Saturday Night Fever is a
1977 filmThe year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
starring
John TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. He first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
as Tony Manero, a young man, coming of age, whose weekend activities are visits to a local Brooklyn
discothèqueA discothèque, , is an entertainment venue or club with recorded music played by Disc jockeys through a PA system, rather than an on-stage band.Prior to the discothèque, most bars and nightclubs used live bands as entertainment.- Etymology :...
and
Karen Lynn GorneyKaren Lynn Gorney is an American actress, known for her roles on television and film.-Early life:Gorney was born in Beverly Hills, California...
as his dance partner and eventual girlfriend. While in the disco, Tony is the king, his care-free youth and weekend dancing help him to temporarily forget the reality of his life: a dead-end job, clashes with his unsupportive and squabbling parents, racial tensions in the local community, and his associations with a gang of immature friends.
A huge commercial success, the movie significantly helped to popularize
discoDisco is a genre of dance music that that had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, psychedelic and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
music around the world and made Travolta a household name. The
Saturday Night Fever soundtrackSaturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track is the soundtrack album from the blockbuster film Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta. In the United States, the album was certified 15x Platinum for shipments of over 15 million copies. The album revived the phenomenon of disco in the U.S...
, featuring disco songs by the
Bee GeesThe Bee Gees were a singing trio of brothers — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The group was successful for most of its forty years of recording music, but the trio had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a harmonic "soft rock" act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as the foremost...
, is among the best selling soundtracks of all time. The film is also notable for being one of the first instances of
cross-media marketingIn cross media marketing, promotional companies commit to surpassing the traditional advertisements and decide to include extra appeals to their offered products.. The material can be communicated by any mass media such as e-mails, letters, web pages, or other recruiting sources...
, with the
tie-inA tie-in is an authorized product based on a media property a company is releasing, such as a movie or video/DVD, computer game, video game, television program/television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property...
soundtrack's single being used to help promote the film before its release and the film popularizing the entire soundtrack after its release.
The story is based upon a 1976
New York magazine article by
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
writer
Nik CohnNik Cohn is a British rock journalist, born in London in 1946.He is considered a father of rock criticism, thanks to Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom, written at the age of 22 in the late 60s...
, "
Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night"Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night" was the title of a 1975 New York Magazine article by British rock journalist Nik Cohn. It was the basis for the plot and characters in the movie Saturday Night Fever....
." In the late-1990s, Cohn acknowledged that the article had been fabricated. A newcomer to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and a stranger to the disco lifestyle, Cohn was unable to make any sense of the subculture he had been assigned to write about. The characters who became Tony Manero and his friends were based on Mods, an English youth movement that also placed great importance on music, clothes and dancing. The film also showcased aspects of the music, the dancing, and the
subcultureIn sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong...
surrounding the disco era: symphony-orchestrated melodies, haute-couture styles of clothing, sexual promiscuity, and graceful choreography.
Plot
The film is about 19-year-old Tony Manero (
John TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. He first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
), a young
Italian AmericanAn Italian American is an American of Italian ancestry, and/or may also refer to someone possessing Italian/American dual citizenship. Italian Americans are the fourth largest European ethnic group in the United States.-History:...
from the
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
borough of
BrooklynBrooklyn is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located southwest of Queens on the western tip of Long Island. An independent city until its consolidation with New York in 1898, Brooklyn is New York City's most populous borough, with 2.5 million residents, and second largest in area...
who works a dead-end job in a small hardware store by day, but rules the dance floor at night with his frequent appearances at 2001 Odyssey, a Brooklyn dance club.
While at 2001 Odyssey, Tony is seen in the company of his three close friends, Joey (
Joseph CaliJoseph Cali is an American actor.He is most remembered for playing Joey in the 1977 blockbuster movie Saturday Night Fever....
); Double J (
Paul PapePaul Pape is an American actor. He has appeared in over 20 films since 1977. He also stars in the video game in the Need for Speed franchise Need for Speed: Undercover as Lt. Jack M. Keller police Lt. of the Tri-City Police Department....
); and the diminutive Bobby C. (
Barry MillerBarry L. Miller is an American actor. He won Broadway's 1985 Tony Award as Best Actor for his performance as 'Arnold Epstein' in Biloxi Blues....
), still in high school. It is presumed Bobby C., though younger, is part of the gang because he is the only one with a car (a run-down
Chevrolet ImpalaThe Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. One of America's most successful nameplates, the early Impala became the best-selling automobile when full-sized cars dominated sales, though the name was eventually revived in 2000 for a full-size...
). An informal member of their gang is Annette (
Donna PescowDonna Pescow is an American film and television actress.-Life and career:Pescow was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family. Her father owned and ran a news stand in downtown NYC at Battery Place. Pescow attended Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn, NY and she took drama classes with...
), a neighborhood girl who has apparently been Tony's partner in previous dance competitions and longs for a more permanent relationship with him.
Tony, knowing Annette has the right moves to win an upcoming dance competition, recruits her to participate with him in the contest, much to her delight. Her happiness is short-lived, however, when Tony abruptly terminates their partnership after seeing Stephanie Mangano (
Karen Lynn GorneyKaren Lynn Gorney is an American actress, known for her roles on television and film.-Early life:Gorney was born in Beverly Hills, California...
