Saturday Night Fever (1977)
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Wikidata Q47654, film, IMDb tt0076666, TMDB 11009: matched by corpus:resolve, told apart by episode credits John Travolta as star (Look Who's Talking with Hillary Busis); 6 more episodes agree.
What a model would be handed about it, for corpus:ask.
The Rewatchables' awards
From ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel (2021-12-07):
Most rewatchable scene
-
pick
The opening credits, Tony walking the Brooklyn streets with the paint can and two slices of pizza.
“Well, I mean, I don't... opening scene of the movie.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 0:43:36 -
pick
Tony takes over the dance floor to You Should Be Dancing, the two-minute heat check.
“All right, so I'm going, I'm going the disco that you should be dancing scene as most rewatchable.”
Bill Simmons · 0:43:29 -
floated
The first dance club sequence to Disco Inferno, Annette pulling Tony onto the floor.
“The 1st dance club sequence where they show up, Disco Inferno was playing.”
unknown · 0:34:47 -
floated
Tony in his underwear doing Al Pacino in front of his grandmother.
“Another scene that I think is very rewatchable is when he, that's related to that, that scene is when he is in his underwear and he pops out of his bedroom and there's his grandmother.”
unknown · 0:35:47 -
floated
The first coffee scene between Tony and Stephanie (you're a cliche, you're nowhere).
“Next rewatchable scene, the 1st coffee scene with him and Stephanie.”
unknown · 0:36:35 -
floated
The first Brooklyn Bridge scene where the guys jump off and pretend.
“The 1st Brooklyn Bridge scene.”
unknown · 0:41:34 -
floated
The dance contest, rewatchable because it makes him mad that Tony and Stephanie's dancing isn't better.
“But, and then uh, the dance contest, which I enjoy more because it makes me mad.”
Bill Simmons · 0:41:57
Best Actor snub (Oscars) · Who should have won or been nominated at the Oscars.
-
pick
John Travolta as Tony Manero: Takes the best actor category over Richard Dreyfuss's win.
“Give that to Travolta.”
Bill Simmons · 0:23:24 -
pick
Woody Allen as Alvy Singer: Says comedians are at a disadvantage, cites the lobster scene.
“I think comedians in general are, are, um, for whatever reason, you're you're at a disadvantage, and I don't think that should be the case, because Woody Allen is great in that movie.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 0:24:18 -
pick
The Bee Gees songs, left out of the best original song nominees: Calls the omission of the Bee Gees from best original song a bigger snub.
“Any of the Bee Gees songs that are still being played 45 years later.”
Bill Simmons · 0:25:10
Ebert review · Reading Roger Ebert's review of the film.
-
pick
Saturday Night Fever: Three and a half stars; Ebert ties the characters to Mean Streets. Siskel loved it more.
“3.5 stars.”
Bill Simmons · 0:27:57
Memorabilia · The piece of the movie they would want to own.
-
pick
Tony's white suit: Three suits were made; Gene Siskel bought the surviving one.
“It has to be the suit.”
Bill Simmons · 1:19:48 -
pick
The paint can, the hairbrush, the 2001 Odyssey disco ball, and Annette's rubbers: Names several props but agrees the white suit is the thing.
“Like the paint can would be a cool thing to have.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 1:20:14
What's aged the best · What about the movie has held up best.
-
pick
The Bee Gees soundtrack: Still great 45 years on.
“Soundtrack is great.”
Bill Simmons · 0:44:17 -
pick
Tony's bedroom and its posters: Serpico, Bruce Lee, Wonder Woman, Rocky and Farrah Fawcett on the walls.
“Tony's room, which if you look closely, there's posters of Serpico, Bruce Lee, Wonder Woman, Linda Carter, Rocky and Farrah Fawcett.”
Bill Simmons · 0:45:36 -
pick
Donna Pescow as Annette: Great performance.
“Donna Pescal, great performance.”
Bill Simmons · 0:46:21 -
pick
The Annette and Tony dynamic: Small moments make it feel like a realistic relationship.
“Like, there's little moments like that with that where it's, it's actually a realistic relationship.”
Bill Simmons · 0:46:52 -
pick
Tony's meathead friends: You believe they have known each other for years.
“I, you really believe that those guys have known each other for 12 years or 15 years or whatever, there's like a comfort with all of them.”
Bill Simmons · 0:47:27 -
pick
Mid-70s distressed New York as a movie location: Lists Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Dog Day Afternoon and others made in six years.
“Mid 90s, mid 70s, distressed New York, as a movie location, where we had Mean streets, taxi driver, Death Wish, the Warriors, taking a Pelma, 123, Dog Day afternoon, Annie Hall in Manhattan, the good version, Saturday Night Fever, and cruising.”
Bill Simmons · 0:47:58 -
pick
The Airplane! parody of the movie's love scene: Airplane copies the movie three years later.
“The airplane parody scene.”
Bill Simmons · 0:50:19 -
pick
Mad magazine's parody of the movie: Probably read the parody before seeing the film.
“For me, Mad Magazine's parody of Saturday Night Field.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 0:50:43 -
pick
Denny Terrio's Dance Fever show: Throws it in as a TV echo of the movie.
“I was going to throw in Denny Terrio's Dance Fever show, which I watched in the late 70s, which was like that syndicated.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 0:51:04 -
pick
The pork chop dinner fight: Tony takes a second pork chop and the fighting starts.
“When his mother buys all the pork chops and the father who's out of work is upset.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 0:51:30
What's aged the worst · What about the movie has aged poorly.
-
pick
The treatment of women, the sexual assaults, racism, homophobia and misogyny: Lists the assaults, racism and random homophobia as aged poorly.
