Debt Troubled Olivia Heads Home
Olivia gets a boost from Grease
Olivia Newton-John is facing serious business problems in the U.S., her showbiz career is experiencing a resurgence back home.
Now, buoyed by the comeback in Australia of her songs, and the recent TV re-screening of her first big movie Grease, she may be headed home to Kangaroo Island.
The 42-year-old environmentally conscious star from California, is seriously considering doing a special segment on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, for the TV series Runaway.
“Olivia is thrilled to bits that Grease has had such a huge impact in her home country,” says spokeswoman Sylvi Brown.
The star’s manager Bill Sammeth, who was the architect behind Cher’s tour Down Under, is now trying to plan a new live tour for Olivia. The success of the Grease music once again makes Olivia a drawcard on the concert circuit, he believes. He is also talking to one of the major American soft drink companies about a special secret project.
“With the success of Grease and the music,” Sylvi says, “it means that Livvy will press ahead with plans to bring out an album which includes her greatest hits and some new ones that she’s currently writing.”
The 1978 movie Grease made Olivia and her co-star John Travolta (pictured with Olivia) famous. The original show opened on Broadway in 1972 and played for almost eight years.
The film version is now a smash hit with a new generation of Australian audiences. After the film was screened on television in July, it was released on the video market and became an instant success.
The recently released Grease Megamix compact disc, which features hits like You’re The One That I Want, Greased Lightning and Summer Nights, went straight to the top of the hit parade. The original sound track album still ranks as the second-highest-selling album of all time.
And a new live version of Grease will premiere at Sydney’s Footbridge Theatre on September 26.
Meanwhile, in the U.S. Olivia has serious business worries. Her once-flourishing Koala Blue boutique chain in the U.S. has filed for bankruptcy protection.
Bitter investors some claiming they have lost all they own are blaming “shoddy and over-priced goods” for the crash of the sports-fashion empire.
They say they were promised regular supplies of top-quality sporting clothes, expert help and the support of their superstar partner. Instead, they claim, they got no help, and the “shoddy, over-priced goods” arrived late.
The stores are currently being reorganised by Olivia’s business partner Pat Farrar and other company executives. Under U.S. law, the company now has protection from its creditors to reorganise its affairs.
In Australia, it is business as usual for the two Koala Blue stores in Melbourne and on the Gold Coast.
Above photo from the index page of the magazine