THE FANS' LOVE STORY: How The Movie 'DIRTY DANCING' Captured The Hearts Of Millions!

by Tabashnik, Sue

  Regarding the timeframe—1963, Cheryl wrote, “It reminded me of things from my past. It took me back to a time and place where things were simpler.” Mallory commented that the movie resonated so much with her because: “It was the timeframe. It was 1963 … I also come from a Jewish family and Mountain Lake looked just like the Catskills … I’ve lived that … I worked in the Catskills … in college.” Crystal said, “I remember the era. I was too young to be part of it, so Dirty Dancing let me live vicariously. It is an age before our world view became more cynical.” Barbara P. commented that it was a less stressful time.

  The next category—inspiration to dance: “After all, Dirty Dancing is exactly why I started to dance in the first place. It’s my passion and long term commitment,” said Elly. Barbara S. stated, “I rediscovered my love for dancing … The dancing of Patrick and others inspired me to find my own way of dancing.” Kari noted that the movie inspired her to take more dance lessons, to be freer in movement and more confident in her dancing, and “to enjoy the beauty of dancing in all forms.”

  I saved the overall feel-good effect of the movie for last, as it most certainly incorporates all of the above themes. Here are comments made by the interviewees:

  Elly: “It has been an exhilarating experience.”

  Helena: “It’s a lighthouse of hope … keeps me warm in the heart.”

  Clare: “I feel the film is inspiring, a feel-good film … leaves you with a smile on your face and a warm heart … ”

  Barbara P., Roy, and Doreen: “It made me feel good.”

  Kelly: “It’s a positive movie … This is an uplifting movie.”

  Kari: “There is so much out there to enjoy and experience if we allow ourselves the opportunity to be free. Everyone should be able to ‘dance’ and be ‘like the wind.’”

  Crystal: “Dirty Dancing and Patrick Swayze bring happiness. They are a happy jinx.”

  I will close with statements by Simone (age 35) from Germany, and Becky, that I am sure are true for many of the interviewees—Simone: “Dirty Dancing is a part of me,” and Becky: “Patrick and Dirty Dancing and North and South are just part of who I am.”

  Elly Ali. Melbourne, Australia.

  “It’s exactly why I started dancing in the first place … I especially love how Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey can work together in such a natural, sexy, and trusting way … Made me realize that I can get out there and do what I love and not let anyone stop me … ”

  Helena Damigou. Athens, Greece.

  “You see this love as it grows and you become part of it … it’s really a lighthouse of hope that is shimmering in our hearts and that is keeping our faith in love strong and everlasting.”

  Clare Gregan. Preston, England.

  “ … standing in front of me (at the stage door) was Patrick Swayze … looking right back at me, Clare Gregan, the girl with a dream from nineteen years ago … so you see, dreams really do come true … inspiring, feel-good film … great love story …”

  Becky Williams. Macomb, Michigan.

  “They (Baby & Johnny) could live in the moment … Both North and South and Dirty Dancing have been escapes for me … they’ve been havens … Patrick and Dirty Dancing and North and South are just part of who I am.”

  Kelly Miner. Southfield, Michigan.

  “Jennifer Grey definitely stole the show for me … the character (Baby) being quirky and naïve … and then confident towards the end … it shows love on many levels … happy … uplifting.”

  Barbara Schiebl. Landsburg, Germany.

  “The courage of Baby inspired me to find my own courage. The dancing of Patrick and the others inspired me to find my own way of dancing … It’s a real feel-good movie for me.”

  Crystal L. Berger. Birch Bay, Washington.

  “I will always be grateful to Patrick Swayze and Dirty Dancing for helping me through this cancer … Dirty Dancing is just a gem. It has been a lovely friend for many years. Some charmed time, a little bit of sweetness.”

  Callie & David Van Kleeck. Glendale, Arizona.

  “We BOTH love good storytelling and happy endings … Both Patrick and Jennifer made their characters believable. Their characters’ innocence and idealistic outlook on life was genuine in them both … It has served as the centerpiece of MANY of our ‘Date Nights’ throughout our twenty-five years of marriage.”

  Doreen Height. Derby, England.

  “It is a film that makes you feel good.” She states she lost weight in case she met Patrick—then she had a heart attack, and if she hadn’t lost the weight, she might have died. “So I will always be a fan of Patrick.”

  Roberta Teska. Lake Worth, Florida.