) dance at the disco and later at a neighborhood dance studio. Stephanie is a tall, attractive, talented dancer with what Tony assumes is a more committed potential toward winning the competition. Despite her initial frosty and superior attitude toward Tony, after much urging, Stephanie agrees to partner with him in the contest.
Stephanie works as a secretary for a magazine publisher in
ManhattanManhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.New York County, which has the same boundaries as the Borough of Manhattan , is the most densely populated county in the United States, with a 2008 population of 1,634,795...
; she is poised to move there, where she has more opportunities to work her way up. This awakens in Tony the need to transcend his
Bay Ridge, BrooklynBay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. It is bound by 65th Street on the north, Interstate 278 on the east, and the Belt Parkway-Shore Road on the west. The portion below 86th Street is a subsection called Fort Hamilton. A small area east...
working-class roots. However, Stephanie ultimately reveals her own vulnerabilities to Tony.
Also examined in the film is Tony's relationship with his family, including Frank Jr., Tony's older brother and clearly his parents' favorite. Tony's mother dotes on Frank Jr., who shatters his parents' dreams of what he refers to as "pious glory" by abandoning the priesthood. This may be partly because Frank Jr. no longer wishes to spend his life in
celibacyCelibacy is defined as the lifestyle of someone who is, and is striving to remain, unmarried all his/her life. It is also used to describe a state of life where one chooses to abstain from all sexual activities...
, but mainly, as he tries to explain to Tony, because he has doubts about his faith and is disillusioned with the Church.
Bobby C., who looks up to Tony, asks him for advice for getting out of his relationship with his devoutly Catholic girlfriend, Pauline, who is pregnant with his child. Though Tony tells him to dump her, Bobby C. faces pressure from his family and others to marry her, which he clearly does not wish to do. After she refuses to get an abortion, Bobby asks Frank Jr. if
Pope Paul VIPope Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 1963 to 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
would grant him
dispensationIn the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church, a dispensation is the suspension by competent authority of general rules of law in particular cases...
for an abortion. Bobby's feelings of despair deepen when Frank tells him dispensation would be highly unlikely.
Double-J and Joey are Tony's more like-minded friends; macho, foul-mouthed, bigoted, chauvinistic, and with hair-trigger tempers. They engage in wild behavior such as balancing themselves along the dangerous railing of the
Verrazano-Narrows BridgeThe Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City at the Narrows, the reach connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger lower bay....
, often while in varying states of drunkenness. Another member of the gang is beaten up by some Puerto Rican youths and is put in a hospital. Tony, Double-J and Joey vow revenge and storm a Puerto Rican bar frequented by the Barracuda gang only finding out later that they were not the antagonists.
On the evening of the dance competition at 2001 Odyssey, Tony and Stephanie finish their dance to wild applause. The last competitors, however, are a dazzling Puerto Rican couple. After seeing their spectacular performance, Tony realizes that he and Stephanie have been outclassed. Nonetheless, Tony and Stephanie take the top prize, which Tony immediately dismisses (realizing they didn't deserve it), claiming the contest was rigged in his favor (because of his popularity at 2001). He grabs the trophy and prize money from Stephanie and presents them to the Puerto Rican couple (who took second) instead, telling them they deserve it.
Angry, Tony accuses his friends of being phonies who will not be honest with him. Dragging Stephanie with him, he makes a crude pass on her in the car, forcing himself on her until she fights him off and escapes. He then sullenly takes off with the gang, along with a drunk and high Annette, who Joey says is going to "give everybody a piece." Double-J and Joey both take turns with Annette, but Annette starts to cry and struggle after she comes down from the drugs she had been given and realizes she does not want to have sex with them.
They pull the car off the bridge, but this time, Bobby C., who normally stays in the car, joins them, and is attempting more dangerous stunts than Tony, Double-J, and Joey. Realizing that Bobby is acting recklessly, Tony tries to coax him off the railing. Upset at his lonely life, his situation with Pauline, and a broken promise from Tony earlier that he would call him, the needy Bobby rants at Tony's lack of care, and accidentally slips, falling to his death. The friends are shocked and grief-stricken. When a policeman called to investigate the incident asks Tony if he thinks Bobby C. committed
suicideSuicide is the intentional killing of one's self. Many dictionaries also note the metaphorical sense of "willful destruction of one's self-interest"...
, Tony responds, "There are ways of killin' yourself without killin' yourself."
After leaving his friends behind, a distraught Tony spends the rest of the night riding the subway. He finally shows up at Stephanie's apartment, apologizing for his earlier bad behavior. He tells her that he plans on leaving Brooklyn and coming to Manhattan to escape from his family and friends, and what he considers to be a fake life. He also tells her that he wants to try to salvage their relationship by being friends first and see what develops from there. Recognizing Tony's honest wish to change, Stephanie takes his hand in hers, and then him into her arms in this final scene.
