United Kingdom, June 1 -- John Travolta's star power was so overwhelming it led to the shutting down of filming on Saturday Night Fever.

The Grease star, 72, had become a television sensation through his role as Vinnie Barbarino in the hit sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter when filming began on Saturday Night Fever in Brooklyn in 1977 - and the film's director John Badham has now revealed thousands of fans mobbed its locations while he was battling to make the classic movie.

Speaking on The Hollywood Reporter's It Happened in Hollywood podcast, John, 86, said: "On our first day of shooting, (John's fans) almost completely shut us down. In fact, they did shut us down by lunchtime."

Recalling the chaos of filming on the streets of Brooklyn, Jo...