  “What blew my mind was Patrick’s dancing … absolutely loved him (dancing) with Cynthia Rhodes (Penny) … Because of my interest in Patrick, I found Swayze Mania and the fan club. And I have wonderful friends now.”

  I visited Patrick’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—7018 Hollywood Boulevard. Patrick received his star on his 45th birthday on August 18, 1997.

  At the Complexions Gala in Detroit in 2004, I was lucky to have my picture taken with Sarita Allen, Artist-In-Residence, at Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Patrick (Board Member) hosted the gala for this acclaimed dance company. In addition to giving amazing, innovative, powerful performances, Complexions does outreach work with youth.

  Seven

  DIRTY DANCING FOLKLORE & TIDBITS

  GENERAL INFORMATION

  Eleanor Bergstein used some of her own life experiences in the story line of Dirty Dancing.

  Dirty dancing really happened and was sometimes called liberated dancing or dirty dwaging.

  The movie was initially called: Dancing.

  Vestron Pictures agreed to make the movie after virtually all of the other studios had turned it down.

  Emile Ardolino was pursued to be the director of Dirty Dancing because of an earlier dance documentary that he directed: He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin’ (1983), which won an academy award for Best Documentary.

  The movie began filming September 5, 1986 at Mountain Lake Hotel in Virginia and wrapped on October 27, 1986 at Lake Lure Inn in North Carolina.

  The release dates were August 17, 1987—New York City premiere; August 19, 1987—LA premiere; and August 21, 1987—USA. Following the New York premiere, there was a ’60s themed party at Roseland dance hall in which all the stars attended.

  The Dirty Dancing TV show on CBS in fall 1988, starring Patrick Cassidy as Johnny and Melora Hardin as Baby, lasted only three months.

  In 1988, “Dirty Dancing: Live in Concert,” the musical tour, featuring Bill Medley and Eric Carmen, went to 90 cities in 90 days. (*I attended this fabulous show and to this day still have my souvenir button: “Things Go Better With Dirty Dancing.”)

  It was the first movie to sell 100 million video copies.

  SOME DIRTY DANCING STARS CAME FROM SHOW BUSINESS PARENTS

  Jennifer Grey Mother, Jo Wilder—actress

  Father, Joel Grey—Broadway performer

  (Grandfather, Mickey Katz—comedian—who did some performances in the Catskills)

  Patrick Swayze Mother, Patsy Swayze—choreographer

  Jerry Orbach Father, Leon Orbach—vaudeville

  Mother, Emily Orbach—radio singer, Broadway performer

  SOME DIRTY DANCING STARS HAD AN EARLY START IN SHOW BUSINESS

  *All five of the mentioned actors below had extensive training/experience prior to Dirty Dancing. This list is just some information about their very beginnings. It is not meant to be a list of all of their training/experience.

  Patrick Swayze began dancing as a young child (as soon as he could walk) at his mother’s dance studio and was in many recitals and school musicals. His first professional appearance was as a dancer in Disney on Parade, and then he appeared on Broadway in Goodtime Charley in 1975, and then in 1978 in Grease as the lead. Patrick Swayze had danced with the Houston Jazz Ballet, Harkness Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and Eliot Feld Ball
et.

  Jennifer Grey took dancing lessons as a child but allegedly was not allowed to perform during her childhood. She made her professional dancing and stage debut at age twenty.

  Cynthia Rhodes danced and sang as a child and worked at Opryland as a singer and dancer at age seventeen while in high school.

  Jerry Orbach was in many school plays and began acting in summer stock at age sixteen.

  Kelly Bishop had her first dance job at age eighteen at Radio City Music Hall.

  Jack Weston began acting at age ten.

  SOME DIRTY DANCING CAST MEMBERS/CHOREOGRAPHERS WORKED TOGETHER BEFORE DIRTY DANCING

  In 1969, Jerry Orbach starred on Broadway in Promises, Promises for which he won a Tony Award as Actor in a musical. Kelly Bishop was in the chorus.

  In 1975, Joel Grey (Jennifer Grey’s father) starred on Broadway in Goodtime Charley and Patrick Swayze played a dancer and servant in the same show.

  Kenny Ortega was the choreographer for the movie, Xanadu (1980) which starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly. Gene Kelly became a mentor to Kenny Ortega. Cynthia Rhodes appeared as an ensemble dancer in Xanadu, which was her first movie role. Miranda Garrison appeared as a dancer.

  Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze were featured together in the movie, Red Dawn in 1984.