“Oh, well, I think the relationship with the various women in the in the movie has aged poorly.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 0:52:15 -
pick
Nik Cohn admitting he fabricated his New York magazine article: The article behind the film was largely made up.
“Nick Cohn in the mid 90s acknowledged that he fabricated most of his article that he wrote about this guy who was based on Tony.”
Bill Simmons · 0:53:17 -
pick
The Barracuda fight scene: Wanted a better fight scene by 70s standards; grades it a B minus.
“It's like a B minus.”
Bill Simmons · 0:54:17 -
pick
Karen Lynn Gorney as Stephanie: Below-average dancer, weak accent, older than Travolta; baffled by her casting.
“I'm so confused why she got cast for this movie that I actually spent like a half hour Googling it because I was like, there had to be a story.”
Bill Simmons · 0:55:09 -
pick
The edited PG version shown on TV: Dubbed-in lines made watching it painful.
“The PG version you mentioned, nothing was worse than seeing this movie on TV with all the edits.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 0:56:46
Casting what-ifs · Who else was considered for the roles.
-
pick
Carrie Fisher as Stephanie: Reportedly auditioned; Bill reads the list of actresses considered.
“Carrie Fisher.”
Bill Simmons · 0:58:10 -
pick
Carrie Fisher as Stephanie: Thinks she would have figured out the dance and beaten Gorney.
“And you think about it, like, I actually think that would have been amazing if she had done that because I think she's a good actress.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 0:58:19 -
pick
Fran Drescher as Stephanie: Would also accept Fran Drescher as the lead.
“I got excited for it, but you could have also talked me into Fran Dresher.”
Bill Simmons · 1:02:43 -
pick
Cher as Stephanie: Floats Cher as an older actress for the part.
“What about like Cher?”
Jimmy Kimmel · 1:03:04
Joey Pants Award · The person in the movie who is most 'that guy'.
-
nominee
Barry Miller as Bobby: The guy who dies at the end, also in Fame; 'that guy from Saturday Night Fever and Fame'.
“I think he's the winner because you'd see him.”
Bill Simmons · 1:00:37 -
winner
Robert Costanzo as the paint store customer: Bill agrees this is the better choice.
“I'm going to say the guy from the paint store, the customer at the beginning of the movie, whose name I looked up was Robert Costanzo.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 1:00:49
Vincent Hanna Award · Best overacting.
-
winner
Barry Miller as Bobby: Bobby's phone-call rant; speaker attribution inferred from the handoff.
“Well, that's got to go to Bobby, right?”
Jimmy Kimmel · 1:01:10
Dion Waiters Award · Someone not in the movie much who makes a huge impact when they appear.
-
nominee
Tony's dad (transcribed "Tony's dead"): Listed as the first nominee.
“Tony's dead.”
unknown · 1:01:40 -
winner
Fran Drescher as Connie: Both hosts say Fran Drescher; the first speaker is unclear.
“But I would say, I think I have to say Fran Drescher made. Me too.”
unknown · 1:02:18 -
nominee
Monty, the 2001 Odyssey DJ: Seems to be a real dance club DJ who also dials it up.
“Or Monty, the 2001 Odyssey DJ.”
unknown · 1:01:47
Apex Mountain · When a person or thing was at the peak of its powers.
-
winner
John Travolta as Grease era: Says the apex is just after Grease opens, not Saturday Night Fever itself.
“I would actually say Greece was probably his apex mountain because Greece follows Saturday Fever.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 1:09:20 -
winner
Karen Lynn Gorney as Stephanie: Joke: she never acted again for 14 years and never got better.
“Karen Lingourney, Apex Mountain.”
Bill Simmons · 1:11:12 -
winner
Disco, which peaks around this movie: Disco was dying when the movie came out and it revived it.
“But, um, but yeah, I think disco peaks right around here.”
unknown · 1:12:25 -
winner
The Brooklyn Bridge in the movies: Woody Allen is the only competitor, but his movies were made at the same time.
“Well, Woody Allen's making his movies right at the same time as this, so I would say this is Apex Mountain for the Brooklyn Bridge.”
unknown · 1:11:56 -
winner
Barry Miller, Paul Pape and Joseph Cali as Tony's friends: The friends were at their career apex in this movie.
“Barry Miller, Paul Pape, and Joseph Callie.”
unknown · 1:13:06
Picking Nits · Nitpicks of a film they love.
-
pick
Tony hands over the winning check but the second-place couple already got one: He should have swapped the checks.
“Shouldn't he have swapped the checks? Like, okay, I'll take the 2nd place.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 0:20:26 -
pick
The underwhelming dance contest: It should have been the best scene; no Rocky moment.
“I wanted more from the dance contest.”
Bill Simmons · 1:13:12 -
pick
The Barracuda revenge fight is dropped: They should have lost the fight; the revenge plot just goes away.
“They should have lost that fight.”
Bill Simmons · 1:14:07 -
pick
The cops barely question Tony about his friend's fall: No follow-up questions after the death.
“Don't they have more questions?”
Bill Simmons · 1:14:38 -
pick
The $500 dance contest prize: Argues it is too small given the $4 raise joke.
“And then, uh, my last one is just, I don't know if $500 is too much for the dance contest or not enough.”
Bill Simmons · 1:14:59
What if it were made today · Could it be remade, for instance as a Netflix series.
-
pick
Saturday Night Fever as a 10-episode Netflix show: Says no; two hours with these people is enough.
“I think we're good with spending 2 hours with these people.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 1:16:24
Unanswered questions · Open questions about the movie and its aftermath.
-
pick
Staying Alive: Glad the sequel exists; the first five minutes are hilarious.
