140 years of The Daily Telegraph

140 years of The Daily Telegraph. To celebrate 140 years of The Daily Telegraph today we take a trip back in time to the 1970s. It was the decade that saw Prime Minister Gough Whitlam booted out of office and one of our most famous exports, Olivia Newton-John, hit the big time in the cult classic Grease starring alongside John Travolta.

OLIVIA THE ONE THAT WE WANT

AUGUST 4, 1978: Homegrown Hollywood star Olivia Newton-John was mobbed by 4000 delirious fans last night at the Australian premiere of her box office blockbuster Grease.

Fans moved like greased lightning in wild scenes at Sydney’s Paramount theatre, as they surged through barricades to get a glimpse of the star. They had started queuing three hours beforehand, with crowds spilling across George St and blocking the road in their frenzy to see Tinseltown’s newest sensation.

Bodyguards struggled to keep the crowd from crushing Newton-John, as she made her way from a black Mercedes to the safety of the cinema amid the screams and yells of ­enthusiastic admirers.

The movie, which opened in June to rave reviews in the US and set new box office records, stars Newton-John as Sandy Olsson with John Travolta as Danny Zuko, and tells the tale of two high school sweethearts in the 1950s.

The movie has propelled Newton-John to Hollywood’s A-list and made her a global superstar.

Photo: Singer Olivia Newton-John arrives at Adelaide Airport on November 13, 1978.

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