Jerad's Film Registry Nomination

I would select 1978's Grease as my choice for the National Film Registry. This film was nominated for many Golden Globe Awards including those for best Musical/Comedy, Actor, Actress, and Original Song. The film also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Hopelessly Devoted to You." While the film did not win in any of the categories, arguably Grease has become the most recognizable film among all of its competitors. The film created stars in John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Travolta was quite popular due to his working Saturday Night Fever and Welcome Back, Kotter, but Grease made him into a super star. Newton John also became a well-known name in acting and music after her appearance in Grease.

The film also depicts high school life during the 1950's and shows many elements that are reflective of American culture. The film depicts greasers which was a gang subculture largely specific to the US in the 1950s. The film also depicts the sock hop -esque culture that became prevalent in the US during the 50s and 60s. The school dance features National Bandstand which references the American television show American Bandstand, a hugely popular television show for three decades that was hosted by one of the most beloved American television personalities of all time Dick Clark. The film also features Frankie Avalon, an American sex symbol and teen idol. Avalon had a string of popular songs during the late 50s and early 60s. The soundtrack features many doo-wop artist/songs which became popular during this time period. The doo-wop genre is also significant in its roots within African American culture. The film's soundtrack also features disco music. This makes Grease important in the decade of its creation due to the popularity of disco during the 70s. Disco is another American created music genre, and the genre also has roots in African American culture. The film also uses many songs that were sang by Elvis Presley, one of the most popular and well known artists of all time. All of these factors make Grease important to American culture by showing many aspects that were popular during the 50s and 70s.

Grease is easily one of the most well-known and beloved musicals in America. It is also one of the highest grossing musicals of all time. Many of the songs from the film are easily recognizable to Americans of all ages. Songs like Greased Lightnin', Summer Nights, Look at Me I'm Sandra Dee, and Beauty School Dropout are some of the most recognizable songs from a music to Americans. In fact, the last scene in the movie Grease can be stated as one of the most recognizable scenes in cinema history. The fact that Grease was so immensely popular and profitable during a time when other traditional musicals were failing speaks volumes about the impact of Grease on the American culture and its significance in American cinema.

Grease is quite significant to American history and American pop culture. This film encapsulates all that was popular and prevalent during the 50s and 60s. It even features elements from the 70s. All of its pop culture references are largely American inventions or popularizations. The film features popular subcultures with the greasers, prominent musical artists with Frankie Avalon and references to Elvis, and important elements to American life like National/American Bandstand. Grease is one of the most important American films of all time and deserves to be on the list before many of it's competitors. There are few other films that have recreated such historically significant pop cultural iconography to lock preserve American culture forever while giving rise to one of the most famous American actors in the last four decades. No matter the angle in which you observe Grease, its significance to American cinema and culture is undeniable.

-Jerad Brown