We tried out for the movie Grease! Julie, Robin, Mimi Isn't it the most --to say the least? (The verrrry least!) We obviously didn't make it. (---Duh.)

Silver Spring, Maryland --1977

The flyers and posters went up and word went around quickly, spreading like wildfire.

John Travolta of "Welcome Back, Kotter" fame, was going to star in a 1950's style movie musical called "Grease" and they were searching for unknown talent to play the background kids for the group scenes. The movie was slated to open the following year, 1978.

"Hey, why don't we try out? We'd get to meet JOHN TRAVOLTA!" "They just want regular teenagers! That's us!" Mimi, Julie and I scrounged around and borrowed dresses, skirts and tops, pearl necklaces and saddle shoes and headed out. The tryout location was on the top floor of Hecht's Department store in Montgomery Mall. We never saw an actual flyer, we'd only heard about it, word of mouth.

When we arrived the place was jammed and the 50's music was blaring. Names were being called from a loud speaker, we needed to sign up to let them know we were there. As we got closer to the main area we could see that all the were kids dressed up like we were, but on the dance floor we could see some really coordinated dance routines going on. "Shit! We have to have a dance routine! Now what are we gonna do?" We had already signed up with the people in charge, when we entered. "Let's go in that corner and make something up". We had been playing around for all of five minutes when we heard our names announced on the loud speaker!

"Julie says: "C'mon! Let's go!" I said "Hell, No! We don't have a routine, I am not gonna make an ass of myself in front of all these people! They're professionals!"

Mimi said "C'mon, Robin!" "No, No, you guys go, I'll take pictures!" It was hysterical, watching as Julie and Mimi made up dance moves as they went along, they tried really hard, but it was quite obvious they weren't prepared like the rest of the kids were. Oh well, we had fun anyway, and to this day, Grease is still one of my favorite movies.

Our big claim to fame is that same night we went to a local dive called Chances R and sang Johnny B. Good on stage. ;)

Side Note: I did see John Travolta in person at the Biltmore Hotel parking lot in Montecito, California, in 1979. I almost fainted! ;)

Psssssst! Hey Kids! I have to tell you something! Listen up!

You know how you think the decade twenty years before yours is really cool?
So right now it's 'retro 70's' for all the teens? Bell Bottoms anyone?

Well, my generation did the same thing!
Us 70's kids thought that the 50's were the coolest.
Yes, we wore bell bottoms and did all those 70's things you all know about, but at least in the Washington DC Metro area we had our own little 50's thing going on.

In Junior High (now called middle School) the cliques were: Greasers, Freaks, Jocks and Nerds. It was funny because one day somebody would be a Freak, then the next day they were a Greaser. We read the "Outsiders", we had "rumbles". Well, I didn't participate in rumbles, but I know people who did. We loved Elvis and cried when he died of a drug over dose in 1977. American Graffiti came out in the early 70's.....still have my double record album.


Then Grease came out in 78'. We use to go to College Park (U of MD) to hear a local doo wop band called Harvey Hubcap and the Doo Ron Rons. They're now known as the "The Fabulous Hubcaps", I saw them perform in Ocean City, MD a few years ago. Twenty seven years plus and still going strong! They're 'famous' now, too. We loved going to 50's dances and sock hops. One of the most popular TV shows at the time was Happy Days with the Fonz.... "Aaaaay."

The guys drove really cool, souped up fifties and sixties cars, with the back end up higher... Back then guys used to play with their car engines all the time. If a house had male teenagers, half the day would be spent with his head under the hood and all his friends crowded around, hanging out. (Or out stealing parts for him!) I guess the gas crunch didn't bother us too much...The cars were gas hogs and engines were sooo loud! Vrooom! Varrrrrooooom!  After all, there were 'chicks' to impress, ya' know?