John Travolta graduated from star to superstar in Saturday Night Fever. Travolta plays Tony Manero, a Brooklyn paint store clerk whod give anything to break out of his dead-end existence. In life, Tony is a peasant; on the disco dance floor, hes a king. As the soundtrack plays one Bee Gees hit after another (including Stayin Alive), we watch white-suited Tony strut his stuff amidst flashing lights and sweaty, undulating bodies. Tonys class aspirations are mirrored in his relationship with his dance partner Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney), a secretary eager to move into the glamorous world of Manhattan. Saturday Night Fevers huge success was fed by the success of its soundtrack: in the first half of 1978, when the movies disco songs saturated the singles charts up to four at a time, it was no longer clear whether the hit movie was feeding the hit songs or the hit songs were feeding the hit movie. This crossover between music and movies set the pace for many movies to come, as it also marked the rise and then fall of 1970s disco culture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide