grease

We are going back to school and the carefree days of the 1950s to Rydell High School, for this Grease-themed show.

Tonight on the show, we celebrate 50 years of Grease, which debuted OFF-Broadway on February 14, 1972, and was the first Off-Broadway musical to be done under Broadway Contracts. The show moved to Broadway in June 1972, and was on Broadway for eight years and 3,380 shows, becoming the longest-running musical (at least for awhile). The show, written by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, debuted in Chicago in 1971, and was based off their high school experiences in the 1950s. The musical was part of the 1950s revival of the 1970s, which saw the likes of American Graffiti, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, M*A*S*H, Sha Na Na, and...

Grease the film was released on June 16, 1978, and was the highest-grossing musical film for over 30 years, and the # 2 Best-Selling Album of 1978 (and the # 2 Best-Selling Album from a John Travolta movie, as well). Some songs from the original musical ("Alma Mater", "It's Raining on Prom Night", and "All Choked Up") were replaced in the film by songs that we all know and love ("Grease", "Hopelessly Devoted To You", and "You're the One That I Want"). "Hopelessly Devoted to You" scored the film's only Oscar nomination, and "You're The One That I Want" was # 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 in the Summer of 1978.

The 2007 Reality Competition Program, "Grease: You're The One That I Want" was a reality casting call for the title roles in the 2007 Broadway Revival, that was re-tooled from the 1978 film. The 2017 LIVE Musical Special on FOX was also re-tooled from the '78 film as well.

In this hour, you'll hear songs from both the Soundtrack of the 1972 Broadway Cast Musical and 1978 Blockbuster Film.