after that they made it a musical. I didn’t understand it was a musical in advance. So I actually didn’t understand if possibly when you go see the musical, perhaps if it’s type of among those things where it’s a play on, you know, high school and the experience and how you can be from somewhere else, and you concern high school and it’s all the exact same. Like, she’s from Australia. There’s no mention of culture shock whatsoever for her. Like, she’s thrown into this love story, you understand? And there’s all these, like, petty battles and things like that. So really, I was like, perhaps that’s what they’re stating. Like, that’s kind of what I received from it.
SIMON: Aw. That’s really reflective. I.
BELL: I’m reaching. I am reaching for implying here (laughter).
SIMON: Well, welcome to our world.
(LAUGHTER)
SIMON: That’s the job sometimes. Dori Bell of Houston, who viewed “Grease” for us and assessed it – thank you so much for being with us.
BELL: Thank you for having me. It was so good meeting y’ all.
SIMON: And if there’s a movie you have actually missed out on and you wish to see it for us, you can go to n.pr/ moviesyoumissed.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “WE GO TOGETHER”)
NEWTON-JOHN AND TRAVOLTA: (As Sandy and Danny, singing) We go together like ramma lamma ka dinga da dinga dong, kept in mind forever like shoo-wop sha whada whadda yippidy boom da boom, chang chang, changity chang shoo bop.
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Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/14/1098941082/movies-you-missed-grease