December 16, 1977 –
Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Donna Pescow, Barry Miller, and Fran Drescher went into general release on this date.
Oh John, what a long strange trip it’s been since that polyester shirt.
When Tony’s dad hits him in the back of the head during dinner, his retort of “just watch the hair!” and complained about being hit on the hair after he had worked on it was John Travolta’s own reaction and not scripted, but since it was so in character for Tony Manero to say, it was left in.
The movie was originally called Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night, the title of the New York Magazine article that inspired it. The film’s title was ultimately shortened to Saturday Night, as a direct reference to the fact that Tony (John Travolta) and his friends inhabited 2001 Odyssey on Saturday nights. However, when The Bee Gees submitted the soundtrack, one of the songs, Night Fever, was thought to embody the film’s spirit better than the original. Director John Badham added the word “Saturday” and it replaced the original title.
The Haus of Dcaligari 