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Travolta's second wind shows he's `Stayin' Alive'

As one of the '70s brightest stars, John Travolta later became the subject of "Whatever happened to ... ?" conversations in the '80s. However, thanks to a starring role in a blockbuster hit and a more selective approach to his career, Travolta has re-emerged on the Hollywood scene, bigger than ever.

Travolta first made his mark in the entertainment industry starring as Vinny Barbarino in the popular TV sit-com "Welcome Back Kotter." Few could resist the charms of the tall, blue-eyed actor, even though he seemed just a bit old to be playing a high school student.

His work on "Kotter" landed him the lead part in the classic disco hit "Saturday Night Fever." Grooving to tunes by the Bee Gees, the man who had all the right moves danced his way to stardom. Travolta followed up "Fever" with the main role in the successful movie-musical "Grease." With two straight hits, few could have predicted that Travolta would fade almost as fast as disco.

As people began to throw away all of their old disco records, Travolta's popularity began to diminish as well. It was as if no one wanted anything to do with the music, or the movie star most closely associated with it. However, his decline probably had more to do with his starring roles in horrible films such as "Moment by Moment" and "Urban Cowboy" than with the music itself.

The conclusion of the first part of his career probably came with the vastly inferior sequel to "Fever," entitled "Stayin' Alive." The film lacked any of the style or soul of its predecessor and was a complete flop at the box office. The end had come for the one-time star.

After disappearing for most of the '80s, Travolta found himself back on the silver screen in the 1989 movie "Look Who's Talking." Despite the enormous popularity of the film, Travolta's career did not receive a large boost -- or any boost at all. It was almost as if the movie had succeeded, despite the fact that Travolta was its star.

Shortly after, Travolta was reduced to playing similar roles in the two follow-ups to "Look who's Talking." At this point in his career, it appeared as if Travolta would never find his way back into the limelight. The perfect opportunity almost came when he was a finalist for the lead role in Robert Altman's "The Player." But studio executives, fearing disaster, pressured Altman into casting Tim Robbins for the part.

Travolta finally received the break he needed when new hot shot writer/director Quentin Tarantino selected him to star in "Pulp Fiction." In the film, he plays Vincent Vega, an over-the-hill, paunchy gangster. Travolta, more than 15 years after "Saturday Night Fever," could not have been more suited for the role. Coupled with Samuel L. Jackson, the duo received both public and critical acclaim (as evidenced by their Academy Award nominations), as "Fiction" went on to become the first independent movie to gross over $100 million.

Travolta followed up his Oscar-nominated performance with a lead role in the ensemble cast of "Get Shorty." He starred as the ultra-cool Chilly Palmer, a Mafia loan shark who goes to Hollywood to make movies. As he utters the phrase "Look at me" with a piercing stare, he converts Chilly into the most charismatic and likable character in the movie.

The largest risk Travolta has taken since his comeback was his lead performance in the controversial film "White Man's Burden." In a film that reverses racial roles as we know them today, Travolta plays an oppressed factory worker who takes his African American boss hostage. Although his performance is convincing, the movie is a complete mess. Yet, due to the popularity of "Pulp Fiction" and "Get Shorty," his part in this film has not amounted to career suicide.

Travolta's latest role in his "second career" is in John Woo's "Broken Arrow." Blessed with the ability to carefully select worthwhile opportunities, the actor could not have made a smarter decision. He plays another calm, cool, tough character. This time, he is an air force pilot who steals a nuclear missile. Travolta pulls off another fine performance, and the film is guaranteed to do reasonably well at the box office. The actor should be able to continue his ascent into Hollywood's elite.