What Grease's John Travolta Really Thinks Happened To Sandy And Danny
1978's smash hit film "Grease" never ceases to amaze, enjoying a popularity that endures over 40 years after its initial release. Starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as opposites-attract high-schoolers (yeah, they were a little older than most), the movie pulled in $396 million worldwide on a $6 million budget, per Box Office Mojo. That's impressive. It also features catchy songs, nifty dance numbers, and all sorts of sexual innuendo and themes that somehow earned it a soft PG rating. But it was the '70s, so no one really cared. Let's just say you would never find lyrics like the ones in "Greased Lightning" in Disney's "High School Musical" franchise.
Somehow the on-and-off relationship between Danny Zuko (Travolta) and Sandy Olsson (Newton-John) survives the test of peer pressure and awkward teenage problems, like trying to score and look cool at the same time. You know, heavy stuff. He tries to be a jock for her (which is hard for a chain-smoking greaser), and she eventually turns into Catwoman for him (which somehow isn't all that hard for this goody-two-shoes) at the graduation carnival. Then everybody sings a nonsensical song (Oo wap bam a loom-a, oo wap bam boom), and Danny and Sandy drive off to presumably live happily ever after. Oh, and their car actually flies away into the sky — which for some reason they only find mildly surprising. In fairness, Travolta is a pilot in real life. So, there's that.
But what happens to the darling couple after the credits roll? Do they really live happily ever after? Does their car ever even come back to earth? Travolta himself has a pretty good idea.
Danny and Sandy settle down after Grease
It might not provide the most exciting sequel material (then again, neither did "Grease 2"), but John Travolta believes the lovebirds settled into a quiet, happy life after the events in "Grease." In an interview with USA Today, the star surmised, "I think they had several kids, which people did in those days, they adored their kids, and they held onto their romance. Sandy and Danny were the real deal." So basically, she became a soccer mom and he mastered the "pull my finger" gag with his offspring. But they still make time to Netflix and chill.
Actually, Travolta's take on their fate is about as good as anyone would realistically hope for, and it certainly fits the tone of the film, especially the way it ends. It may be a tad boring, but where else could this story really go? And even if he thinks the relationship went bad, why would he ever say that? No one wants to hear Danny Zuko say he ended up cheating on Sandy and she shot him in the leg. So, let's stick with the happily ever after, shall we? After all, they did sing "You're The One That I Want" to each other in front of a lot of people who all seemed incredibly happy about it.
Travolta appreciates other theories, like the notion that the car flying into the clouds somehow signals Sandy's impending death (yeah, the internet has a little too much time on its hands sometimes) — but ultimately, he's sticking with his version of events. Which is way better than being stranded at the drive-in.