MY DAY AT THE "GREASE REUNION" SHOW

 
I HAD SUCH A FUN, HAPPY DAY AT THE "GREASE REUNION" AT THE HOLLYWOOD AUTOGRAPH SHOW TODAY, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE WITH ALL OF YOU. THESE SIGNING SHOWS ARE SO GREAT, I ALWAYS HAVE SUCH A BLAST.

I SAW MY TWO OLD FRIENDS FROM GREASE, DINAH MANOFF AND SUSAN BUCKNER. DINAH WAS MARTY MARASCHINO (ONE OF THE PINK LADIES) AND SUSAN WAS PATTI SIMCOX. BOTH LOOK GREAT, BOTH ARE STILL SO BEAUTIFUL. I GOT TO SIT BY THEM AND WE CAUGHT UP AND I HUGGED THEM BOTH SO HARD - BECAUSE I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. I HAD SEEN SUSAN FOR A GREASE SCREENING AT THE BEACH ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO, BUT I HAD NOT SEEN DINAH SINCE WE FILMED GREASE 33 YEARS AGO. AS WITH PEOPLE YOU LOVE, IT WAS AS IF IT WAS YESTERDAY WHEN WE CHATTED AND CAUGHT UP.

I SAW MY OTHER GREASE PALS BARRY PEARL (DOODY), JAMIE DONNELLY (JAN), AND EDD "KOOKIE" BYRNES (VINCE FONTAINE). IT WAS, AS ALWAYS, A JOY TO SEE THEM - WE HAVE ALL DONE SEVERAL SHOWS TOGETHER - AND I LOVED SEEING OUR OLD DIRECTOR, RANDAL KLEISER (A WONDERFUL GUY, A GREAT DIRECTOR).

AT AROUND 1:30, THEY TOOK THE WHOLE GREASE BUNCH INTO A ROOM AND WE ALL POSED FOR SEVERAL PHOTOS WITH VARIOUS FANS. BARRY, A GREAT-HEARTED GUY, KNEW I WANTED TO SPEAK TO FRANKIE AVALON (I HAD ALWAYS REGRETTED NOT SPEAKING TO HIM DURING THE GREASE SHOOT, I WAS JUST TOO SHY). BARRY POLITELY INTRODUCED US. LIKE A TRUE IDIOT, I SAID:

IT'S AN HONOR TO MEET YOU.

(AS A RULE, I HAVE FOUND MOST CELEBRITIES LIKE BEING TREATED AS REAL PEOPLE, NOT GODS OR DEITIES, EVEN THOUGH MANY OF US VIEW THEM AS SUCH.) FRANKIE WAS NOT MEAN OR UPSET, JUST NOT OVERLY FRIENDLY OR WARM AND HE SHOOK MY HAND. I FELT NOT SO GREAT, BUT WE ALL POSED FOR ABOUT A DOZEN PHOTOS. ANYWAY, AT ABOUT 4:00, ONE OF FRANKIE'S ASSISTANTS CAME OVER TO MY TABLE - DO YOU WANT TO MEET FRANKIE? I SAID: YES! DEFINITELY! THIS NICE GUY, HE STOPPED THE CONSTANT FLOW OF FANS TO FRANKIE AND SAT ME DOWN BESIDE FRANKIE. FRANKIE, I SAID, I'VE ALWAYS FELT SO BAD I NEVER GOT TO TALK TO YOU ON THE GREASE SET, I WAS SO OVERWHELMED SEEING YOU. BEACH BLANKET BINGO IS MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE FILM (I LOVED ALL THE BEACH PARTY MOVIES, AND "BINGO" WAS MY FAVORITE WHEN I WAS A KID). OH, YOU'RE THE ONE, HE SAID, JOKING.

I TOLD HIM HOW MUCH THE BEACH PARTY FILMS MEANT TO ME GROWING UP, I SPILLED MY GUTS ABOUT HOW PROUD I WAS TO HAVE WORKED WITH HIM ON GREASE, I BABBLED ON. HE WAS WARM, FRIENDLY, VERY NICE THIS TIME. HE SAID HOW MUCH HE LIKED DOING GREASE, HE LOOKED ME RIGHT IN THE EYE, I COULD SEE THE FRIENDLINESS IN HIS EYES, THE FRIENDLINESS OF A GREAT STAR WHEN THEY SEE A FAN. HE SIGNED A PHOTO FOR ME - A BEACH PARTY PHOTO  (INSCRIBED: "EDDIE, GREAT WORKING WITH YOU ON "GREASE", FRANKIE AVALON".), WE CHATTED FOR A FEW MINUTES, POSED FOR TWO PICTURES TOGETHER, I SHOOK HIS HAND AGAIN AND LEFT. THIS WAS A HUGE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SHOW FOR ME. 

