In 1979, I was no Sandra Dee - Olivia Newton-John

I wished I looked more like this in 1979.

Back in the late 1970s until about 1982, I LOVED Olivia Newton-John. I first discovered her as Sandra Dee in Grease. I swear, I thought Olivia was like this beautiful angel with a heavenly voice. I wished I looked like her. Skinny with lovely blonde hair. She was just so pretty. 

Around that time, I was friends with an adorable tanned, blue-eyed, blonde-haired little girl from our neighborhood. Though she was two years younger than me, we would sometimes play together. Her parents spoiled her in a different way than mine did. I remember her room was so pink. We're talking floor to ceiling pretty shades of pink. In her room, we'd sink our toes into the soft mauve carpet of her fit-for-a-princess style bedroom and perform scenes and songs from Grease. We'd play the album over and over, and sing along to every song.

It's weird, but as young as I was back then, I can recall feeling this strange, overwhelming sense of sadness. While singing along, leaping on and off her bed, pretend pillow fighting and reenacting the slumber party scene, it hit me ... My friend looked much more like Sandy, Olivia Newton-John's character, than me. Deep down, I knew that I was like a chubby, mousy brown-haired younger version of Rizzo to this little girl's Sandy. 

The early 1980s seemed like more of an innocent time. Kids didn't seem to grow up as fast as they do today. How did I know to even feel that way back then. How did I know she would be the cheerleader. Not me.  I just did. 

Thanks for listening. 

Grease & Taxi Star Jeff Conaway Dies

Grease star Jeff Conaway dies at 60.

In the summer of 1978, I was five.  I remember we (my parents, aunts and uncles) were spending the weekend at my grandparent's Catskills summer house in upstate New York. Grease was like the biggest movie during the summer of 1978. I wish I could say this was the very first film I'd ever seen in the theater, but it wasn't. We saw Starwars in 1977 and I was bored to tears.

Yesterday, we learned Grease star Jeff Conaway -- he played Kenickie -- died at age 60. Conaway died of pneumonia. It was no secret that Jeff had an addiction to pain killers. He suffered from pain due to an accident and relied heavily on his pain medication.

Jeff Conaway's dependence on pain killers was such a struggle, he told Howard Stern he tried to commit suicide 21 times. We had watched Conaway decline on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Rehab. We watched him grow close to celebrity therapist Dr. Drew and hoped he'd somehow kick his intense, relentless addiction.

It's especially sad for me to see another actor from my childhood gone. Grease was a special movie for me as a kid in the 1970s. I joked for years about how the only reason I agreed to see this "grown up movie" was because of the carnival scene below. At age five, I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to catch it. I cried the entire ride home because I slept through what I deemed as my only reason for seeing Grease. 

View the famous Grease "We Go Together" carnival scene here:

Then of course there was Jeff Conaway in the hit show Taxi. I loved Taxi. What kid in the late 1970s didn't? Conaway was perfect as struggling actor and cab driver, Bobby Wheeler. He was tall, handsome and so very  New York.  My condolences to Jeff's family and friends. His struggle and pain are over. RIP Jeff! We will always remember you as the wisecracking Kenickie and adorable Bobby.

View a scene from Taxi staring Jeff Conaway as Bobby.