The film that made John Travolta a movie superstar, and got him an Oscar nomination to boot. The disco angle of the film has gotten a lot of play (maybe too much) over the quarter-century (wow!) since it was released. There is, however, so much more to this film-a young man wanting to break out of his roots and better himself, the shame a family feels whan it feels that one of their children has failed them, and the rawness and grittiness of their lives at that time. I lived in the area of Brooklyn that the film takes place for three-and-a-half years; the film really captures the feel of the neighborhood. The movie played theaters in "PG" and "R"-rated versions; the "R" rated version is still the best, with a rawness that still shocked me after not having seen it for a while. (The edited for TV version that ABC ran in the '80's ties up one loose end that the "R" version leaves hanging, though.)

This film was the all time favorite film of critic Gene Siskel, who went so far as to buy one of the two white suits used for the film. (At last report, I had heard that Jane Fonda owned the other one, but that may not be true any more, and I don't know what happened to Siskel's suit after his death. The white suit Travolta wore in this film's 1983 sequel, Staying Alive, looked like a completely different suit.)
Time for nits:
Tony Manero (the Travolta character) is seen walking down 86th Street in Brooklyn with a paint can in the opening sequence of the film. He encounters an attractive young lady, who he won't let pass by him for a few seconds. Once he is finished with the lady, he goes on his merry way. The nit here is that he winds up going back the way he came from.
Also, when Tony is shown walking down 86th St., the weather is sunny. When he winds up at his ultimate destination (the paint and hardware store he works at) it is raining, and looks like it's been so for a while.
Paramount really cheaped out with the DVD packaging for this film-the cover is not the sturdy plastic that the Trek films come in, but flimsy cardboard (this also holds true for the Grease packaging.)

Tony's brother Frank (Martin Shakar) has left the priesthood and come home. He then asks to borrow some of Tony's clothes, as he can't wear what he calls "the uniform." Didn't he have any plain clothes at all? Every priest I've ever known wears plain clothes quite frequently.
There is a woman in the first 2001 Odyssey Disco scene, who is a dead ringer for actress Finola Hughes. Ms. Hughes was Travolta's co-star in Staying Alive.

Director John Badham, in his commentary track on the DVD, stated that the disco floor (which was put in 2001 Odyssey for the film; it was not there previously) cost $15,000 to install. Recently, the club's owner put the floor up for auction on e-bay, with a suggested bid of $80,000. The club had changed names since 1977, and was finally closed for good.
Bobby C's car, a 1964 Chevy 4-door hardtop, had no inspection sticker in at least one scene (when Tony is taking Stephanie and her stuff to her Manhattan apartment.) That's a no-no, and definite ticket bait. (I got a ticket on my '71 Ford {a bomb, BTW} for an expired sticker in 1978.)
The bouncer with the glasses appears in two different crowds as Tony and his gang (they call themselves the "Faces," in case you're interested) make their first entrance into 2001 Odyssey.
The deleted scene I referred to above was when Tony's dad (Val Bisoglio) got a telegram informing him that he was going back to work. They should have left it in, as a lot of his father's anger was brought out necause he was out of work for six or seven months. Also, the scene would have added a grand total of 67 seconds to the running time.

Stephanie acts like a know it all, but in the scene where she's having tea with Tony in a Bay Ridge coffee shop, she calls the (now defunct department store) Bonwit Teller "Bonwit Taylor."
Stephanie works at some type of talent agency, and loves to name drop. She mentions the names of Cat Stevens and Eric Clapton to a befuddled Tony. For the longest time, I thought it was a bit incongrous that Tony did not know who Eric Clapton and Cat Stevens were (didn't you, if you were of age in 1977?) Then, I remembered that a Brooklyn woman in her 30's, who I knew in the late '70's, did not know who Fleetwood Mac was. This was around the time that their "Rumors" LP was burning up the charts. My brother, who was 17 at the time, did know who Fleetwood Mac, and particularly Stevie Nicks, were.

Every priest I've ever known wears plain clothes quite frequently.
Newsweek recently published a tribute issue to the late Pope John Paul II. In that issue were one or two photos of the Holy Father on a ski trip, wearing civilian clothes. So, if even the Pope wears civvies occasionally, why can't Father Frank Manero?

Here's an article from the Daily News regarding the women of the film.

I've sometimes missed bits of popular culture without even trying.

This is a great film, even 30 years later. If at all possible, try and see it.
Travolta's face is clear in the film's poster (the same shot is on the 2002 DVD release). But, when the big dance scene comes on (Spoiler Alert), his face has a few bruises and a bandage on it, from a gangfight they were in just prior to the dance contest.

Check out this article about the changing face of Bensonhurst. Lenny's Pizza, the eatery where Travolta got two slices ("Gimme two. That's good") gets a mention.

http://www.amny.com/business/am-brooklyn1114,0,5269287.story

This Sunday is the 30th anniversary of SNF's release. Here's an article from AM New York, with specific locations used. Including the addess of the house where the Manero's "lived". (I doubt any sets were used; the filming locations look so authentic, right down to the "railroad" construction of the Manero's house.)

http://www.amny.com/entertainment/movies/am-saturdaynight1214,0,2870241.story

Ed Harris of "The Agony Booth" has an overview of John Travolta's career that he calls "Staying Employed." It can be read here. He's 100% dead on about Fever, BTW.

Here's the New York Daily News review from 1977. The caption under the photo of Travolta has an error. "Staying Alive", and not "Night Fever" was playing on the soundtrack during the scene where Travolta's Tony is strutting.

From that: “Saturday Night Fever” has earned an R rating because of the producer’s insistence upon including some authentic, but rough, language, along with a gang-rape sequence.

So language is the main reason for the R, and gang rape is just an oh-by-the-way...?

Don't be silly - we all know that womens' bodily integrity didn't matter to the 1970s!

A 40th anniversary restoration, supervised by director John Badham, premiered at the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival, and will be released on Blu-Ray May 2. It includes the scene where Tony's dad receives the telegram informing him he's going back to work, as well as other edits that add about four minutes to the original's 117. The clarity of the film is first rate, much better than any theatrical or DVD release. And the sound mix...outstanding.

One of the white suits worn in the movie by John Travolta (there were two) was recently sold at auction for $260,000. The suit was displayed at the recent TCM Classic Film Festival. Also, I doubt that Travolta could fit into the suit now. More on that here.

Well, that movie came out 45 years ago now.