Friday Nite Retro

Welcome to Friday Nite Retro - The groooovy edition! It turns out that today is the 30th anniversary of the opening day for. . .Saturday Night Fever! So, in honor of Tony, Stephanie, and friends I'm dedicating tonight's FNR to the music from the film as well as any interesting trivia that I can dig up. . .

First off, in case you were either living under a rock, busy smashing records from the movie at the time, or just weren't born yet, here's a brief synopsis:

Saturday Night Fever was the big-screen breakout film for Vinnie Barbarino John Travolta, who portrayed Tony Manero, a troubled Brooklyn youth whose weekend activities are dominated by visits to a local discotheque. While in the disco, Tony is the king, and the visits help him to temporarily forget the reality of his life: a dead-end job, clashes with his un-supportive and squabbling parents, racial tensions in the local community, and his associations with a gang of dead-beat friends.

Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino


The movie significantly helped to popularize disco music around the world, and made Travolta a household name. The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, featuring disco songs by the Bee Gees, became the best selling soundtrack ever, until it was surpassed by The Bodyguard.The film also showcased aspects of the music, the dancing, and the subculture surrounding the disco era: symphony-orchestrated melodies, haute-couture styles of clothing, sexual promiscuity, and graceful choreography.

The story is based upon a 1976 New York magazine article by British writer Nik Cohn, "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night." In the late-1990s, Cohn acknowledged that the article had been fabricated. A newcomer to the United States and a stranger to the disco lifestyle, Cohn was unable to make any sense of the subculture he had been assigned to write about. The characters who were to become Tony Manero and his friends sprang almost completely from his imagination.

The film is also notable for being one of the first instances of cross media marketing, with the tie-in soundtrack's single being used to help promote the film before its release and the film popularizing the entire soundtrack after its release.


Stayin' Alive


The story of the film has Tony Manero connect with the aloof Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney) one night at the disco. Despite her initial frosty and superior attitude toward Tony, she agrees to partner with him in the dance contest after much urging. Tony had previously agreed to dance with Annette (Donna Pescow), who had actively pursued Tony, despite his obvious disdain for her. Stephanie has a job in Manhattan as a secretary for a magazine and is poised to move there and has more opportunities to work her way up. This awakens in Tony the need to transcend his working-class roots of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. However, Stephanie herself ultimately reveals her own vulnerabilities.

Also examined throughout the film is Tony's relationship with his family (including an older brother - clearly his parents' favorite child - who abandons a planned career in the priesthood) and his association with his friends.

How Deep is Your Love


Saturday Night Fever was the favorite movie of the late film critic Gene Siskel, who claimed to have seen it 17 times. He liked the movie so much, he bought the famous white disco suit (worn by Travolta in the movie) at a charity auction for $17,000.

Night Fever


The 1980 film Airplane! contained a parody scene, with Robert Hays mocking the famous pose and the clothing shown on the poster and album cover, to the tune of "Stayin' Alive" slightly sped up (the actual song used for that scene in Saturday Night Fever was "You Should Be Dancing").

Airplane (Staying Alive)


Oddly enough, Robert Hays and Donna Pescow starred together in the short-lived sitcom "Angie" from 1979-1980 - I remember really liking it.

"Angie" (Opening Theme)


More Than a Woman


John Travolta still has the pair of high-heeled shoes he wore during the opening and dance sequences of the film (as depicted in the poster). He says he sometimes takes them out of the closet, but claims he doesn't wear them.

If I Can't Have You


In the club, a woman begs to kiss Tony and gushes, "I just kissed Al Pacino!" Later, while looking at a poster of Al Pacino in the mirror, Tony comes out of his room shouting, " Attica! Attica! Attica!" from the famous Al Pacino film, Dog Day Afternoon. (This is just for YOU, Parson!)

Dog Day Afternoon (Attica!)


A Fifth of Beethoven


The novelty song "Disco Duck", by Rick Dees,was played in the film in a humorous scene, but was not included on the soundtrack.

Disco Duck


The film was one of the inspirations for the short-lived sitcom Makin' It, whose main character was a devotee of the film.

Jive Talkin'


Madonna's video for her 2005 hit single "Hung Up" is an homage to a scene from Saturday Night Fever, when Tony first approaches Stephanie at the rehearsal studio. In the video, Madonna is wearing almost exactly the same leotard and tights set that Stephanie wears in the film, and there is wood paneling and a wooden barre much like in the rehearsal space Stephanie uses for this scene. Madonna also did a remix during the Confessions Tour in 2006, following her successful album Confessions on a Dance Floor. The remix was the instrumental of "Disco Inferno" from Saturday Night Fever mixed with Madonna's hit song "Music" from 2000. Madonna's appearance and dance moves during "Music Inferno" were similar to Travolta's in the film.

You Should Be Dancin'


John Belushi parodied the film as "Samurai Night Fever", one of his "Samurai" sketches. O.J. Simpson appears in this sketch as the Samurai's brother.

Boogie Shoes


Disco Inferno


And that's a wrap on the SNF edition of FNR! Put yer white leisure suit and disco pumps back in the very back of your closet once more, and forget this ever happened!! ;)