Versions and sequel
Two theatrical versions of the film were released: the
Original R-rated version and an
Edited PG-rated version. The R-rated version released in 1977 represented the movie's
first runFirst run film is a term used to refer to just released films. In North America most new films earn most of their theatrical viewers in the first few weeks after their release...
, and totaled 118 minutes. After the success of the first run, in 1978 the film was re-edited in a PG-rated version and re-released during a second run to attract a youthful audience. The R-rated version contained profanity (the word
"fuckFuck is an English word that is generally considered profane, that in its most literal meaning refers to the act of sexual intercourse. However, by extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed, and it is due to the convergence...
" was used 44 times), nudity, drug use and a rape scene which were all de-emphasised or completely removed from the PG version.
The retooled PG-rated version totaled 112 minutes, and featured some deleted content. Numerous profanity-filled scenes were replaced with alternate versions of the same scenes that substituted milder language, initially intended for the network television cut. Other PG-inappropriate scenes were simply shortened or edited altogether. To maintain runtime, a few deleted scenes were added (including Tony dancing with Doreen to "
Disco Duck"Disco Duck" was a satirical disco novelty song performed by Memphis disc jockey Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots. It became a number-one hit on the Billboard Chart for one week in October of 1976 . It also made the top 20 on the Black Singles chart, peaking at number 15...
" and Tony running his finger along the cables of the
Verrazano-Narrows BridgeThe Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City at the Narrows, the reach connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger lower bay....
).
Both theatrical versions were released on
VHSVideo Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, was a video tape recording standard developed during the 1970s. It was released to the public during the latter half of the decade. During the late part of the 1970s and the early 1980s it formed one-half of the VHS vs Betamax war, which it...
, but only the R-rated version has been released on
LaserdiscThe Laserdisc is an obsolete home video disc format, and was the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially marketed as Discovision in 1978, the technology was licensed and sold as Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Videodisc, Laservision, Disco-Vision, DiscoVision, and MCA...
and later on widescreen
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
. The special edition DVD releases include some of the deleted scenes present in the PG version. Starting in the late 1990s
VH1VH1 is an American cable television network based in New York City...
and
TNTTNT is an American cable TV channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner which also owns Cartoon Network. However, despite the fact that it is a channel, it is seen all across the United States, much like a television...
started showing the original R-rated version with a
TV-14 ratingThe TV Parental Guidelines system was first proposed on December 19, 1996 by the United States Congress, the television industry and the FCC, and went into effect by January 1, 1997 on most major broadcast and cable networks in response to public concerns of increasingly explicit sexual content,...
. The nudity was edited, but the cut included some of the innuendos from the original film.
A December 2002
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
network television version, based largely on the PG version, contains several minutes of outtakes normally excised from the theatrical releases. It is among the longest cuts of the film.
A blu-ray edition was released on May 5, 2009 in the United States and was released across Europe the following week.
A sequel,
Staying AliveStaying Alive is the 1983 sequel to Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta as the main character, Tony Manero, with Cynthia Rhodes, Finola Hughes, Joyce Hyser, Steve Inwood, Julie Bovasso, and dancers Viktor Manoel, Kate Ann Wright, Kevyn Morrow and Nanette Tarpey. It was directed by...
, was released in 1983. It starred John Travolta and was directed by
Sylvester StalloneSylvester Gardenzio Stallone , nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. One of the biggest box office draws in the world from the 1970s to the 1990s, Stallone is an icon of machismo and Hollywood action heroism...
. (
Staying Alive was rated PG; it also pre-dated the introduction of the PG-13 rating.)
Remake
In 2009, it was announced that a remake was in the works by
Simon CowellSimon Phillip Cowell is an English television personality, A&R executive, television producer, and entrepreneur. He is famous in the United Kingdom and in the United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, American Idol, The X Factor, and Britain's Got Talent...
, which would star
Zac EfronZachary David Alexander "Zac" Efron is an American actor and singer. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s, and became known to young audiences after his roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the WB series Summerland, and the 2007 film version of the Broadway...
as Tony Manero. R&B artist
TimbalandTimothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American Grammy Award-winning record producer, singer and rapper. Timbaland has produced albums and singles for a number of artists from the mid-1990s to the present day..Timbaland's first full credit production work was in...
was also signed on to record The Bee Gees classics for the soundtrack.
Cast
- John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. He first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
- Tony Manero
- Karen Lynn Gorney
Karen Lynn Gorney is an American actress, known for her roles on television and film.-Early life:Gorney was born in Beverly Hills, California...
- Stephanie Mangano
- Barry Miller
Barry L. Miller is an American actor. He won Broadway's 1985 Tony Award as Best Actor for his performance as 'Arnold Epstein' in Biloxi Blues....
- Bobby C.
- Joseph Cali
Joseph Cali is an American actor.He is most remembered for playing Joey in the 1977 blockbuster movie Saturday Night Fever....
- Joey
- Paul Pape
Paul Pape is an American actor. He has appeared in over 20 films since 1977. He also stars in the video game in the Need for Speed franchise Need for Speed: Undercover as Lt. Jack M. Keller police Lt. of the Tri-City Police Department....
