Johnny Casino & The Gamblers was the musical group performing at Rydell High School's National Dance-Off. They were portrayed by the group Sha Na Na. Johnny Casino (Johnny Contardo) witnessed the brawl between Kenickie and Leo during the Born to Hand Jive scene. 'Hey, hey, what is that?' 'We know a certain number of people only know us from 'Grease,' ' Simon said in a phone interview from Los Angeles. In the movie, Sha Na Na appears as the band Johnny Casino and the Gamblers. Banque Casino Fr Espace Client Accueil Min deposit £10. Welcome package splits over 3 deposits. 35x wagering requirement applies to match up bonus. Offer valid for 1 week. 100 spins split to 20 spins a day for 5 days. 50x wagering applies to spins. Joycasino - Welcome Bonus Lucky Red Casino.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Dear Members, Cast, and Patrons,

Following the government’s announcement on the 24 August, we are pleased to advise that rehearsals for our current shows can continue with the alert level two restrictions in place.

We have considered the government’s timeline provided for alert level two, and are now having to look at re-scheduling the show dates. We will be transferring the first 8 shows until late September. Iticket will be in contact with you about changing your seats. We ask you to once again be patient in this process. The shows scheduled from 8th September to 12th September will stay as booked and will not need re-scheduling at this stage.

Given this situation could change at any stage, we will keep you updated as necessary.

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the cast and our patrons for your patience and understanding during these testing times.

We thank you for your understanding and support for us as we do our utmost to bring live theatre to the stage for our loyal supporters.

Thank you,

Executive Committee

Napier Operatic Society

Here is Rydell High’s senior class of 1959: duck-tailed, hot-rodding “Burger Palace Boys” and their gum-snapping, hip-shaking “Pink Ladies” in bobby sox and pedal pushers, evoking the look and sound of the 1950’s in this rollicking musical.

Johnny Casino In Grease

Funny, frank and featuring the hit songs “Greased Lightnin’,” “You’re The One That IWant,” and “Summer Nights”, Grease follows the journey of Danny and Sandy, alongside the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies, as they navigate high school to the unforgettable rock n’ roll soundtrack that defined generations.

If you’re a fan of Sha Na Na, you have to be a fan of their appearance in Grease, Whether you were already a fan of the TV show or discovered the band after seeing the movie, seeing Johnny Casino and the Gamblers is a special treat in an already entertaining film. That said, the band’s screen time is woefully brief for us fans. Still, on the official soundtrack recording, Sha Na Na’s songs almost fill up an entire side of the double record album, so that’s something.

According to various interviews with the band, when Grease was being developed for Broadway (circa 1971-1972) Sha Na Na were tapped for their input. However, due to the band’s already successful concerts and heavy touring schedule, they declined.

Flash forward to 1977, Grease the movie began filming. According to Bowzer, the band was asked to appear in the film simply because they had a hit TV show, and producer Alan Carr wanted their name on the marquee. Bowzer went on to say that the film’s director, Randal Kleiser, didn’t really care for them and considered them too much of a parody band, wanting something more “authentic” for the scene.

That’s why, to quote Bowzer, “In the ten frames in which I’m seen, like eight of them are standing on Chico the bass player’s shoulders, and my head is cut off at the frame line.”

(Actually, if you’ve listened to the director’s commentary on the Grease DVD, he doesn’t have a lot to say about Sha Na Na.)

Grease Johnny Casino And The Gamblers

The band’s big (well, one and only) scene, of course, takes place during the school dance when Rydell High is to be featured on the show, National Bandstand. The sequence was filmed on a hot summer day in Huntington Park High School in California. According to sources, the school had no air conditioning, and the doors had to be kept shut for lighting purposes. Still, from most accounts, the cast and crew had a good time filming the scene. To help the dancers keep the correct tempo, the film’s choreographer, Patricia Birch, worked with directly with the band on their musical numbers.

In the clip below are some deleted scenes from the dance. Starting at 7:15 we get a few more glimpses of Johnny Casino and the Gamblers. While the band’s pre-recorded numbers are played in the final film, here you can see Screamin’ Scott doing what seems to be a live version of “Rock ‘N’ Roll Is Here To Stay”. After that you can hear what also sounds to be a live version of “Tears on My Pillow” with Denny Greene singing lead.

Grease Cast Johnny Casino

After another brief glimpse of the band reacting to the T-Birds’ public mooning, the scene is over. Luckily we still have the soundtrack. If you’re like me, you had the actual vinyl record album set with gatefold full of pictures from the movie, including a nice one of Sha Na Na. The band’s songs include:

“Blue Moon”
“Rock ‘N’ Roll Is Here To Stay”
“Those Magic Changes”
“Hound Dog”
“Born To Hand Jive”
“Tears on My Pillow”

“Those Magic Changes” is actually the one song they do that is not a ’50s song, but was, in fact, a song from the original stage musical. There the song is performed by the youngest T-Bird, Doody, a role that was once performed by John Travolta on Broadway.

However, in the hearts and minds of Sha Na Na fans, the song will always belong to Sha Na Na and, in particular, Johnny Contardo, for his amazing vocal performance. So, of course I have to include it here in a clip from the Sha Na Na show.

Another contribution Sha Na Na made to the movie was the song “Sandy”. For some reason, the song originally used for the drive-in scene in the musical was scrapped, so Scott Simon co-wrote a new song with Louis St. Louis, who had written some of the music for the movie. Here’s Screamin’s interpretation of the song on the show.

Funny enough, the TV version of Sha Na Na were not oblivious to the fact that they were in a major motion picture, and would bring it up often in the show. In this day and age, you call that kind of reference “meta”. If there’s one thing us fangirls and boys love, it’s a good meta reference.

Johnny Casino Grease Lines

Oh, and on a minor, not-really bragging note, I have a family connection to the movie Grease. During the filming of the movie, my cousin dated the guy who wrestles John Travolta in the gym. According to her, “He was a big guy.”