Why Olivia Newton-John’s death feels incredibly personal for ‘Grease’ fans
Grease” is forever seared onto the mind of moviegoers everywhere.Olivia Newton-John shoots John Travolta’s Danny Zuko a piercing glance and knocks him over with a sultry command: “Tell me about it, stud.”It’s an iconic scene on par with “Here’s looking at you, kid” in “Casablanca” or Darth Vader telling Luke, “I am your father” in “The Empire Strikes Back.” From that moment on, we were hopelessly devoted to her.That unforgettable turn in the hit movie-musical from Newton-John, the wondrous actress who died Monday at 73 after a long battle with breast cancer, endeared the Australian performer to the entire world.The film “Grease,” which also skyrocketed the careers of Travolta and Stockard Channing, is so beloved to this day by countless fans that Newton-John’s death, for many, feels incredibly personal. She had it all: A glorious pop voice, acting chops, incomparable beauty, likability, a Down Under sense of humor. She was a beacon of raw star power.“Grease,” in no small part thanks to her, is the rare movie that’s cherished by multiple generations — as fractious as they might otherwise be.