- Double J.
- Donna Pescow
Donna Pescow is an American film and television actress.-Life and career:Pescow was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family. Her father owned and ran a news stand in downtown NYC at Battery Place. Pescow attended Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn, NY and she took drama classes with...
- Annette, a former girlfriend of Tony, still in love with him
- Bruce Ornstein
Bruce Ornstein is an American actor. He appeared in 8 films or TV-episodes between 1977 and 2000....
- Gus
- Julie Bovasso
Julie Bovasso was an American actress of stage, screen and television. She was born in Brooklyn, New York to an Italian-American family.-Biography:...
- Flo Manero, Tony's mother
- Martin Shakar
Martin Shakar is an American film and television actor, born January 1, 1940), in Detroit, Michigan, USA.He has appeared four times each in the television shows The Equalizer and Law & Order, but each instance was a different character. He has appeared in 15 films since 1976...
- Frank Manero Jr., Tony's brother
- Sam Coppola
Sam Coppola , is an American actor. He has appeared in 62 films from 1968.He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA....
- Dan Fusco, paint store owner, Tony's boss
- Nina Hansen - Grandmother
- Lisa Peluso
Lisa Peluso is an American soap opera actress.-Biography:Peluso was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Mary Peluso. Her first big break came at the age of nine, when she starred in the Broadway production of Gypsy with Angela Lansbury...
- Linda Manero, Tony's sister
- Denny Dillon
Denny Dillon is an American comedian and former cast member of Saturday Night Live. At 4'11" , Dillon is the shortest cast member in the show's history...
- Doreen
- Bert Michaels - Pete
- Robert Costanzo
Robert Costanzo is an American actor. He has an acting career spanning over thirty years and is often found playing surly New York types such as crooks or low level workers and mixes both drama and comedy roles....
- Paint store customer
- Robert Weil
Robert Sam Weil is a Swedish businessman and philanthropist.He is the chairman of the investment company Proventus, which he founded in 1980. He is also chairman of Magasin 3 Stockholm Konsthall, and the Jewish Theatre in Stockholm, and a member of the international advisory board for the Batsheva...
- Becker
- Shelly Batt - Girl in disco
- Fran Drescher
Francine Joy "Fran" Drescher is an Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-nominated American film and television actress, comedian, screenwriter, tv director, producer, author, activist and political lobbyist best known for playing Fran Fine on the television series The Nanny.-Early life:Drescher was born...
- Connie
- Donald Gantry - Jay Langhart
- Murray Moston - Haberdashery salesman
- William Andrews - Detective
- Ann Travolta - Pizza girl (Travolta's sister)
- Helen Travolta - Lady in paint store (Travolta's mother)
- Ellen March - Bartender
- Monti Rock III
Monti Rock III is a flamboyant American musician and performer from New York City.-Career:Born on 29 May 1942, to a Puerto Rican family in the Bronx, Monti parlayed his role as celebrity hairdresser into a role center stage...
- The deejay
- Val Bisoglio
Val Bisoglio is an Italian-American character actor primarily known for his work on television. Bisoglio performed in numerous TV dramas in the 1970s including Roll Out, Kojak and The Rockford Files, and had a recurring role as restaurateur Danny Tovo in the show Quincy, M.E..-External links:***...
- Frank Manero Sr., Tony's father
- Roy Cheverie - The wrong partner (uncredited)
- Adrienne King
Adrienne King is an American actress , dancer and painter. She is mostly known for her starring role in the original Friday the 13th....
- Dancer (uncredited)
- Alberto Vasquez - Gang member (uncredited)
- M. J. Quinn - Dancer (uncredited)
- Joe Macera - Gang member (uncredited)
- Grace Davies - Girl in red dress (uncredited)
Soundtrack
Track listing:
- "Stayin' Alive
"Stayin' Alive" is a song by the pop group Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. The song was written by the Bee Gees - Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb - and produced by the Bee Gees and Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson...
" performed by Bee GeesThe Bee Gees were a singing trio of brothers — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The group was successful for most of its forty years of recording music, but the trio had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a harmonic "soft rock" act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as the foremost...
- 4:45
- "How Deep Is Your Love
"How Deep Is Your Love" is a song recorded by the Bee Gees in 1977. Originally intended for Yvonne Elliman, it was ultimately used as part of the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever. It was a number three hit in the UK. In the U.S., it topped the Billboard Hot 100 on 24 December 1977 and...
" performed by Bee GeesThe Bee Gees were a singing trio of brothers — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The group was successful for most of its forty years of recording music, but the trio had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a harmonic "soft rock" act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as the foremost...
- 4:05
- "Night Fever
"Night Fever", is a disco song, written and performed by The Bee Gees. It first appeared on the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever. Producer Robert Stigwood wanted to call the film Saturday Night, but singer Robin Gibb expressed hesitation at the title. Stigwood liked the title Night Fever but was...
" performed by Bee GeesThe Bee Gees were a singing trio of brothers — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The group was successful for most of its forty years of recording music, but the trio had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a harmonic "soft rock" act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as the foremost...