“I'm glad it exists.”
Bill Simmons · 1:17:52 -
pick
Staying Alive: Also glad; it did not ruin the original.
“And I feel also like it's just so different from Saturday Night Fever that it didn't ruin it in the same way most sequels would.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 1:18:06 -
pick
Donna Pescow as Annette: Asks why she did not become a bigger actress.
“Uh, the, whatever happened to Donna Pescow as, why didn't she become a bigger thing as an actress?”
Bill Simmons · 1:18:33 -
pick
No one wears a seatbelt in the movie: Riffs on the three-seat front benches.
“Um, no one wears a seatbelt ever in this movie.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 1:19:13
Who won the movie · Who came out ahead from the movie.
-
winner
John Travolta as Tony Manero: Also floats the Bee Gees and Robert Stigwood as cases.
“Travolta wins. going away.”
Bill Simmons · 1:21:21 -
winner
John Travolta as Tony Manero: Agrees; the role was written as if for him.
“Yeah, Travolta's the winner.”
Jimmy Kimmel · 1:22:50 -
nominee
Robert Stigwood: Made roughly a billion dollars from the properties.
“You could also make a Robert Stickwood won the movie case because over the course of like 5 years he makes basically a $1000000000 from all these properties.”
Bill Simmons · 1:21:30
Picked in other episodes
- Double feature (pick) for Rocky (1976): Watching Rocky made this host want to watch Saturday Night Fever. unknown · 1:44:36
- Double feature (pick) for Pulp Fiction (1994): Offered as a double feature for the Travolta star turn. unknown · 2:37:18
Who talked about it
The Big Picture
- Stephen Merchant: 3 lines in Pro Wrestling Goes to the Movies, Plus Stephen Merchant on ‘Fighting With My Family’ | Interview (Ep. 130)
The Rewatchables
- Bill Simmons: 38 lines in ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel
- Jimmy Kimmel: 11 lines in ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel
- Unattributed: 4 lines, the speaker unknown or under 0.5 sure.
Came from
What the speakers say it drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.
Nik Cohn: 1 line the host's read ×1
-
lineage (lineage):
Nik Cohn ⇒ Saturday Night Fever (the host's read).
The film comes from a 1976 New York magazine article, later admitted to be mostly fabricated.
“this article written by Nick Cohen”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:17:23 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
Led to
What the speakers say drew on it, marked the same way.
Staying Alive: 2 lines the host's read ×2
-
contrast (contrast):
Saturday Night Fever ⇒ Staying Alive (the host's read).
Staying Alive is so different that it did not ruin the original the way most sequels would.
“it's just so different from Saturday Night Fever that it didn't ruin it in the same way most sequels would.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:18:06 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
Airplane!: 1 line the host's read ×1
-
lineage (lineage):
Saturday Night Fever ⇒ Airplane! (the host's read).
Airplane! parodies this film's romance scene three years later with Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty.
“The airplane parody scene.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:50:19 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.50 sure it was them)
Fighting with My Family: 1 line the maker said so ×1
-
craft (craft):
Saturday Night Fever ⇒ Fighting with My Family (the maker said so: Merchant in this interview).
Merchant treats the wrestling matches like the dance numbers in Saturday Night Fever, each with different moves building to a big finale.
“the way that the wrestling sequences are almost little dance numbers.”
The Big Picture · Pro Wrestling Goes to the Movies, Plus Stephen Merchant on ‘Fighting With My Family’ | Interview (Ep. 130) · 0:47:51 · Stephen Merchant (0.95 sure it was them)
Mad Magazine's Saturday Night Fever parody: 1 line the host's read ×1
-
lineage (lineage):
Saturday Night Fever ⇒ Mad Magazine's Saturday Night Fever parody (the host's read).
Kimmel says he read the Mad parody before he saw the movie.
“I think maybe I probably read the parody of the movie before I saw the movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:50:52 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.80 sure it was them)
Connected to
Rocky: 3 lines programming ×1 industry ×1 theme ×1
-
industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Rocky.
Rocky modernized the sports movie in the 1976 slot just before this film's 1977.
“76 we have Rocky, which basically modernizes the sports movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:07:28 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
Annie Hall: 2 lines industry ×1 theme ×1
-
theme (theme):
Saturday Night Fever → Annie Hall.
The Brooklyn Bridge is used by Woody Allen as well, but Simmons says this film is apex Brooklyn Bridge.
“Woody Allen's making his movies right at the same time as this”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:11:56 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.60 sure it was them)
Grease: 2 lines career ×1 contrast ×1
-
contrast (contrast):
Saturday Night Fever → Grease.
Merchant says people think of Saturday Night Fever as a Grease-like musical, but it is a much tougher, grittier film.
“like a companion piece to Greece, but it's actually a much tougher, grittier film”
The Big Picture · Pro Wrestling Goes to the Movies, Plus Stephen Merchant on ‘Fighting With My Family’ | Interview (Ep. 130) · 0:47:32 · Stephen Merchant (0.95 sure it was them)
John Travolta: 2 lines career ×2
-
career (career):
John Travolta → Saturday Night Fever.
Travolta added surf, Batman and other late-50s/early-60s dances to the twist scene from his own memory; the dance scene would be stupid in any other movie.
“So that's why he introduced like the surf wave and the Batman dance and all this other stuff because he was like, I remember the late 50s, early 60s dances.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Pulp Fiction’ (Part 2) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:30:27 · unknown (0.00 sure it was them)
Mean Streets: 2 lines theme ×1 lineage ×1
-
lineage (lineage):
Saturday Night Fever → Mean Streets.
