What do Grease Live! and the 1974 abduction of Patty Hearst have in common? Jonathan Tolins. The Grease scribe is working on a drama concerning Hearst (granddaughter of publishing magistrate William Randolph Hearst), who was kidnapped and brainwashed by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). The limited series will run on CBS and follow the 19-month FBI/police search and capture of Hearst, who consequently became an SLA sympathizer and changed her name to Tania. Grease doesn’t seem like a totally apt qualifier for penning a teleplay about one of the most notorious cases of abduction and brainwashing in American history — just imagine a sultry musical number featuring a cast of armed SLA members singing about hair gel and seven-headed cobras — but we are nonetheless intrigued.