- 3:33
- "More Than a Woman
"More Than a Woman" is a song written by the Bee Gees for the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever....
" performed by Bee GeesThe Bee Gees were a singing trio of brothers — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The group was successful for most of its forty years of recording music, but the trio had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a harmonic "soft rock" act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as the foremost...
- 3:17
- "If I Can't Have You
"If I Can't Have You" is a disco song written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees.-Origins:"If I Can't Have You" was intended to be included in the follow-up album to Children of the World , but was given to Yvonne Elliman when the Bee Gees became involved in the production of the...
" performed by Yvonne EllimanYvonne Elliman is an American singer and actress. Her father was of Irish descent, and her mother shared Japanese and Chinese ancestries...
- 3:00
- "A Fifth of Beethoven
"A Fifth of Beethoven" is a disco instrumental recorded by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band. It was adapted by Murphy from the first movement of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. The record was produced by noted production music and sound effects recording producer Thomas J. Valentino. It was one of...
" performed by Walter MurphyWalter Anthony Murphy, Jr. is a pianist, composer, and arranger who had a massive hit with the instrumental, "A Fifth of Beethoven", a disco adaptation of some passages of the first movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, in 1976, when disco was at the height of its popularity.Murphy was born in...
- 3:03
- "More Than a Woman" performed by Tavares - 3:17
- "Manhattan Skyline" performed by David Shire
David Lee Shire is an American songwriter and the composer of stage musicals and film and television scores.-Education and early career:...
- 4:44
- "Calypso Breakdown" performed by Ralph MacDonald - 7:50
- "Night on Disco Mountain" performed by David Shire - 5:12
- "Open Sesame" performed by Kool & the Gang
Kool & The Gang are an American jazz/R&B/soul/funk/disco group. They originally formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.A. in 1964. They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and...
- 4:01
- "Jive Talkin'
"Jive Talkin" is a song by the Bee Gees, which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top-five on the UK singles chart in the summer of 1975. Largely recognized as the group's "comeback" song, it was their first U.S. top ten hit since "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" in 1971.The...
" performed by Bee GeesThe Bee Gees were a singing trio of brothers — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The group was successful for most of its forty years of recording music, but the trio had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a harmonic "soft rock" act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as the foremost...
- 3:43 (*)
- "You Should Be Dancing
"You Should Be Dancing" is a single by the Bee Gees, from the album, Children of the World, in 1976. The single hit number one for one week on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number one for seven weeks on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart, and in July the same year, reached number five in the UK...
" performed by Bee GeesThe Bee Gees were a singing trio of brothers — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The group was successful for most of its forty years of recording music, but the trio had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a harmonic "soft rock" act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as the foremost...
- 4:14
- "Boogie Shoes
"Boogie Shoes" was a popular song released in 1975 on the self-titled album KC and the Sunshine Band by the disco group KC and the Sunshine Band. The song became a hit when it appeared on the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack in 1977...
" performed by KC and the Sunshine BandKC and the Sunshine Band is an American musical group. Founded in 1973 in Miami, Florida, their style has included funk, R&B, and disco. Their most well known songs include the disco hits "That's the Way ", " Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "Keep It Comin' Love", "Get Down Tonight", "Give...
- 2:17
- "Salsation" performed by David Shire - 3:50
- "K-Jee" performed by MFSB
MFSB was a pool of more than thirty studio musicians based at Philadelphia’s famed Sigma Sound Studios...
- 4:13
- "Disco Inferno
"Disco Inferno" is a 1976 song by The Trammps from the album of the same name. It became a hit in 1978 after being included on the soundtrack to the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever...
" performed by Trammps - 10:51
(*)
"Jive Talkin'" was not contained in the film.
- The novelty songs "Dr. Disco" and "Disco Duck
"Disco Duck" was a satirical disco novelty song performed by Memphis disc jockey Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots. It became a number-one hit on the Billboard Chart for one week in October of 1976 . It also made the top 20 on the Black Singles chart, peaking at number 15...
", both performed by Rick Dees, were played in the film but not included on the album.
Filming locations include
- Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City at the Narrows, the reach connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger lower bay....
- Phillips Dance Studio
- 2001 Odyssey, which was later renamed Spectrum (a Gay club) in 1987 before being demolished in 2005. The club was located at 802 64th Street, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York.
- Six Brothers Hardware and Paints formerly located at 7309 5th Ave in Brooklyn was the backdrop for Tony's place of employment.
- Grand Union
Grand Union may refer to many things:Transport* Grand union, a four-way, double track rail junction often found on tram systems* Grand Union Canal, a waterway running from London to Birmingham in the United Kingdom...
supermarket on 5 Avenue, today a Staples store.
- A coffee shop across the street from the Grand Union, today a Volkswagen
The Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft , also known as Volkswagen Group or as VW, is an automobile manufacturer and mobility organisation based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany and is the pioneer brand within the Volkswagen Group, which contains the car brands Audi AG, Bentley Motors Ltd.,...
dealership.
