If you’ve listened to my latest podcast interview featuring director Randal Kleiser, you already know that my obsession with Hollywood started at the age of ten, when I went to see his first feature film - “Grease” - for the first time on the silver screen.
From the moment I saw greaser Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and the beautiful yet wholesome Australian exchange student Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) sing, dance, and fall in love on that huge movie screen I was instantly hooked.
The film transported me into another world and I couldn’t get enough of it! So you can imagine how thrilled I was when the director of the highest-grossing musicals of all time Randal Kleiser agreed to be a guest on my podcast - Hollywood Obsessed!
Not only was our interview a dream come true for me but when I found out that he was going to be making a special appearance at Ovation Hollywood, in the heart of Tinseltown, a few days later for the “Grease Sing-A-Long” screening and signing copies of his two books - “Grease: The Director’s Notebook” and "Drawing Directors Vol 1" - there was nothing that would've stop me from being there!
Randal was pleasantly surprised to see me and gave me a big hug while thanking me for the fun podcast interview. He was also very pleased to see that I had brought copies of his books with me that he happily signed for me! You can see how thrilled I was in the photo above.
“Grease: The Director’s Notebook”
If you’re a huge "Grease" fan (like me) you MUST get a copy of his comprehensive and beautifully designed book - “Grease: The Director’s Notebook”! Not only does it include all-new exclusive interviews with the key cast members and crew, including Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta, and Stockard Channing, but it also features original script pages with changes made on the set, call sheets, conceptual images, costumes, and much more. In short, it is theperfect gift for any "Grease" fan that you know. I highly recommend it!
“Drawing Directors Vol 1”
Randal's latest book “Drawing Directors Vol 1”- which just came out this past July - is also terrific. It’s a unique look at some of the world's greatest directors - through the art of this internationally known film director.
For decades, Randal has been drawing sketches of his fellow directors using a technique called blind contour drawing, where you trace the lines of the subject with your eye and simultaneously draw with a pen on the paper without looking down.
“Drawing Directors Vol 1” pays tribute to some of his favorite directors, including Steven Spielberg, John Singleton, Ron Howard, Guillermo del Toro, Robert Wise, and Billy Wilder. Aside from the wonderful sketches of each director, he also recounts their professional careers and reveals anecdotes about them and his personal opinion about their work. Film lovers will love this one. I, for one, can't for Volume II to be published!
Incredibly, 45 years since his movie musical masterpiece was released "Grease" still entertains, enthralls, and stirs something inside of me just as it did all those years ago when I saw it for the very first time. And I couldn't be happier about that. :)
GREASE is still the word - now and forever!
To purchase either of Randal’s books - CLICK HERE
To listen to my fascinating conversation with celebrated director Randal Kleiser click on the links below. Enjoy!
Episode 33 - HERE
Episode 34 - HERE
