The romantic comedy genre has ruled Hollywood for quite some time! In this article, I will discuss an infamous film, Grease from the same genre, that cinephile’s have a soft spot for. And later in this article, I will also let you in on where was Grease filmed.
The American romantic comedy flick, Grease released in 1978 stands prequel to Grease 2. Director Randall Keiser, adapted the story of this movie, from a musical comedy that was released earlier in 1971 with the same name.
This film was a huge commercial success, and the highest grossing musical film of 1978! It even received high praises from the critics, for presenting a simple story masterfully. Noteworthy to mention that recently in 2020, Grease was nominated for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry!
Now, let’s discuss the plot of the film, in brief. So that you may get a better understanding of the narrative of this movie. Subsequently, we will also find out where was Grease filmed.
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Plot Of Grease | What’s It About
Randall Keiser in his directorial debut, Grease captured the prevailing street race culture that peaked in America, during the late 1950s. The musical drama flick begins by introducing us to the character of Danny Zucko, a typical American bad boy with a race car. Who spends most of time wooing beautiful girls.
One such day, Danny is shown hanging around with his friends at the beach, when he comes across an attractive young girl from Australia named Sandy Olsson. On further prying, the protagonist finds out that Sandy has been vacationing with her parents and will soon fly back home. The terrors of staying apart soon grasps Danny, as he begins to develop feelings for his new found summer fling.
Later in the movie, Sandy’s parents decide to stay back, and induct their daughter into Rydell high school. Which turns out to be the same school as Danny’s. Following the good news, Sandy makes a couple of new buddies at the school, and discloses about her relationship. But Danny, adamant about keeping his “bad boy” image, brushes it off as a rumor.
The broken hearted girl then decides to not speak with Danny ever again. But soon after the male lead actor realises his mistake, he quickly reaches out to Sandy with a heartfelt apology. In a series of attempts Danny finally wins back the love and trust of Sandy. The credits roll as the two are shown to ride off happily to the sunset!
Right, so without any further ado, let’s explore where was Grease filmed. So that you can enjoy the beautiful locations that were used for shooting this romantic flick.
Where Was Grease Filmed? Let’s Know This Romantic Drama Movie Closely!!
Director Randall Kieser along with his filming crew, decided to shoot the entire film in and around the state of California. The timeline in which the filming took place, California was deemed as “the” go-to place for filmmakers. The basic infrastructure of this American state, enabled the production unit to run their business hasslefree, at the time (even better now).
Coming back to Grease, the principal photography of the film began in the summer of 1977 and was completed by the end September 1977. There were no reports of any difficulties that delayed the filming schedule. At the same time, there were a bunch of trials and tribulations that the filming crew had to sort, while shooting at certain locations. Which we will discuss in this article apart from exploring the filming locations of Grease.
Los Angeles, California
Majority of the filming took place in this location, let us dig deep and find out the most notable locations that the production crew used for shooting Grease. The “thunder road” shown in the film, which was used by Danny and his friends as a race track, is located in downtown Los Angeles. The production crew arrived at Los Angeles River Basin, between 1st and 4th Street Bridges, to shoot this exhilarating scene.
Venice High School, located at 13000 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, featured in the film as Rydell high school. Specifically only the outdoor shots of this school were filmed. Special permission had to be taken from the administrative body at the school. Which was procured at first, but was later revoked by the school for some reason. As a result, the interior sequences of Danny’s school were filmed at Virgil Junior High School at 152 N. Vermont Avenue.
Other outdoor sequences in L.A. such as the ‘slumber party’ scene, were filmed at 4524 Kingswell Ave, Hollywood. And the scene where Danny finally realises his love for Sandy, featured John Marshall High School at 3939 Tracy St, Los Feliz, where the carnival is shown to take place in the film.
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Other Filming Locations, California
The remaining important scenes in the film outside of Los Angeles, were filmed at various locations in California. Starting with the classroom and big dance contest sequence in the film, that featured Hunting Park High School at 6020 Miles Ave, Huntington Park.
To the outdoor sequence of the beach where Danny meets Sandy for the first time, which was filmed at Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu. As the filming took place during the day, the production crew had to work extra hard to manage the crowd.
The drive-in sequence was filmed inside of an actual drive-in theatre in Burbank California. But the Pickwick Drive-In Theatre located at 1100 W Alameda Ave, used for shooting in the film, is now demolished.
Final Words
Alrighty folks, now that you’ve skimmed through the plot of this movie and know where was Grease filmed. I hope you enjoyed reading this article and got what you were looking for. In order to find out about other films and shows, and know where to watch them, visit Viebly. Don’t forget to mention your feedback in the comment section below!
Who Wrote The Screenplay Of The Film Grease?
Bronte Woodard wrote the screenplay of the film Grease.
What Is The Runtime Of The Film Grease?
1h 50m is the runtime of the film Grease.
Who Produced The Film Grease?
Robert Tigwood and Alan Carr were the producers of the film Grease.
Is The Film Grease Based On A True Story?
No, the film Grease is based on a true story, although the screenplay has been adapted from a film with the same name, by Jim Jacobs.
What Is The Rating Of The Film Grease?
The film Grease is rated PG.
