When John Travolta was young, his star rose rather quickly. He initially became a star on the TV sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter," bolstered by his supporting performance in the first Stephen King movie, "Carrie." But it was his nimble dance-stepping that shot him into the cinematic stratosphere.
Travolta strutted his stuff in a pair of back-to-back box-office dance hits at a time when the musical was thought to be dead — the disco smash "Saturday Night Fever" in 1977, followed the next year by an adaptation of the Broadway hit "Grease."
Then, a couple of years later, he attempted a Western twist on "Saturday Night Fever" with "Urban Cowboy," which had less successful results, followed a few years later by the ill-advised "Saturday Night Fever" sequel, "Staying Alive."
With the DVD re-release of "Saturday Night Fever" and the DVD debuts of "Grease" (reviewed here a couple of weeks ago), "Urban Cowboy" and "Staying Alive," younger audiences have a chance to see what all the fuss was about when Travolta hit it big the first time . . . long before his "Pulp Fiction" comeback:
— "Saturday Night Fever" (Paramount, 1977; R for violence, sex, nudity, language; $24.99). Though some of the packaging is woefully dated and it's been spoofed a few too many times, what helps "Saturday Night Fever" hold up today is that it plays well as a period piece, capturing the relatively brief disco craze in a movie time capsule.
Travolta is quite good as Tony Manero, an aimless blue-collar stiff trying to support the family when his father is out of work, but who lives for nights at the local disco, where he employs a natural talent for elaborate dance moves. And that dancing (along with the smash-hit soundtrack) is the best part of the film.
Unfortunately, the character is also rather loathsome in his misogynistic attitudes and ill-tempered manner, although Travolta's charm keeps the audience involved until, at the end of the film, he learns the inevitable hard lessons about what it really means to be a man.
Still, much of the plot (especially the rape of Donna Pescow's sad character) is off-putting, and it's easy to see why a toned-down, PG-rated version was released the next year. The real question is, why wasn't the PG version included in this 25th anniversary "special edition"?
Look for Fran Drescher, long before she became TV's "The Nanny." And whatever happened to Travolta's co-star Karen Lynn Gorney?
Extras: Widescreen and full-screen editions sold separately, audio commentary by director John Badham, three deleted scenes, highlights from VH1's "Behind the Music" episode on the film.
— "Staying Alive" (Paramount, 1983, PG, $24.99). This filmed soundtrack album, co-written and directed by Sylvester Stallone as if he's doing "Rocky on Broadway," is a sequel to "Saturday Night Fever," with Travolta reprising his Tony Manero role. But it seems the lessons learned at the end of the first film have been tossed out the window; Tony is an even more repulsive jerk here than he was before.
The story is an updated rehash of "Forty-Second Street," believe it or not. Tony is now a dance instructor/waiter trying to land a chorus-line job in Manhattan, mistreating his girlfriend (Cynthia Rhodes) and using, and being used by, a Broadway star (Finola Hughes). Look for Kurtwood Smith (the father in the current sitcom "That '70s Show") as a choreographer.
The soundtrack includes nine songs by Stallone's brother Frank (who also has a supporting role); Sly himself can be glimpsed in a street scene.
It's a train wreck, but Travolta fans will no doubt be pleased to see it arrive on DVD.
Extras: Widescreen and full-screen sold separately.
— "Urban Cowboy" (Paramount, 1980, PG, $24.99). Aside from his impressive fancy dance steps (to a terrific country soundtrack), Travolta's character Bud suffers from the same sullen, moody, ill-tempered problems as Tony Manero, albeit with a Western twist. And Travolta doesn't bring much to the character, aside from bulging his eyes when he's jealous or angry. But as his nemesis, Scott Glenn makes a solid impression as nastiness personified, playing an even worse-tempered ex-con.
Still, this story of boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-meets-mechanical bull remains enjoyable on its own terms, and it's the women who really shine — Debra Winger and, in her film debut, Madolyn Smith. A bevy of seasoned character actors help. Although, in the end it's hard to get too worked up over a movie that spends most of its time with that stupid bull. As a metaphor, it's way overcooked.
Extras: Widescreen and full-screen sold separately, outtakes (dance sequences), rehearsal footage (on the dance floor and on the bull).
A COUPLE MORE musical DVDs have also been released; we've saved the best one for last:
— "Flashdance" (Paramount, 1983; R for nudity, sex, language, violence; $24.99). The dancing is still exhilarating (in an aerobics kind of way), especially the climactic audition, but this tale of an unlikely sexy female welder (charismatic 18-year-old Jennifer Beals) who lives to dance (in a local bar) is mostly a dumb, cliche-filled soap opera with a great pop soundtrack. There are also lots of soap-opera subplots and director Adrian Lyne's salacious close-ups of female torsos. At the time, I called this a minor-league "Saturday Night Fever" meets "Fame," and my opinion hasn't changed much. It doesn't hold up well . . . unless, of course, it's nostalgia you want. After all, this was a huge hit in 1983.
Extras: Widescreen and full-screen sold separately.
— "Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer" (Warner, 2002, color and b/w, not rated, $24.98). One of the nicest things this 90-minute biographical documentary does is explain — and demonstrate on film — Gene Kelly's dance style, as opposed to that other famous movie dancer, Fred Astaire. Unlike Astaire, who was all about class and sophistication (not that there's anything wrong with that), Kelly worked hard to be an everyman, a blue-collar guy whose emotions were in his dance moves, not on his sleeve. Lots of great interviews (some of them duplicating the "Singin' in the Rain" double-disc set) and even greater clips in this PBS "American Masters" program that aired earlier this year, make this one a must for dance fans.
Extras: Filmography notes.
E-MAIL: hicks@desnews.com