Trivia
- Saturday Night Fever was the favorite movie of the late film critic Gene Siskel
Eugene "Gene" Kal Siskel was an American film critic. Alongside colleague Roger Ebert, he pioneered the classic review show Siskel & Ebert at the Movies.-Early life and career:...
, who claimed to have seen it 17 times. He liked the movie so much, he bought the famous white discoDisco is a genre of dance music that that had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, psychedelic and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
suit (worn by Travolta in the movie) at a charity auction for $17,000.
- Fran Drescher
Francine Joy "Fran" Drescher is an Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-nominated American film and television actress, comedian, screenwriter, tv director, producer, author, activist and political lobbyist best known for playing Fran Fine on the television series The Nanny.-Early life:Drescher was born...
's film debut.
- According to the DVD commentary for this movie, the producers intended to use the song "Lowdown" by Boz Scaggs
Boz Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 Hits in the United States along with the #2 album Silk Degrees...
for use in the rehearsal scene between Tony and Annette in the dance studio, and choreographed their dance moves to the song. However, representatives for Scaggs' label, Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label founded in 1888.Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, being the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. Columbia Records went on to release records by an array of notable singers,...
, refused to grant legal clearance for it, as they wanted to pursue another disco movie project, which never materialized. Composer David ShireDavid Lee Shire is an American songwriter and the composer of stage musicals and film and television scores.-Education and early career:...
, who scored the film, had to in turn write a song to match the dance steps demonstrated in the scene and eliminate the need for future legal hassles. However, this track does not appear on the movie's soundtrack.
- Donna Pescow
Donna Pescow is an American film and television actress.-Life and career:Pescow was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish family. Her father owned and ran a news stand in downtown NYC at Battery Place. Pescow attended Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn, NY and she took drama classes with...
was almost considered 'too pretty' for the role of Annette. She corrected this by putting on 40 pounds and training herself back to her native Brooklyn accent, which she trained herself away from while she was studying drama at the American Academy of Dramatic ArtsThe American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with campuses located at 120 Madison Avenue in New York City and 1336 North La Brea Avenue in Hollywood .The oldest acting school in...
. After production ended, she immediately lost the weight she gained for the role and dropped the accent.
- John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. He first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
's mother Helen and sister Ann both appeared in minor roles in this movie.
- Bobby's C's car is a 1964 Chevrolet Impala.
- Madonna
Madonna is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977, for a career in modern dance...
's video for her 2005 hit single "Hung Up"Hung Up" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Madonna and producer Stuart Price for her tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor. Initially used in a number of television advertisements and serials, the song was released as the album's lead single on October 17, 2005...
" is an homageHomage is pronounced variously as , , or . The last reflects the modern French pronunciation, although the word entered Middle English many centuries ago. In traditional usage it is analogous to praise; one properly speaks of homage or the homage, rather than a homage or an homage...
to a scene from Saturday Night Fever, when Tony first approaches Stephanie at the rehearsal studio. In the video, Madonna is wearing almost exactly the same leotard and tights set that Stephanie wears in the film, and there is wood paneling and a wooden barre much like in the rehearsal space Stephanie uses for this scene. Madonna also did a remix during the Confessions TourThe Confessions Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It supported her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. Madonna confirmed the possibility of going out on a tour, as early as November 2005. Jamie King was later appointed as the choreographer...
in 2006, following her successful album Confessions on a Dance FloorConfessions on a Dance Floor is the tenth studio album by American recording artist Madonna. It was released on November 15, 2005 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was a complete departure from her last studio album American Life . It included influences of 70s and 80s disco as well as modern-day...
. The remix was the instrumental of "Disco Inferno"Disco Inferno" is a 1976 song by The Trammps from the album of the same name. It became a hit in 1978 after being included on the soundtrack to the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever...
" from Saturday Night Fever mixed with Madonna's hit song "Music"Music" is the first single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 8th studio album Music and was released on August 21, 2000 by Maverick Records. It was also released on DVD single, a debut in this format by Madonna. It was nominated for a Grammy for Record of the Year in 2001...
" from 2000. Madonna's appearance and dance moves during "Music Inferno" were similar to Travolta's in the film.
- The song "K-Jee" was used during the dance contest with the Hispanic couple that competed against Tony and Stephanie. Some VHS cassettes used a more traditional Latin-style song instead. The DVD restores the original recording.
- Tony Manero
Anthony T. Manero was an American golfer. He won eight times on the PGA Tour including one major championship, the 1936 U.S. Open. He played on the 1937 Ryder Cup team. He was born in New York, New York and died in Greenwich, Connecticut. Manero was originally spelled Mainiero...
was the name of a real American golfer.
- John Belushi
John Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician notable for his work on Saturday Night Live, National Lampoon's Animal House, and The Blues Brothers...
parodied the film as "Samurai Night Fever", one of his "Samurai" sketches. Belushi spoofed it again in the film NeighborsNeighbors is a 1981 film based on the book by Thomas Berger. It was released through Columbia Pictures, directed by John G. Avildsen and stars John Belushi as Earl, Dan Aykroyd as Vic , Cathy Moriarty as Ramona, Kathryn Walker as Enid, and Lauren-Marie Taylor as Elaine...
