7 Fun Facts About ‘Saturday Night Fever’
The 1970s will always be remembered as a time with groovy beats, funky outfits and dance moves that light up the floor. And then there’s 1977’s Saturday Night Fever, a film tailor made for the era of disco.
Starring John Travolta and Karen Lynn Gorney, Saturday Night Fever was a smash hit and defined a decade of upbeat music. It follows Tony Manero, a regular guy from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York who lives for the weekends when he gets to go to the local disco. After a dance competition is announced, Tony finds a partner in Stephanie (Gorney) and while they train, they also start to fall for each other.
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about Saturday Night Fever.
1. There is a PG version of Saturday Night Fever
The film was an immediate success, raking in over $200 million in the box office, thanks to Travolta in the lead role and the amazing soundtrack. But even though the R-rated film was a massive hit, a PG version was released to tap into the teen market, generating an additional $9 million in box office. It was also issued as part of a Travolta double-feature along with Grease, one of the big hits of 1978.
2. The film had the top-selling soundtrack of the time
The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack was huge, scoring a Grammy for Album of the Year and featuring songs like “Stayin’ Alive,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” and “More Than a Woman,” really putting the Bee Gees back on top of the music charts.
3. Saturday Night Fever gave disco its groove back
The disco era began in 1970 and by 1977 was starting to die out, but Travolta’s dance floor moves in Saturday Night Fever revived it for another couple of years.
4. Filming was difficult because of Travolta’s stardom
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At the time, Travolta was already a major star thanks to Welcome Back, Kotter. Co-star, Donna Pescow shared that filming became difficult due to fans approaching Travolta so often, that they had to start filming at random hours. “The fans—oh, my God, they were all over him. It was scary to watch. By noon of the first day, we had to shut down and go home.”
5. Travolta’s white suit was supposed to be black — and was auctioned for a hefty sum
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Travolta’s white suit is nothing if not iconic, but it was actually meant to be black. However, costume designer Patrizia Von Brandenstein had the brilliant idea of making it white, representing the character’s journey and so that it would be easier to see in the dark lighting of a disco floor.
Because of its popularity, the suit was eventually sold at auction for $145,000 to an anonymous buyer.
6. The film was based on a true story that turned out to be… fiction
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The movie was based on a 1976 New York Magazine article by Nik Cohn titled “Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night,” which featured a main character, Vincent, who was the basis for Travolta’s character, Tony Manero. However, the author later confessed that “Vincent” was fiction, though everything else he referenced regarding the lifestyle was true.
7. Travolta didn’t really have disco fever
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While Travolta’s character really did have the fever, the actor himself wasn’t too interested. “It was on its way out. The clothing I wore in the movie, the polyester this and that was all finished when we did the movie… [I thought it was about] people in Brooklyn that were obsessed with disco dancing, and that I had a very interesting character to play.”
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