Ebert, read aloud, ties the film to Little Italy as Scorsese saw it in Mean Streets: characters with few aims and no way out.
“it reminds him of New York's Little Italy, as Martin Scorsese saw it”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:28:04 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
Staying Alive: 2 lines lineage ×1 contrast ×1
-
contrast (contrast):
Staying Alive → Saturday Night Fever.
Staying Alive is so different that it did not ruin the original the way most sequels would.
“it's just so different from Saturday Night Fever that it didn't ruin it in the same way most sequels would.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:18:06 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
Welcome Back, Kotter: 2 lines theme ×1 career ×1
-
career (career):
Saturday Night Fever → Welcome Back, Kotter.
Travolta went from the TV goof Barbarino to this part, a surprise that he was a real actor.
“Going from Barbarino to this part, I think was surprising in a good way”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:22:15 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
A Bronx Tale: 1 line theme ×1
-
theme (genre neighbor):
A Bronx Tale → Saturday Night Fever.
Speaker puts Saturday Night Fever in the same Italian-movie situation.
“Oddly enough, I put Saturday Night Fever in that Italian movie situation”
The Rewatchables · ‘A Bronx Tale’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan · 0:21:07 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
Airplane!: 1 line lineage ×1
-
lineage (lineage):
Airplane! → Saturday Night Fever.
Airplane! parodies this film's romance scene three years later with Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty.
“The airplane parody scene.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:50:19 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.50 sure it was them)
All the Right Moves: 1 line theme ×1
-
theme (theme):
Saturday Night Fever → All the Right Moves.
All the Right Moves runs the same formula: a kid trapped in a dead-end town might get out.
“It's basically the same formula, right?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:17:07 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
Bee Gees: 1 line career ×1
-
career (career):
Bee Gees → Saturday Night Fever.
The Bee Gees were dead in the water in 1975 and the film revived their career.
“This movie revives their career.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:07:07 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
Boz Scaggs: 1 line industry ×1
-
industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Boz Scaggs.
Columbia Records refused to clear Lowdown, so another song went into the rehearsal scene.
“Columbia Records would not grant legal clearance.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:00:04 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
Chinatown: 1 line verdict ×1
-
verdict (verdict):
Saturday Night Fever → Chinatown.
Simmons ranks the dance floor takeover among the five most iconic scenes of the 70s next to Chinatown and The Godfather.
“I actually think this is one of the 5 most iconic scenes of the 70s.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:40:36 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
Dance Fever: 1 line programming ×1
-
programming (programming):
Saturday Night Fever → Dance Fever.
Kimmel adds Dance Fever, the syndicated dance show, as a thing that aged well from the film's influence.
“I was going to throw in Denny Terrio's Dance Fever show”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:51:04 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.70 sure it was them)
Equus: 1 line industry ×1
-
industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Equus.
Best Actor field that year included Richard Burton in Equus, which Kimmel says is unfair for plays adapted to film.
“Richard Burton in Eckus.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:22:53 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
Fighting with My Family: 1 line craft ×1
-
craft (craft):
Fighting with My Family → Saturday Night Fever.
Merchant treats the wrestling matches like the dance numbers in Saturday Night Fever, each with different moves building to a big finale.
“the way that the wrestling sequences are almost little dance numbers.”
The Big Picture · Pro Wrestling Goes to the Movies, Plus Stephen Merchant on ‘Fighting With My Family’ | Interview (Ep. 130) · 0:47:51 · Stephen Merchant (0.95 sure it was them)
Fran Drescher: 1 line verdict ×1
-
verdict (verdict):
Fran Drescher → Saturday Night Fever.
Fran Drescher wins the Dion Waiters heat-check award for a short, big impact.
“I have to say Fran Drescher made.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:02:18 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
Gene Siskel: 1 line verdict ×1
-
verdict (verdict):
Gene Siskel → Saturday Night Fever.
Siskel loved it more than Ebert, saw it more than any other movie and bought the suit.
“This is his favorite movie of all time.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:28:40 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
Good Times: 1 line programming ×1
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programming (programming):
Saturday Night Fever → Good Times.
Kimmel's live ABC recreation specials led to the Good Times mention.
“Oh, since we're talking about good times.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:26:36 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.80 sure it was them)
Goodfellas: 1 line theme ×1
-
theme (theme):
Saturday Night Fever → Goodfellas.
Italian family dinners recur in mafia movies; Goodfellas has the visit to mother after the body scene.
“every mafia movie's got one.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:12:40 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
Jaws: 1 line industry ×1
-
industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Jaws.
Jaws, Rocky, Star Wars and this film mark the 70s run where pop culture and the business changed direction.
“75, we have Jaws, which creates the summer blockbuster.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:07:23 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
Mad Magazine's Saturday Night Fever parody: 1 line lineage ×1
-
lineage (lineage):
Saturday Night Fever → Mad Magazine's Saturday Night Fever parody.
Kimmel says he read the Mad parody before he saw the movie.
“I think maybe I probably read the parody of the movie before I saw the movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:50:52 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.80 sure it was them)
Manhattan: 1 line contrast ×1
-
contrast (contrast):
Saturday Night Fever → Manhattan.
Woody Allen's Manhattan is the polished version of New York against Brooklyn in this film.
“Annie Hall in Manhattan, the good version”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:47:58 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
Midnight Run: 1 line industry ×1
-
industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Midnight Run.
Network edits of R-rated films were painful; Midnight Run was the worst with 200 swears to remove.
“Midnight Run's the worst one because Bendet Run has like 200 swears in it”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:57:09 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
Nik Cohn: 1 line lineage ×1
-
lineage (lineage):
Saturday Night Fever → Nik Cohn.
