And he did. Between grocery deliveries and furniture repairs, John hustled
his talent and landed a part in a production of Who Will Save the Plowboy?
Soon came a paying role in a summer stock Bye Bye Birdie, then everything
from Gypsy to The Boy Friend. Twixt-time, John slaved away at TV commercials
(including Pepsi, Honda and Mutual of Omaha) and did TV guest shots
(Emergency, The Rookies, Medical Center) to pay for acting-singing-dancing
lessons and his expensive fascination -- airplanes. He toured with the
Broadway production of Grease for nearly a year.
In 1975, John was working on his first film in Durango, Mexico and met an
actress who gave him the book Dianetics and introduced him to the religious
philosophy Scientology. Scientology appealed to John because of its
workability. Once he returned to L.A., he participated in Scientology courses
and spiritual counseling sessions. His career immediately took off and he landed the
role of Vinnie Barbarino on the hit TV show Welcome Back, Kotter. During his
Kotter days, Travolta busted Fonzie's fan letter barrier, 2,000 per week
ahead of Winkler's estimated 4,000. Then came his first made-for-TV movie,
The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. John did just as well with a singing career.
"Let Her In" topped the nation's singles charts.
 |
 |
|
Head greaser: Travolta's Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back, Kotter, received more fan mail than Happy Days' the Fonz.
|