, during a scene in which tilted camera anglesDutch tilt, Dutch angle, oblique angle, German angle, canted angle or Batman Angle are terms used for a cinematic tactic often used to portray the psychological uneasiness or tension in the subject being filmed...
show Belushi combing his hair in front of the mirror as "Stayin' Alive" plays in the background.
- The 1980 film Airplane!
Airplane! is an American satirical comedy film directed and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and released by Paramount Pictures. It stars Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty and features Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Lorna...
contained a parody scene, with Robert HaysRobert Hays is an American actor, well known for his role in Airplane!-Early life:Hays was born in Bethesda, Maryland, to a father who was a colonel in the United States Marine Corps....
mocking the famous pose and the clothing shown on the poster and album cover, to the tune of "Stayin' Alive" slightly sped up (the actual song used for that scene in Saturday Night Fever was "You Should Be Dancing").
- The Goodies
The Goodies are a trio of British comedians , who created, wrote, and starred in a surreal British television comedy series called The Goodies during the 1970s and early 1980s combining sketches and situation comedy.-Cambridge University:The three actors in The Goodies met as students at the...
parodied the film in their Saturday Night Grease episode.
- The original working title for this film was "Saturday Night". It was changed to "Saturday Night Fever" after the producers heard the song "Night Fever."
- In Anurag Mathur
Anurag Mathur is an Indian author chiefly known for his 1991 novel The Inscrutable Americans which described the comical adventures of a young Indian student freshly arrived in the United States....
's book The Inscrutable AmericansThe Inscrutable Americans is really a bestselling novel by an Indian author, Anurag Mathur. It is about the experiences of a 'subcontinental bumpkin' in America...
, the protagonist Gopal is inspired by the way Travolta dances and refers to Saturday Night Fever as an 'educational' movie about America.
- John Travolta still has the pair of high-heeled shoes he wore during the opening and dance sequences of the film (as depicted in the poster). He says he sometimes takes them out of the closet, but claims he doesn't wear them.
- This film is banned
For nearly the entire history of film production, certain films have been either boycotted by political and religious groups or literally banned by a regime for political or moral reasons...
in MalaysiaMalaysia is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of thirteen states and three Federal Territories, with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population stands at over 28 million inhabitants...
.
- The Children's Television Workshop
The Children's Television Workshop is a set of programs on the PBS, a television organization. It features many shows for young children.It has been superseded by the Sesame Workshop....
published a record album of music from Sesame StreetSesame Street is an American educational children's television series and a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. Sesame Street is well known for its Muppets characters created by Jim Henson. It premiered on November 10, 1969, and...
under the title Sesame Street FeverSesame Street Fever is a concept album made by the cast of Sesame Street in 1978. It follows the characters as a love of disco sweeps Sesame Street....
, the cover of which spoofed the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack album cover, with muppet GroverGrover is a Muppet character on the popular television show Sesame Street. Self-described as lovable and furry, he is a monster who almost never uses contractions when he speaks and sings ....
wearing the white three-piece disco suit in the famous Travolta pose and Bert, Ernie, and Cookie Monster taking the place of the Bee Gees. Robin Gibb (of the Bee Gees) sings on two tracks for this album "Sesame Street Fever" Trash" and has a dialog with cookie monster on the into for "C Is For Cookie"
- The film was one of the inspirations for the short-lived sitcom
A situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms...
Makin' ItMakin' It is a short-lived sitcom starring David Naughton as a disco dancer in the late 1970s. The series only lasted eight episodes, airing on Fridays at 8:00PM on ABC from February 1 through March 16, 1979 before being canceled...
, whose main character was a devotee of the film.
- In the club, a woman begs to kiss Tony and gushes, "I just kissed Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is best known for his roles as Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Sonny Wortzik in Dog Day Afternoon, Tony Montana in Scarface, Carlito Brigante in the 1993 film Carlito's Way, Frank Serpico in Serpico,...
!" Later, while looking at a poster of Al Pacino in the mirror, Tony comes out of his room shouting, "AtticaThe Attica Prison riot occurred at the Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, New York, United States in 1971. The riot was based in part upon prisoners' demands for better living conditions. At the time, inmates were given one shower per week and one roll of toilet paper per month...
! Attica! Attica!" from the famous Al PacinoAlfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is best known for his roles as Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Sonny Wortzik in Dog Day Afternoon, Tony Montana in Scarface, Carlito Brigante in the 1993 film Carlito's Way, Frank Serpico in Serpico,...
film, Dog Day AfternoonDog Day Afternoon is a 1975 American crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Frank Pierson. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Chris Sarandon, James Broderick, and Charles Durning...
.
- Scenes from this film were featured on the 1986 Tri-Star Pictures film
Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
Short CircuitShort Circuit is a 1986 comedy science fiction film starring Ally Sheedy and Steve Guttenberg and directed by John Badham. Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton, and G. W...
. Johnny 5, the robotic star of the film, danced alone to You Should Be Dancing"You Should Be Dancing" is a single by the Bee Gees, from the album, Children of the World, in 1976. The single hit number one for one week on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number one for seven weeks on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart, and in July the same year, reached number five in the UK...
