December 06, 2021
'Saturday Night Fever'
The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Jimmy Kimmel to blow all of their money at the disco after they revisit the 1977 hit 'Saturday Night Fever,' starring John Travolta and Karen Lynn Gorney.
Notes
- $3.5 million budget, made $237.5 million at the box office.
- Soundtrack sold 20+ million copies – top-selling album for six years until Thriller. Bee Gees won four Grammys but got zero Oscar nominations.
- John Avildsen ('Rocky' director) was fired a month before production; replaced by John Badham.
- Nick Cohn (article author) admitted in the mid-1990s he fabricated most of his original New York Magazine article that inspired the film.
- Travolta was dating Diana Hyland (Eight Is Enough), who died of cancer during filming. She convinced him to make the movie.
- Travolta threatened to quit over the solo dance scene – the director was filming close-ups; Travolta called Stigwood and demanded they go wide. It became the most iconic scene.
- Gene Siskel's favorite movie of all time. He bought the white suit at a 1979 charity auction for $2,000, then it sold in 1995 at Christie's for $145,000.
- First mainstream Hollywood movie to use the term 'blowjob.'
- One of the first films to utilize Steadicam technology.
- All dance scenes were filmed to different music (Stevie Wonder, Boz Scaggs); Bee Gees music was added after.
- Bee Gees had not had a hit in three years when Stigwood approached them for the soundtrack.
- Filming in Brooklyn was disrupted by local gangs and mafia; fire bombings occurred; fake call sheets were used.
- Travolta's sister Anne plays the pizza lady; his mother plays the paint customer.
Categories
Roger Ebert's review
Quote from Rog's review:
“The characters are similar to those in Scorsese's Mean Streets. They have few aims or ambitions, little hope of breaking out to the larger world of success.”
Ebert compared it to Scorsese's Mean Streets.
Most re-watchable scene
- The 'You Should Be Dancing' solo dance scene – one of the five most iconic scenes of the 1970s (Bill Simmons).
- The opening credits – Travolta walking through Bay Ridge with Stayin' Alive (Jimmy Kimmel).
What aged the best?
- The soundtrack – best original soundtrack of all time; sold 20+ million copies.
- Tony's bedroom posters (Serpico, Bruce Lee, Wonder Woman, 'Rocky', Farrah Fawcett) – perfect 1977 time capsule.
- Donna Pescow's performance as Annette.
- The iconic movie poster (done as a joke at the end of a photo shoot).
- Mid-70s distressed New York as movie location.
- The pork chop dinner scene.
What aged the worst?
- Sexual assaults – Tony attempts to rape Stephanie; the Annette backseat assault.
- Racism – the dance contest is rigged so Tony wins over clearly better Puerto Rican and Black couples.
- Homophobia – harassing men under the bridge.
- Nick Cohn fabricated most of his original article.
- The sequel Staying Alive – one of the worst sequels ever.
- Karen Lynn Gorney – nine years older than Travolta, below-average dancer, not convincing.
Casting what-ifs
- John Avildsen ('Rocky') was originally directing but was fired.
- Carrie Fisher auditioned for Stephanie before 'Star Wars' came out.
- Jessica Lange, Kathleen Quinlan, and Amy Irving were considered for Stephanie.
Best "that guy"
- Robert Costanzo – the paint store customer (winner).
- Barry Miller (Bobby C.) – also later in Fame, won a Tony Award.
Over-acting award
Barry Miller (Bobby C.) – 'You didn't call me Tony! Why didn't you call me?'
Best "heat check" performance
Fran Drescher as Connie – lights up every scene she's in, looks incredible (unanimous).
Re-casting couch
Anyone replacing Karen Lynn Gorney as Stephanie – Carrie Fisher (Bill Simmons), Cher (Jimmy Kimmel).
Half-assed (internet) research
- Production was harassed by local gangs and mafia; fake call sheets used.
- John Badham kept the bridge fall secret from Donna Pescow – her 'you fuckers' reaction was real.
- 'You know how long it takes to work my hair?' was ad-libbed after Travolta was genuinely hit.
- Paramount executives found Travolta's bedroom scene too homoerotic – hence the Farrah Fawcett nipple close-up insert.
- Travolta went to discos in disguises because he was already famous from Welcome Back, Kotter.
Apex Mountain
- John Travolta – actually Grease (which followed) was his true apex.
- Disco – definitely Apex Mountain; the movie revived disco for two to three years.
- John Badham – definitely Apex Mountain.
- Brooklyn Bridge – tie with Woody Allen's usage in the same era.
Picking nits
- The dance contest should have been the best scene but was underwhelming – choreography disappointing compared to the solo.
- Bobby C. falls to his death and the cops just let them all go – no investigation.
- Tony gives the Puerto Rican couple both the prize and the trophy but doesn't swap checks.
What memorabilia would you want (or not want!) from the movie?
The white suit – Gene Siskel bought it for $2,000 in 1979; sold at Christie's for $145,000 in 1995.
(Probably) unanswerable questions
- Whatever happened to Donna Pescow – why didn't she become a bigger star?
- Are you glad the sequel Staying Alive happened?
Who won the movie?
John Travolta (unanimous).