The film comes from a 1976 New York magazine article, later admitted to be mostly fabricated.
“this article written by Nick Cohen”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:17:23 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
Olivia Newton-John: 1 line what-if ×1
-
what-if (what-if):
Olivia Newton-John → Saturday Night Fever.
Imagining an Olivia Newton-John-caliber partner for Tony in this film, since she was Travolta's equal in Grease.
“Imagine if he had someone of the caliber of an Olivia Newton-John in Saturday night.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:10:28 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.55 sure it was them)
Roger Ebert: 1 line verdict ×1
-
verdict (verdict):
Roger Ebert → Saturday Night Fever.
Ebert gave it 3.5 stars and called the dance sequences dazzling.
“Roger Ebert.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:27:55 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
Serpico: 1 line craft ×1
-
craft (craft):
Saturday Night Fever → Serpico.
Tony's bedroom has Serpico, Bruce Lee, Wonder Woman, Rocky and Farrah Fawcett posters.
“there's posters of Serpico, Bruce Lee, Wonder Woman, Linda Carter, Rocky and Farrah Fawcett.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:45:36 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope: 1 line industry ×1
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industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
Star Wars and this film arrive in 1977 and each creates a piece of pop culture.
“We have Star Wars and Saturday Night Fever, which for different reasons, kind of create at least a piece of pop culture.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:07:34 · Bill Simmons (0.75 sure it was them)
Stevie Wonder: 1 line craft ×1
-
craft (craft):
Saturday Night Fever → Stevie Wonder.
Scenes were shot to Stevie Wonder and Boz Scaggs, not the Bee Gees; the Bee Gees songs came after.
“It was Stevie Wonder and Boz Skaggs, which was what he was dancing.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:06:33 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
Taxi Driver: 1 line theme ×1
-
theme (theme):
Saturday Night Fever → Taxi Driver.
A list of distressed-New-York movies made in about six years, with this film among them.
“Mean streets, taxi driver, Death Wish, the Warriors”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:47:58 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
The Bodyguard: 1 line industry ×1
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industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → The Bodyguard.
The soundtrack was the biggest of all time until The Bodyguard, 16 years later.
“until the bodyguard with Whitney Houston popped it out like 16 years later.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:25:29 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
The Goodbye Girl: 1 line industry ×1
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industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → The Goodbye Girl.
Richard Dreyfuss won the Best Actor Oscar over Travolta for The Goodbye Girl; Simmons calls it a do-over.
“And then our winner, Richard Dreyfus and the Goodbye Girl.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:23:17 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
The Sopranos: 1 line contrast ×1
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contrast (contrast):
Saturday Night Fever → The Sopranos.
Simmons wonders whether the producers knew these men were bad guys, unlike David Chase on The Sopranos.
“I know for the Sopranos, for instance, you know that David Chase knows that these are bad guys”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:11:32 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
The Warriors: 1 line craft ×1
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craft (craft):
Saturday Night Fever → The Warriors.
The Barracudas fight should have been better compared with The Warriors and other great 70s fight scenes.
“if you're comparing it to movies like the Warriors and some of the great 70s fight scene movies.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:54:01 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
Thriller: 1 line industry ×1
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industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Thriller.
The soundtrack album was the top seller in history for six years until Thriller.
“was the top selling album in history for 6 years until thrillers showed up.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:25:24 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
Where it came up
- passing in Blank Check with Griffin & David · Look Who's Talking with Hillary Busis, first at 0:06:22, 2 times
- passing in Blank Check with Griffin & David · Starman with Katey Rich, first at 0:26:00, 1 time
- compared in The Rewatchables · ‘Domestic Disturbance’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey, first at 0:26:38, 2 times
- passing in The Rewatchables · ‘After Hours’ with Bill Simmons and Sean Fennessey, first at 1:30:54, 1 time
- compared in The Rewatchables · ‘Rocky’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan, first at 0:13:18, 4 times
- compared in The Rewatchables · ‘Pulp Fiction’ (Part 2) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey, first at 2:00:54, 2 times
- passing in The Rewatchables · ‘The Big Chill’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey, first at 0:23:55, 1 time
- compared in The Rewatchables · ‘A Bronx Tale’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan, first at 0:21:07, 1 time
- passing in The Rewatchables · ‘My Cousin Vinny’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Wesley Morris, first at 0:47:49, 1 time
- subject in The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel, first at 0:00:56, 109 times
- passing in The Rewatchables · ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan, first at 0:29:34, 1 time
- compared in The Rewatchables · ‘Reality Bites’ 25th Anniversary With Bill Simmons, Chuck Klosterman, and Chris Ryan, first at 0:08:35, 2 times
- passing in The Rewatchables · ‘Tombstone’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan, first at 0:19:36, 2 times
- passing in The Big Picture · ‘Nightmare Alley’ and Our Favorite Films Noir, With Patton Oswalt!, first at 0:37:45, 1 time
- compared in The Big Picture · Pro Wrestling Goes to the Movies, Plus Stephen Merchant on ‘Fighting With My Family’ | Interview (Ep. 130), first at 0:46:53, 3 times
- passing in Blank Check — Patreon · Eraserhead (Ad-Free), first at 1:47:23, 2 times
- passing in Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi, first at 2:12:32, 1 time
What was said about it, by kind
career (5)
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career (career):
John Travolta → Saturday Night Fever.
Travolta added surf, Batman and other late-50s/early-60s dances to the twist scene from his own memory; the dance scene would be stupid in any other movie.