, then danced with Stephanie Speck shortly afterwards to More Than a WomanMore Than a Woman may refer to:*More Than a Woman , by Toni Braxton*More Than a Woman *More Than a Woman...
. Short Circuit is also a John Badham-Biography:Badham was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, the son of Mary Iola , an actress, and Henry Lee Badham, a business executive and U.S. Air Force General. Badham was raised in the state of Alabama in the U.S. and became a naturalized citizen in 1950...
film.
- The illuminated dance floor was inspired by one Badham had seen at "The Club", a private supper club in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in the state of Alabama in the United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County and includes part of Shelby County. According to a 2007 estimate, the city had a population of 229,800 The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, as of the 2008 census estimates,...
.
- Amy Irving
Amy Davis Irving is an American actress, known for her roles in the films Crossing Delancey, The Fury, Carrie and Yentl as well as acclaimed roles on Broadway and off-Broadway...
auditioned for the role of Stephanie, which was later won by lesser-known soap actress Karen Lynn GorneyKaren Lynn Gorney is an American actress, known for her roles on television and film.-Early life:Gorney was born in Beverly Hills, California...
.
- The first shots of Stephanie dancing are actually of a stand-in dancer and not Gorney, except for the close-ups.
- The music video for "Dang" by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion begins with a direct reference to the opening of Saturday Night Fever as lead singer Jon Spencer is shown walking down a New York City street with a paint can in one hand, exactly as Tony does in the film.
- In 2000, at the Inner Circle press dinner, mayor Rudy Giuliani
| align="right"|Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani is an American lawyer, businessman and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
spoofed John Travolta by dancing to "Disco InfernoDisco Inferno is a song by The Trammps.Disco Inferno can also refer to:* Disco Inferno , a 1976 disco album recorded by The Trammps featuring the song.* Disco Inferno , a band formed in the late 1980s....
" by The TrammpsThe Trammps, based in Philadelphia, were one of the first disco bands. The band's first major success was with 1972's Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart...
. Giuliani wore a white 70s-style disco suit.
- Spanish Disco-Funk band "Fundación Tony Manero" ("Tony Manero Foundation") is named after the main character.
- The video game Gex: Enter the Gecko
Gex: Enter the Gecko is a 3D platformer video game released in 1998. It is the sequel to the 1995 sidescroller Gex...
has a martial-arts themed level named "Samurai Night Fever".
- The debut album by avant-garde metal band Polkadot Cadaver
Polkadot Cadaver is a band formed by members of the now defunct notable Baltimore avant-garde metal band Dog Fashion Disco. The band is musically similar to Dog Fashion Disco and has already inherited many of their fans. Much of the artwork used by Polkadot Cadaver was produced by fans of Dog...
, Purgatory Dance PartyPurgatory Dance Party is the debut album by Polkadot Cadaver released via internet pre-sales on November 17 2007, with a street date of November 27, 2007. The cover art is a reference to the John Travolta film Saturday Night Fever...
, has cover art that is a reference to the film poster.
- Bee Gee Robin Gibb
Robin Hugh Gibb CBE is a singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the singing/songwriting trio the Bee Gees, cofounded with his twin brother Maurice Gibb , and elder brother Barry....
admitted to BBC NewsBBC News, formerly BBC News and Current Affairs, is the department within the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the corporation's news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online....
on 15 December 2007 that he has never watched this film.
Academy Awards
| Award |
Recipient |
| Nominated: |
| Best Actor Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
|
John TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. He first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
|
Blu-ray Release
On May 5, 2009, Paramount Pictures released
Saturday Night Fever on Blu-ray Disc in 1.85:1 aspect ratio.
See also
- 1977 in the United States
Other films of the late 1970s during the disco craze:
- Thank God It's Friday
Thank God It's Friday is a 1978 film directed by Robert Klane and produced by Motown Productions and Casablanca Filmworks for Columbia Pictures...
(1978)
- Roller Boogie
Roller Boogie is a United Artists film starring Linda Blair and introducing Jim Bray The film also stars Beverly Garland, Mark Goddard, and Kimberly Beck, and is directed by Mark L...
(1979)
- Skatetown, U.S.A.
Skatetown, U.S.A. is a 1979 American feature film directed by William A. Levey which capitalized on the popularity of roller disco.The film stars many TV stars from the 1970s: Scott Baio, Flip Wilson, Maureen McCormick, Melissa Sue Anderson, Ron Palillo, and Ruth Buzzi. Also featured are Patrick...
(1979)
- Xanadu
Xanadu is a 1980 musical/romance film directed by Robert Greenwald. It is an unofficial remake of the 1947 film Down to Earth starring Rita Hayworth. The title of the film is a reference to the poem "Kubla Khan; or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which is quoted in the...
(1980)
- Can't Stop the Music
Can't Stop the Music is a musical comedy film directed by Nancy Walker in 1980. It is a pseudo-biography of disco's Village People which bears only a vague resemblance to the actual story of the group's formation...
(1980)
- Fame (1980)
External links