European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 04, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse By Pat Broeske Washington Post co you please Point Toen of girl Tajn Kedah a Raj in to ends. I Sappy or a ivc Tut determine Das the Moncilo and John to Volta Travolta Whu is m Miami making a Mica movie smites hut shades his head of please the girls beg hoping to see tin. I co pose thai became his ii a Nan e when he was one of the hottest movie Sta s of the 70s Travolta 35 a a 30 pounds heavier than in his White suited disco Days malty gives m sweating through his Long sir eve while shut worn with baggy Teal pants he musts his hip into position and Points his linger into the Blazer Florida sky at an imaginary mirrored disco Ball the girls erupt in squeals and giggles and collect his autograph then they walk Oil without even asking about the movie he s filming now Travolta s career has taken a momentous slide since the glory Days of saturday night fever and he has t even been seen on the screen since 1985 Whon Phil vol bombed 77?e a per a. A comedy he made last year went to video allot a incl theatrical release in parts Otte As. Oklahoma and Colorado he has since completed two movies that await release and he s in Miami making a $10 million action drama chains of Gold in which he plays a social worker whose concern Lor a boy leads him Inlo the Golty world of Street gangs and crack dealers to believes his latest work compares with his Best but doubts he could Ever re create what went Bolor his goal then How about being hot with Cool edges7 How about in people Don i go crazy Lor me but they us like me and they Corne to my movies " when saturday night fever was released in december 1977, Travolta was already a television hit especially with Leen Are girls As the swaggering Swath of Vinnie Barbano on Abc s Welcome Back. Kolter. One of the dims of the 70s, saturday night fever transformed Travolta into both a bankable Lealure film Star and a pop culture icon with worldwide grosses of $350 million the Paramount pictures film popularized disco mama in addition to promoting a soundtrack album that with worldwide sales of More than 25 million copies ranks As the second largest Selling album right alter Michael Jackson s thriller. In february 1978. Travolta was nominated Lor an Academy award Lor Best actor for his portrayal of Tony Manero Travolta recalls ii was All so amazing the excessiveness of it All. The weird thing is. I thought saturday night fever was just going to be a stepping Stone. We did the movie thinking it would be a Small Art film i did t know How to figure it was it the dancing was it the character was it he drama or the comedy what was it whatever it was it unleashed a mama Lor the then-24-year-old former chorus boy his status grew in june 1978, with the release of grease featuring Travolta As the leather jacketed High schooler Danny Zuko. Paramount s ode to 50s raunch and innocence rewrote the record books worldwide grosses ultimately lopped $400 million making in the most profitable movie musical of All Lime. The soundtrack which has Travolta warbling with his screen sweetheart Olivia Newton John is one of Iho Best Selling albums in history. Travolta s image both ruggedly handsome and incongruously pretty dazzling with those translucent Blue eyes was emblazoned on Bubble gum cards posters and literally hundreds of Magazine covers he was the subject of a slew of breathless paperback bios in october 1978, he dined Al the while House with president and mrs Carter sons jell and Chip and their wives and daughter Amy a Ian of his music. The year came to an end with Travolta As the subject of a Playboy interview it was also in december that moment by moment opened. That was the first time i heard the words your career is Over " Travolta says what happened to the one time hottest Star in the world it takes some prodding to get Travolta who has a Star s Pride As Well As a Star s Charisma to assess the situation. To does t like to acknowledge hat his career got Oil the track. Consider he was asked to present an Oscar teamed with Newton John for Best music score at this year s Academy awards he turned Down the Opportunity telling the producers he d rather present a major award in keeping with his own Oscar history alter All reasoned Travolta he was once a nominee. He presented the 1978 Best supporting actress award to Vanessa Redgrave he gave Barbara Stanwyck her honorary 1981 Oscar he presented the 1982 Best John Travolta above became one of the hottest stars of the 70s with the Success of the disco movie saturday night fever left. Actor Statuette to Ben a Mosley i loll like i had some kind of status says Travolta but Here s a big Dille rence Between being a pop icon with promising Talent and being an established acting heavyweight Travolta starred in so Lew films that his hops became All the More noticeable. Just As he was Glon hed Lor his Success he was blamed Lor his failure despite his recent absence from the screen. Travolta stresses his most popular movies run on to and Cable and Are available on videocassette the Lack is. A lot of people outside Hollywood Don t know that i Haven i been working look at the kids who come up to me they were Loo Little to have seen my movies when they first came out 1 hey re watching them now. Without knowing when they were made Travolta who has not done an interview since 1985 is speaking m his trailer during a lunch break on Iho Sot of chains of Gold he proves to to likable gracious exceedingly polite he insists on sharing his lunch with a reporter constantly jumping up to pour Moro iced Tea. On the set he is Friendly and accessible to cast and Crew and Given to bursts of comedic improvisation before and alter takes for the record he does a pretty Good Streisand impersonation and his Stallones is excellent there Are moments Hough Whon he dances around some of his career problems. It does t feel that troublesome to he insists at one Point whatever you do he cautions you should t depict me As a victim because if you depict me As one. You la be wrong. I Don t feel like a victim. I Don t play violins for Mysell. I never Travolta who has been a member of the Church of scientology since 1975, abides by the Docarmo that people Are the cause of their future rather than the elect. Thai happens to be my own be Elm As Well i Don l blame anybody Lor anything in my life. I Don t like blame shame or regret what s the Point hey you try turning Back the clock i Don t believe in dwelling on failure. I believe in moving he adds it does t matter what people think about me. They can say what they want but the Lack is they be never been whore i be monday september 4, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 17