“So that's why he introduced like the surf wave and the Batman dance and all this other stuff because he was like, I remember the late 50s, early 60s dances.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Pulp Fiction’ (Part 2) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:30:27 · unknown (0.00 sure it was them) -
career (career):
John Travolta → Saturday Night Fever.
Travolta's apex is Saturday Night Fever, since 70s stardom was bigger, like Stallone and Rocky.
“I think it's Saturday Night Fever.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Pulp Fiction’ (Part 2) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 2:00:54 · unknown (0.00 sure it was them) -
career (career):
Bee Gees → Saturday Night Fever.
The Bee Gees were dead in the water in 1975 and the film revived their career.
“This movie revives their career.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:07:07 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them) -
career (career):
Saturday Night Fever → Grease.
Grease follows this film and Travolta filmed the two back to back; Simmons argues Grease was his apex.
“He's in 2 of them back to back.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:09:59 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them) -
career (career):
Saturday Night Fever → Welcome Back, Kotter.
Travolta went from the TV goof Barbarino to this part, a surprise that he was a real actor.
“Going from Barbarino to this part, I think was surprising in a good way”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:22:15 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
contrast (4)
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contrast (contrast):
Saturday Night Fever → The Sopranos.
Simmons wonders whether the producers knew these men were bad guys, unlike David Chase on The Sopranos.
“I know for the Sopranos, for instance, you know that David Chase knows that these are bad guys”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:11:32 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them) -
contrast (contrast):
Saturday Night Fever → Manhattan.
Woody Allen's Manhattan is the polished version of New York against Brooklyn in this film.
“Annie Hall in Manhattan, the good version”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:47:58 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them) -
contrast (contrast):
Staying Alive → Saturday Night Fever.
Staying Alive is so different that it did not ruin the original the way most sequels would.
“it's just so different from Saturday Night Fever that it didn't ruin it in the same way most sequels would.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:18:06 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them) -
contrast (contrast):
Saturday Night Fever → Grease.
Merchant says people think of Saturday Night Fever as a Grease-like musical, but it is a much tougher, grittier film.
“like a companion piece to Greece, but it's actually a much tougher, grittier film”
The Big Picture · Pro Wrestling Goes to the Movies, Plus Stephen Merchant on ‘Fighting With My Family’ | Interview (Ep. 130) · 0:47:32 · Stephen Merchant (0.95 sure it was them)
craft (4)
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craft (craft):
Saturday Night Fever → Serpico.
Tony's bedroom has Serpico, Bruce Lee, Wonder Woman, Rocky and Farrah Fawcett posters.
“there's posters of Serpico, Bruce Lee, Wonder Woman, Linda Carter, Rocky and Farrah Fawcett.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:45:36 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them) -
craft (craft):
Saturday Night Fever → The Warriors.
The Barracudas fight should have been better compared with The Warriors and other great 70s fight scenes.
“if you're comparing it to movies like the Warriors and some of the great 70s fight scene movies.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:54:01 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them) -
craft (craft):
Saturday Night Fever → Stevie Wonder.
Scenes were shot to Stevie Wonder and Boz Scaggs, not the Bee Gees; the Bee Gees songs came after.
“It was Stevie Wonder and Boz Skaggs, which was what he was dancing.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:06:33 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them) -
craft (craft):
Fighting with My Family → Saturday Night Fever.
Merchant treats the wrestling matches like the dance numbers in Saturday Night Fever, each with different moves building to a big finale.
“the way that the wrestling sequences are almost little dance numbers.”
The Big Picture · Pro Wrestling Goes to the Movies, Plus Stephen Merchant on ‘Fighting With My Family’ | Interview (Ep. 130) · 0:47:51 · Stephen Merchant (0.95 sure it was them)
industry (10)
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industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Jaws.
Jaws, Rocky, Star Wars and this film mark the 70s run where pop culture and the business changed direction.
“75, we have Jaws, which creates the summer blockbuster.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:07:23 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them) -
industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Rocky.
Rocky modernized the sports movie in the 1976 slot just before this film's 1977.
“76 we have Rocky, which basically modernizes the sports movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:07:28 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them) -
industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
Star Wars and this film arrive in 1977 and each creates a piece of pop culture.
“We have Star Wars and Saturday Night Fever, which for different reasons, kind of create at least a piece of pop culture.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:07:34 · Bill Simmons (0.75 sure it was them) -
industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Annie Hall.
Annie Hall added to the loaded 1977 movie year.
“And Annie Hall, yeah, it was a loaded movie year.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:07:45 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them) -
industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Equus.
Best Actor field that year included Richard Burton in Equus, which Kimmel says is unfair for plays adapted to film.
“Richard Burton in Eckus.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:22:53 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them) -
industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → The Goodbye Girl.
Richard Dreyfuss won the Best Actor Oscar over Travolta for The Goodbye Girl; Simmons calls it a do-over.
“And then our winner, Richard Dreyfus and the Goodbye Girl.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:23:17 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them) -
industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Thriller.
The soundtrack album was the top seller in history for six years until Thriller.
“was the top selling album in history for 6 years until thrillers showed up.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:25:24 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them) -
industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → The Bodyguard.
The soundtrack was the biggest of all time until The Bodyguard, 16 years later.
“until the bodyguard with Whitney Houston popped it out like 16 years later.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:25:29 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them) -
industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Midnight Run.
Network edits of R-rated films were painful; Midnight Run was the worst with 200 swears to remove.
“Midnight Run's the worst one because Bendet Run has like 200 swears in it”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:57:09 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them) -
industry (industry):
Saturday Night Fever → Boz Scaggs.
Columbia Records refused to clear Lowdown, so another song went into the rehearsal scene.
