Have you ever wondered what automobiles and dancing might have in common? Well, do the words greased lightening mean anything to you? If you were born anytime in the 1970s, okay, let’s put that back to anytime in the 1950s or later, you are more than likely already humming a popular tune that carried a generation and gave a previous one a wider social awareness and audience. And we all know that while the musical was definitely a love story, it can be argued whether the love was actually more for another person or with the vintage tires . For now we’re going to go give it to the romantics and definitely concede the major love story was between the boys and the girls. And the iconic images of John Travolta and Olivia Newton John dancing and singing through the fun house will most likely be first in most people’s minds when reminded of this musical.

Interestingly, the film version of Grease, which was based on the 1971 theatrical musical, written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, was also considered to be pretty controversial and unsuitable for young teenage audiences. It’s difficult to imagine a time when the dances and subject matter contained in the theatrical production, and primarily the film, would be considered too risque and inappropriate for much of the mainstream audience. Parents were selective about their children’s age and maturity levels in watching the movie, while there were others who concluded that these concerns brought society back to the moral level of the 1950s, which is when the movie is set.

In addition to the provocative dancing and some subject matters brought up in the script, the cars themselves, which after all were the subject of the show’s title, carried along with their passengers a certain amount of controversy. The race took place at the LA River and while the impressive custom steering wheels , stripes and motors were a big hit with young audiences, concerned parents wanted to put the breaks on these scenes as well. Many concerned citizens argued that the race scene encouraged dangerous and destructive behaviors in the youth as well as promoted bad driving habits. This is similar to some of the complaints about another iconic car race in film, though this one took place about twenty years earlier and featured James Dean in his legend making role Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause . The film, and stage production, continue to be a popular aspect of mainstream culture, and it can be interesting to consider the more controversial elements in relation to the changing nature of morals and social norms that occurred between the setting of the script and the time period in which the film and theatre production were first developed. A critical evaluation of the artistic merit involved with the dancing is another subject altogether.