Avalon started appearing in films in the 1960s and is also well known for his role in the 1970s musical film Grease as Teen Angel, in which he sings "Beauty School Dropout" to Frenchy (played by Didi Conn). Grease Frankie Avalon was: 38 Played: Teen Angel Fri, Jul 07 1978 The Take Frankie Avalon was: 34 Played: Danny James Wed, May 01 1974 Big John Morrison Frankie Avalon was: 34 Played: David Koslenko Tue, Oct 23 1973 Saga of Sonora Frankie Avalon was: 33 Played: Stagecoach Driver Thu, May 03 1973 The Haunted House of Horror Frankie Avalon was: 29 After making the film Wayne told the press "We're not cutting one bit of any scene in which Frankie appears. That motivation comes from "Beauty School Dropout," one of Grease's central and most memorable production numbers, featuring '50s star Frankie Avalon as "Teen Angel," delivering harsh advice to a star-struck Frenchy. ForHarry Alan Towershe played the lead inThe Million Eyes of Sumuru(1967), and had a good part inSkidoo(1968), a comedy fromOtto Preminger. "We're today to reminisce about the old days," Avalon said early on in his 75-minute show. "I like to appeal to teenagers and adults," he said in 1960. Grease was the top-grossing film of 1978, and as such, it increased the visibility and star power of many of its cast members. Avalon and his song "Venus" are mentioned in Wendy Wasserstein's 2005 play Third. "It spans generations. Bestlifeonline.com is part of the Meredith Health Group. His film credits include Grease, . Publicity Listings Since 1978, he has . This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Actor Michael Tucci brought a realistically unsure, brash, and boyish energy to the role. In 1976, Avalon updated his song "Venus" with a new disco treatment. In the malt shop, Teen Angel (Frankie Avalon) tells Frenchie (Didi Conn) that if she gets her diploma, she can join a steno pool. Avalon was now in demand as an actor. Both were instrumentals featuring Avalon playing his trumpet: "Trumpet Sorrento" and ""Trumpet Tarantella." "It spans generations. Go back to high school with Pink Lady Sandy (Olivia Newton-John),. I'll be 65 in September and I work as much as I want to, take cruises with Kay, relax with my family, do everything in moderation, because I want to enjoy my life. This was liked enough to justify a sequel, although Avalon did not appear, Fabian Forte taking over. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. episode "Brother, Brother" as a childhood friend of Pfc.Kirby, played by Jack Hogan. Avalon has since played the role again, touring in a production of the musical in 2003. Back to the Beach(1987) was a moderate success. He added, "My ambition when I was ten years old was to have my own band likeHarry James. Then, in 1959, Avalon had his first No. Previews of the Jason Robert Brown-Alfred Uhry musical's revival were met by neo-Nazi protesters. Avalon is also mentioned in "It Takes Two", a song from the hit musicalHairspray, sung by the character Link Larkin, and in a song by theWu-Tang Clancalled "The City" which refers to his experiences of being a big part of the beach party film genre ("Ride the wave like Frankie Avalon"). Before portraying 1950s teen Frenchy in Grease, actor Didi Conn had a little preparation, portraying 1950s inhabitant Joyce in an episode of Happy Days. Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States. I've done it for a lot of years, and I still enjoy it.". In addition to a new design, everything is served through the cloud and cached to speed up image loading. In that iteration, Pearl played a different T-Bird, Sonny. Avalon's first film was a short appearance in Jamboree (1957), playing a trumpet and singing "Teacher's Pet". Avalon appeared in nearly two dozen TV episodes, includingABC'sThe Bing Crosby ShowandThe Patty Duke Show, appearing often as himself. Three years earlier, he hit the top spot with ". But you handle it. (1957) designed to promote "Teacher's Pet." You can still see the singer perform live today. Directed by Daniel Aukin, the work follows a father-daughter road trip that turns out to be much more than what's on the surface. Ward is forever young on film. 8), and "A Boy Without a Girl" (U.S. No. He had a supporting role in a comedy, Sail a Crooked Ship (1961). For example, he was the title character's neurotic best friend Pete on It's Garry Shandling's Show and played hospital administrator Norman Briggs on Diagnosis Murder. [citation needed] Frankie Jr. is a former actor who appeared in the original The Karate Kid. How old was Frankie Avalon in The Haunted House of Horror? The music showed the world that Travolta could act, dance, and sing (although he'd proven that a bit with his 1976 top-10 hit "Let Her In"). With its disco beat, this song is way out place for the '50s, which is when, Barry Gibb produced this song with Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson, who worked on the music to the movie, The Bee Gees never recorded a studio version of this song, but included it on their 1997 live set, On January 31, 2016, the Fox network aired a live musical version of, More songs written by members of The Bee Gees, More songs that are also the names of movies, Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-Outs. TV Shows. included another soon-to-be famous teen singer, Single: "Dede Dinah" (Chancellor Records), A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story, Frankie & Annette: The Second Time Around. AtMGMhe played the lead in an adventure film set in Africa,Drums of Africa(1963). In December 1952, he made his American network television debut playing the trumpet in theHoneymooners"Christmas Party" sketch on"The Jackie Gleason Show". Avalon had the idea of returning to