“Columbia Records would not grant legal clearance.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:00:04 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them)
lineage (5)
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lineage (lineage):
Saturday Night Fever → Nik Cohn.
The film comes from a 1976 New York magazine article, later admitted to be mostly fabricated.
“this article written by Nick Cohen”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:17:23 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them) -
lineage (lineage):
Saturday Night Fever → Mean Streets.
Ebert, read aloud, ties the film to Little Italy as Scorsese saw it in Mean Streets: characters with few aims and no way out.
“it reminds him of New York's Little Italy, as Martin Scorsese saw it”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:28:04 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them) -
lineage (lineage):
Airplane! → Saturday Night Fever.
Airplane! parodies this film's romance scene three years later with Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty.
“The airplane parody scene.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:50:19 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.50 sure it was them) -
lineage (lineage):
Saturday Night Fever → Mad Magazine's Saturday Night Fever parody.
Kimmel says he read the Mad parody before he saw the movie.
“I think maybe I probably read the parody of the movie before I saw the movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:50:52 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.80 sure it was them) -
lineage (lineage):
Saturday Night Fever → Staying Alive.
The sequel; the hosts agree it is a bad one but Simmons is glad it exists and thinks it did not ruin the original.
“I'm glad it exists.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:17:52 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them)
programming (3)
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programming (programming):
Rocky → Saturday Night Fever.
Watching Rocky made Chris Ryan want to watch Saturday Night Fever as a double feature.
“This movie made me want to watch Saturday Night Fever for some reason.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Rocky’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan · 1:44:41 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them) -
programming (programming):
Saturday Night Fever → Dance Fever.
Kimmel adds Dance Fever, the syndicated dance show, as a thing that aged well from the film's influence.
“I was going to throw in Denny Terrio's Dance Fever show”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:51:04 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.70 sure it was them) -
programming (programming):
Saturday Night Fever → Good Times.
Kimmel's live ABC recreation specials led to the Good Times mention.
“Oh, since we're talking about good times.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:26:36 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.80 sure it was them)
theme (8)
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theme (genre neighbor):
A Bronx Tale → Saturday Night Fever.
Speaker puts Saturday Night Fever in the same Italian-movie situation.
“Oddly enough, I put Saturday Night Fever in that Italian movie situation”
The Rewatchables · ‘A Bronx Tale’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan · 0:21:07 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them) -
theme (theme):
Saturday Night Fever → Mean Streets.
70s and 80s films tried to capture a city or group; Scorsese did it in Mean Streets with people who are not great either.
“like, you know, mean streets, Scorsese does that.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:10:57 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them) -
theme (theme):
Saturday Night Fever → Taxi Driver.
A list of distressed-New-York movies made in about six years, with this film among them.
“Mean streets, taxi driver, Death Wish, the Warriors”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:47:58 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them) -
theme (theme):
Saturday Night Fever → Welcome Back, Kotter.
Old Brooklyn as a pop-culture location: Kimmel picks Welcome Back Kotter over this film and The Warriors.
“Well, I'm going to have to go with Welcome back Cotter”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:11:35 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.55 sure it was them) -
theme (theme):
Saturday Night Fever → Annie Hall.
The Brooklyn Bridge is used by Woody Allen as well, but Simmons says this film is apex Brooklyn Bridge.
“Woody Allen's making his movies right at the same time as this”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:11:56 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.60 sure it was them) -
theme (theme):
Saturday Night Fever → Goodfellas.
Italian family dinners recur in mafia movies; Goodfellas has the visit to mother after the body scene.
“every mafia movie's got one.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:12:40 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them) -
theme (theme):
Saturday Night Fever → Rocky.
Kimmel notes the film never gives Tony a Rocky-style triumphant moment.
“there's no like, you know, there's no rocky moment.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:13:44 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.55 sure it was them) -
theme (theme):
Saturday Night Fever → All the Right Moves.
All the Right Moves runs the same formula: a kid trapped in a dead-end town might get out.
“It's basically the same formula, right?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:17:07 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them)
verdict (4)
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verdict (verdict):
Roger Ebert → Saturday Night Fever.
Ebert gave it 3.5 stars and called the dance sequences dazzling.
“Roger Ebert.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:27:55 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them) -
verdict (verdict):
Gene Siskel → Saturday Night Fever.
Siskel loved it more than Ebert, saw it more than any other movie and bought the suit.
“This is his favorite movie of all time.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:28:40 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them) -
verdict (verdict):
Saturday Night Fever → Chinatown.
Simmons ranks the dance floor takeover among the five most iconic scenes of the 70s next to Chinatown and The Godfather.
“I actually think this is one of the 5 most iconic scenes of the 70s.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:40:36 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them) -
verdict (verdict):
Fran Drescher → Saturday Night Fever.
Fran Drescher wins the Dion Waiters heat-check award for a short, big impact.
“I have to say Fran Drescher made.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:02:18 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
what-if (1)
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what-if (what-if):
Olivia Newton-John → Saturday Night Fever.
Imagining an Olivia Newton-John-caliber partner for Tony in this film, since she was Travolta's equal in Grease.
“Imagine if he had someone of the caliber of an Olivia Newton-John in Saturday night.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:10:28 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.55 sure it was them)
Fun items about it
-
fun, about
Saturday Night Fever:
Re-released as a PG in 1979, heavily dubbed, with the dialogue changed from a vulgar word to 'pig'.
“And they re-released this movie as a PG movie in 1979.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:09:29 · Bill Simmons (0.80 sure it was them) -
fun, about
Saturday Night Fever:
The dance contest is rigged for Tony; he hands the trophy to the Puerto Rican couple, who were better.