I SAW MY OLD PAL, MORGAN FAIRCHILD - WE HAD DONE A FUNNY LITTLE FILM TOGETHER CALLED MOB BOSS. I LOVE MORGAN, WE HUGGED AND CAUGHT UP (SHE STILL LOOKS REALLY BEAUTIFUL, BY THE WAY). I SAW LARRY THOMAS, MY OLD PAL "THE SOUP NAZI". I SAW ADAM WEST WASHING HIS HANDS IN THE MEN'S ROOM AS I WAS LEAVING (DON'T READ INTO THIS LINE, IT WAS TOTALLY INNOCENT!) 

ONE INTERESTING OBSERVATION - FRANKIE IS JUST AS AWED ABOUT GREASE AS ALL THE REST OF US. BECAUSE THE GUY HAS HAD SUCH A FULL, INCREDIBLE CAREER, I THOUGHT GREASE WAS JUST A PLEASANT PIT STOP FOR HIM. BUT NO - DO YOU KNOW HOW BIG THIS FILM IS?, HE ASKED US ALL. HE ASKED A NICE GIRL POSING WITH US: HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU SEEN GREASE? SHE SAID ABOUT 70 TIMES. SEE, GIRLS WILL SEE IT 40, 50 TIMES, HE SAID, AS IF AMAZED.

HE TALKED ABOUT HOW LUCKY WE ALL WERE TO BE A PART OF THE FILM. (I SPOKE TO ONE ASSISTANT AT THE SHOW WHO SAID SHE HAD SEEN GREASE "ABOUT 250 TIMES", I SWEAR SHE WAS SINCERE.) JAMIE TOLD US A BEAUTIFUL ANECDOTE. SHE SAID HOW THEY TOOK A SURVEY OF FILMS PEOPLE HAD WATCHED TO RECOVER FROM THE SHOCK OF 9/11. GREASE WAS ONE OF THE THREE MOST-WATCHED FILMS TO RECOVER FROM THE SHOCK OF THE 9/11 ATTACKS. IT IS A SAD STATISTIC, BUT A BEAUTIFUL ONE NONETHELESS. 

I HAD SUCH A WONDERFUL, HAPPY DAY. I SAW MY OLD FRIENDS NEIL AND SALLY AND MANY OTHER OLD FRIENDS. ALL THE FANS WERE NICE, GRACIOUS, AND WE DID A GOOD BUSINESS - IT WAS A NICE CROWD - NOT THE BEST-EVER, BUT A VERY NICE SHOW.

MY THROAT IS EXTREMELY SORE FROM KIBITZING, I AM GOING TO BED NOW. I AM SO LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN A PART OF GREASE - THESE PEOPLE IN THE CAST, ALL THE GREASE PEOPLE MEAN SO MUCH TO ME AND THEY ALWAYS WILL. I LOVE THEM ALL VERY MUCH.

P.S. ONE FINAL OBSERVATION: AFTER I HAD HAD MY CHAT AND MEETING WITH FRANKIE AVALON, I CAME BOUNCING BACK TO MY SEAT AND I SAT DOWN BESIDE GINA, A LOVELY 22-YEAR-OLD GIRL MY MANAGER BRAD HAD GOT TO SIT BESIDE ME AND WATCH OVER ME. ANYWAY, I BABBLED ON ABOUT TALKING TO FRANKIE AND I TOLD HER HOW I LOVED THE BEACH PARTY MOVIES AND HOW MUCH THEY HAD MEANT TO ME IN MY LIFE. GINA LOOKED AT ME COMPLETELY BLANKLY.

YOU KNOW, THE BEACH PARTY MOVIES? BEACH BLANKET BINGO?, I SAID. SHE SHOOK HER HEAD. YOU'VE NEVER SEEN THE BEACH PARTY FILMS?, I ASKED, NOT QUITE BELIEVING. BUT NO. FRANKIE IS THE GUY WHO SINGS VENUS - YOU'VE HEARD VENUS?, I ASKED. 

NO.

DO YOU KNOW WHO FRANKIE IS?, I ASKED HER. SHE KNEW HIM AS THE GUY IN GREASE, THAT'S ALL. ISN'T IS SO AMAZING HOW SOMETHING IN LIFE CAN MEAN SO MUCH TO YOU, TO BE SO PROFOUND, TO BE SUCH A HUGE PART OF YOUR LIFE AND WORLD, AND THIS SAME THING IS UTTERLY MEANINGLESS AND IRRELEVANT TO SOMEONE ELSE?

Comments

[Jon Smith]

I enjoyed reading about your day at the Grease Autograph Show. The movie was that much better because you were in it. I loved you in I Wanna Hold Your Hand. I remember when I was a little kid and that it was on very late. I kept splashing cold water on my face to stay up and I remember my Dad laughing that I stayed up until the last "Ya, Ya, Ya".
Regards,
Jon

[Scott E D]

Every time I meet a Eugene, I automatically blurt out "It's Eugene!" And thank you for underrated movies like Surf II. It was a cult classic among my friends growing up.

[paul]

grease is a classic musical movie.the cast is great and its music.i cant even count how many times i have seen it on tv.i wonder if there is any rumor about a third in the making.cause i have read,dont know if it is true though that one of the stars of grease is thinking of a script for a third grease.with the original cast from the first one.