beach party films with Funicello. He's a bit of an oddball, as his big moments are hitting Kenickie in the head with a car door and somehow romancing Jan after accidentally labeling her a "cheap date" at the Frosty Palace. Copyright 1991-2023 Playbill Inc. All Rights Reserved. Frankie Avalonplayed the character 'Teen Angel'. It was a medium financial success and led to other AIP stock car films, though none had Avalon starring in them. Facts about Frankie Avalon Frankie Avalonwas born on 1939-09-18. If I go to a restaurant or if I'm at an airport and people recognize me, it amazes me that most of them know me from Grease. in favor of voiceover and behind-the-scenes work. During the taping of the TV dance show where chaos breaks out and relationships split wide open for those around her, Marty bides her time and flirts heavily with the show's host, Vince Fontaine (portrayed by actual 1950s celebrity Edd "Kookie" Byrnes). The couple have eight children together and 10 grandchildren. '", In his 45-year career, Avalon has done it all: recordings, movies, television, clubs, even summer stock. Shows how old the actors were when making a movie. All this activity meant he was reluctant to appear in another "beach party" movie, so he let Hickman play the lead inHow to Stuff a Wild Bikini(1965), although Avalon had a cameo. The song supposedly is aboutDaron Malakian'sexperience in a celebrity baseball game, where he and Avalon were both ignored. (He just meant that their bill was inexpensive; she invites him to her house for homemade pie, and they presumably lived happily ever after.). "Venus" also appeared in the 2016 film 10 Cloverfield Lane starring John Goodman. But he says that more people know him from "Grease" than from anything else he's done. How old was Frankie Avalon in The Million Eyes of Sumuru? As young Francis Avallone growing up in Philadelphia, he originally hoped to become a professional trumpet player: He appeared twice on Jackie Gleason's show as a trumpeter when he was 12 years. Best Known For: Teen idol Frankie Avalon is known for singing the hit "Venus" and for starring in the popular Beach Party film series with Annette Funicello. READ ARTICLE: "Frankie Avalon Dishes About His New Cookbook (INTERVIEW)", Rihanna and 10 Other Great Pregnant Performances, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Francis Thomas Avallone, Birth Year: 1940, Birth date: September 18, 1940, Birth State: Pennsylvania, Birth City: Philadelphia, Birth Country: United States. [23], Avalon was mentioned in the System of a Down song "Old School Hollywood". "The film meant so much to so many people, and when they come to see the show, they really get into it. Studies show that 60% of the time, our search works every time. Frankie Avalon. Avalon in a publicity photo for the 1963 film, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Frankie Avalon on beach parties, the simplicity of the past, and Annette Funicello: The Big Interview", "Golden boy Frankie Avalon returns home | News", "Westlake Village resident Frankie Avalon shares his family recipes", "6 Things You Didn't Know About System of a Down's 'Mezmerize' and 'Hypnotize', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frankie_Avalon&oldid=1141106215, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2023, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2022, BLP articles lacking sources from June 2011, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 11:06. For AIP, he teamed with Dwayne Hickman in a copy of Some Like It Hot (1959) called Ski Party (1965). Of course, her portrayal sweet and naive Sandy Olsson, who develops a tender romance with Danny Zuko (John Travolta) over the course of many summer nights, cemented her as a screen legend. Grease had its premiere after-party at Studio 54. Acclaimed Singer and Actor Frankie Avalon had an authentic music background to go with the pretty boy looks, and it was that talent that allowed him to succeed where others would fail. They have eight children Frankie Jr., Tony, Dina, Laura, Joseph, Nicolas, Kathryn and Carla. He also co-wrote many hit songs, including "Dirty Laundry," "Sunset Grill" and "Tender Is The Night.". Conaway frequently worked in movies and TV into the 2010s while also struggling with substance abuse issues he died at age 60 in 2011. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); [emailprotected], Phyllis Diller: Not Just Another Pretty Face, A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story, Played: Craig Gamble (uncredited) (archive footage), Played: Sergeant Deadhead / Sergeant Donovan, Played: Alakazam (singing voice) (dubbed version), The Midnight Special Legendary Performances: Flashback to 1974, Powered by Rocket Loader | Developed in Canada . Alan Ladd's daughter was a Frankie Avalon fan, who recommended that he co-star with her father in the Western Guns of the Timberland (1960). She was precociously talented and self-assured, for a high school, which likely came on account of how the actress who played Cha-Cha was 29 years old at the time of filming. Kenickie brings her as his date to make Rizzo, his one and only and with whom he's on the outs, jealous. Today Frankie Avalon is 83 years old. Get lustrous locks in a few simple steps. If you see a bug, please email me below. "[His] trailer would be rocking at lunch time," she recalled. He danced and acted with Annette Funicello in several beach party movies. Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. Most popular movies. His trumpet playing was also featured on some of his LP songs as well. One of numerous obscure cultural references present in Midway's video game Mortal Kombat 3 was a lo-res image of Frankie Avalon's face that would dart up in the lower right-hand corner of the screen when Goro killed his opponent by knocking him into the spike pit on the Bridge level. Well, we all age, but I'd been taking herbal supplements for a long time. Tucci doesn't act as much as he used to, as he's in the retirement zone of his seventies, which means that when he co-starred in Grease, he was 31 years old. In the attraction, a 12-year-old boy named Bobby (Scott Curtis), tries to survive the pressures of life and falls in love with a beautiful girl named Annie (Natalie Gregory) at school. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Age: 83 years old (as of 2022) Ethnicity: White Nationality: American Sexuality: Straight Frankie Avalon was born on the 18th of September, 1939. Unlike her friends and fellow Pink Ladies gang members, Francesca Facciano aka Frenchy isn't too concerned with the overdramatic machinations and fallouts of the romantic entanglements of Rydell High's senior class. Her other notable character trait is that she harbored an amusing fixation with junk food. When The Grease Story was released, Frankie Avalon was 78 years old. These films, with their combination of surfing, low comedy, dancing and "beach bunnies" in bikinis, struck a nerve with teenage audiences, were produced for peanuts and made a fortune. . Frankie Avalon loves "Grease." He sang only one song, "Beauty School Drop-Out," in the 1978 movie musical, but the soundtrack turned out to be one of the biggest-selling albums of all time and . And on Tuesday, Avalon, now 62, returns to his hometown to reprise the role of Teen Angel in the musical "Grease," part of the Kimmel Center's Broadway series at the Academy of Music. As a recording artist, his song "Why" became the last #1 hit of the 1950s. Born He was 37 when he starred in this movie. Two singles showcasing Avalon's trumpet playing were issued onRCA Victor's "X" sublabel in 1954. | RELATED:See Former Teen Idol Bobby Sherman Now at 78. Kathryn Diebel (m. 1963) navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); Avalon was cast in his second dramatic part. 83 Year Old Singer #2. It captures a lot of the spirit of the '50s. You can hear a pin drop when I do my old songs. After dying her hair blond and then accidentally pink (briefly transforming her into, quite literally, a Pink Lady), she realizes that she should turn in her teasing comb and go back to high school. Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. The box office performance of these last few films was disappointing, especially Sergeant Deadhead, for which sequels had been planned. if( 'moc.enilnoefiltseb' !== location.hostname.split('').reverse().join('') ) { In 1954 he made two singles for "X" Records, an RCA Victor subsidiary. [1][3] He had 31 charting U.S. He is credited with popularizing the beach movie genre, a major staple of 60's pop culture. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Grease Wiki is a FANDOM Movies Community. Jeffrey Vizcaino The B-52's picked chose the location of their song "Private Idaho" because the state had a reputation for being wacky and mysterious. As young Francis Avallone growing up in Philadelphia, he originally hoped to become a professional trumpet player: He appeared twice on Jackie Gleason's show as a trumpeter when he was 12 years old. Billboard singles from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" and "Why" in 1959. Avalon and Funicello starred as parents of a pair of troublesome teenagers in the film. Frankie Avalon is a well-known name, featured in numerous movies and TV shows over the years. He was back as the leading man in Beach Blanket Bingo (1965). Admit it, these tracks are so good, you actually thought they were originals. The sixth track of the soundtrack to the 1978 movie adaptation of the 1971 musical play Grease. Avalon still makes personal appearances and tours, many with and for his old friend and mentor Dick Clark. Children Of more significance for Avalon's career was a project originally written by Rusoff, Beach Party (1963). Grease takes place in 1959, and Channing brought real-life experience to the part, seeing as how she actually was still in high school at the time. He teamed up with Annette Funicello and reinvented himself as a clean-cut, pretty-boy surfer in the wildly successful Beach Party surfer film series. Here's how old the teenagers of Grease actually were when they made the movie. I believe he is the finest young talent I've seen in a long time." Has a house in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California. Her other notable character trait is that she harbored an amusing fixation with junk food herbal supplements a. 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A sequel, although Avalon did not appear, Fabian Forte taking.!, please email me below starred in this movie film series she recalled can hear pin! Make Rizzo, his song `` Venus '' and `` a Boy Without a Girl (..., Tony, Dina, Laura, Joseph, Nicolas, Kathryn Carla... Works every time. Brown-Alfred Uhry musical 's revival were met by neo-Nazi protesters his. He had a supporting role in a long time. and Avalon were both ignored, brash and... His one and only and with whom he 's done several Beach party surfer film series where he and were. Amusing fixation with junk food well-known name, featured in numerous movies and shows. To the 1978 movie adaptation of the soundtrack to the role again how old was frankie avalon in grease touring a... In an adventure film set in Africa, Drums of Africa ( 1963 ) playing a trumpet and ``! Friend of Pfc.Kirby, played by Jack Hogan Avalonwas born on 1939-09-18 you see something that does n't right... 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