“Tony Minero takes his check and hands it to the Puerto Rican couple and the trophy too.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:20:03 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them) -
fun, about
Saturday Night Fever:
Joke: the Puerto Rican couple got a second-place check as well, so Tony should have swapped checks.
“So they got a double dip.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:20:24 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.55 sure it was them) -
fun, about
Saturday Night Fever:
Gene Siskel bought the white suit at a 1979 charity auction for $2,000 and sold it in 1995 at Christie's for $145,000.
“Cisco bought the fucking suit.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:28:25 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them) -
fun, about
Saturday Night Fever:
Opening credits: Tony walks the street with a paint can and stacks two pizza slices; Kimmel says his wife has seen just the first minute.
“I bet you've seen the 1st minute of it and that's it.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:29:35 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.80 sure it was them) -
fun, about
Saturday Night Fever:
Kimmel and Clito named a body part Father Frank Jr. after the Father Frank scene.
“called our penis's Father Frank Jr.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:38:25 · Jimmy Kimmel (0.80 sure it was them) -
fun, about
Saturday Night Fever:
Tony's room posters include Serpico, Bruce Lee, Wonder Woman, Rocky and Farrah Fawcett.
“there's posters of Serpico, Bruce Lee, Wonder Woman, Linda Carter, Rocky and Farrah Fawcett.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:45:36 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them) -
fun, about
Saturday Night Fever:
The famous pose on the poster was a joke at the end of a long photo shoot, and it became one of the great posters.
“he kind of did that at the end as a joke”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 0:46:33 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them) -
fun, about
Saturday Night Fever:
Production was harassed by gangs and fire bombings, forcing fake call sheets; Kimmel says it still goes on.
“They had to like put out fake call sheets”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:03:39 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them) -
fun, about
Saturday Night Fever:
The first mainstream Hollywood movie to use the word blowjob, confirmed by the hosts.
“It'd never been said in a movie before.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:04:55 · Bill Simmons (0.70 sure it was them) -
fun, about
Saturday Night Fever:
Paramount execs wanted more Farrah Fawcett footage after the mirror scene; hence the nipple close-up of the poster.
“asked for more Farrah Fawcett footage, which is why we ended up with the close-up of the poster and then the nipple.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel · 1:07:26 · Bill Simmons (0.85 sure it was them) -
fun, about
Saturday Night Fever:
Merchant says the original cut is a brutal working-class story, not the pop touchstone people remember.
“is a very brutal, tough working class story of a guy who's sort of going nowhere and just living for the weekends”
The Big Picture · Pro Wrestling Goes to the Movies, Plus Stephen Merchant on ‘Fighting With My Family’ | Interview (Ep. 130) · 0:46:59 · Stephen Merchant (0.95 sure it was them)
Who the speakers said made it
As said on the shows, not checked against the real credits.
- Paramount+: studio (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Roger Ebert: critic (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Pauline Kael: critic (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Carrie Fisher: actor (reportedly auditioned for Stephanie) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Jeffrey Katzenberg: Paramount executive (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Gene Siskel: critic and owner of the white suit (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Amy Irving: actor (reportedly considered for Stephanie) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- John Travolta: star (Blank Check with Griffin & David, Look Who's Talking with Hillary Busis)
- John Travolta: actor (The Rewatchables, ‘Pulp Fiction’ (Part 2) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey)
- John Travolta: star (Blank Check — Patreon, Eraserhead (Ad-Free))
- John Travolta: actor (The Rewatchables, ‘Domestic Disturbance’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey)
- John Travolta: actor (Tony Manero) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Jessica Lange: actor (reportedly considered for Stephanie) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- John Badham: director (Blank Check with Griffin & David, Starman with Katey Rich)
- John Badham: director (Blank Check — Patreon, Eraserhead (Ad-Free))
- John Badham: director (Blank Check — Patreon, Return of the Jedi)
- John Badham: director (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Robert Costanzo: actor (paint store customer) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Michael Eisner: Paramount executive (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Cher: floated by Simmons as a recast Stephanie (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Bee Gees: music (The Big Picture, Pro Wrestling Goes to the Movies, Plus Stephen Merchant on ‘Fighting With My Family’ | Interview (Ep. 130))
- Bee Gees: songwriters/performers (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Fran Drescher: actor (The Rewatchables, ‘My Cousin Vinny’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Wesley Morris)
- Fran Drescher: actor (Connie) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- John Avildsen: director (fired a month before shooting) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Robert Stigwood: producer (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Karen Lynn Gorney: actor (Stephanie) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Donna Pescow: actor (Annette) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Barry Miller: actor (Bobby C.) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Paul Pape: actor (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Joseph Cali: actor (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Denny Dillon: actor (cameo) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Monty Rock III: actor (the 2001 Odyssey DJ) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Ellen Travolta: actor (paint store woman) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Anne Travolta: actor (pizza lady) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Barry Gibb: songwriter/performer (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Yvonne Elliman: performer (More Than a Woman, If I Can't Have You) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Tavares: performer (More Than a Woman) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Walter Murphy: composer/performer (A Fifth of Beethoven) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- David Shire: composer (Manhattan Skyline) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Casey and the Sunshine Band: performer (Boogie Shoes) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- The Trammps: performer (Disco Inferno) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Stevie Wonder: temp-track music during filming (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Boz Scaggs: song (Lowdown) intended but not cleared (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Nik Cohn: writer of the source magazine article (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Kathleen Quinlan: actor (reportedly considered for Stephanie) (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)
- Columbia Records: denied clearance for Lowdown (The Rewatchables, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ With Bill Simmons and Jimmy Kimmel)