  Jennifer Grey was featured in the movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) and Kenny Ortega was choreographer and a second-unit director.

  SOME DIRTY DANCING CAST MEMBERS/CHOREOGRAPHERS/COMPOSERS WORKED TOGETHER AFTER DIRTY DANCING

  Patrick Swayze starred in To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), and Kenny Ortega was the choreographer.

  Patrick Swayze made a cameo appearance as a dance instructor, and Miranda Garrison was an assistant choreographer and dancer in the prequel movie, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004).

  Kelly Bishop starred in the television show, Gilmore Girls, and Kenny Ortega directed some episodes.

  Kenny Ortega and Miranda Garrison are cast members in the documentary, MOVE (2010).

  Stacy Widelitz and Patrick Swayze co-wrote the song “Cliff’s Edge” for Road House (1989) and Patrick Swayze performed it. Stacy Widelitz worked on the theatrical production of Without A Word in 1984 with Patrick Swayze. Stacy Widelitz composed music for One Last Dance (2003), which was the movie adaptation of Without A Word.

  DIRTY DANCING CAST MEMBERS AND THEIR SHOW BUSINESS SPOUSES

  Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi—writer, director, dancer, producer, actor—met at Patsy Swayze’s (mother) dance studio in 1971 and were married 1975–2009. In the movie, Grandview U. S. A. (1984), they both were choreographers and Patrick had a lead role. They starred together in the movie, Steel Dawn(1987). They collaborated together for the movie, One Last Dance (2003). Lisa was writer, producer, lead actor, and Patrick was producer, lead actor, financier. (Also, Without A Word, the 1984 stage production created and starred in by Patrick, Lisa, and Nicholas Gunn from which One Last Dance was based, won six LA Drama Critic Awards.) Patrick starred in the TV series The Beast (2009) and Lisa directed one of the episodes. Patrick and Lisa danced together at the World Music Awards in 1994 (which Patrick was hosting).

  Kelly Bishop and Lee Leonard—TV talk show host and anchor—married in 1981.

  Cynthia Rhodes and Richard Marx—singer, musician, writer, producer, arranger first met in connection with the movie, Staying Alive (1983) and married in 1989.

  Jennifer Grey and Clark Greg—actor, screenwriter—married in 2001.

  MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

  Eleanor Bergstein was named for Eleanor Roosevelt.

  Eleanor Bergstein was called Baby up until age twenty-one or so, as she was the younger daughter in the family. She won dance contests as a teen and was an Arthur Murray dance instructor. Her father was a physician. She spent some vacation time with her family in the Catskills.

  Eleanor Bergstein made a cameo appearance in Dirty Dancing in the scene on the gazebo, dancing with Johnny right before he leaves to get Penny out of the kitchen.

  Shortly after Dirty Dancing was released, 25,000 posters of Patrick Swayze sold out instantly.

  Following the release of Dirty Dancing, there was an influx of people signing up for dance lessons.

  Patrick Swayze was named the sexiest man alive in 1991 by People magazine. He also wrote the introduction for the special People edition: 20 Years of Sexiest Man Alive.

  Patrick Swayze received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—7018 Hollywood Boulevard—on August 18, 1997, which was his 45th birthday.

  In 1975, Jerry Orbach played Billy Flynn in the original Broadway production of Chicago, and in 2003, Patrick Swayze played the same role on Broadway.

  Jerry Orbach was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2000.

  Charles “Honi” Coles, who played Tito in Dirty Dancing, was placed in the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2003.

  Kelly Bishop won a Tony Award in 1976 for her performance in A Chorus Line.

  Patrick Swayze performed in thirty-seven movies (including four TV movies) and also was nominated for a Golden Globe three times—including for Dirty Dancing. He was awarded Best International Actor for Jump! on May 16, 2009 and the Rolex Dance Award in November 2009.

  Jennifer Grey was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Dirty Dancing.

  “She’s Like The Wind” was originally written for the movie, Grandview U. S. A. (1984) by Stacy Widelitz and Patrick Swayze.

  Kenny Ortega has won many awards, including two ALMA (American Latino Media Arts Award), three Primetime Emmys, and three American Choreography Awards.

  *Note: Dirty Dancing Folklore & Tidbits is not meant to be by any means a complete list of all of the experience, accomplishments, and talents of the amazing Dirty Dancing Writer/Cast Members/Producers/Choreographers/Composers, etc.

  Eight

  SUE’S DIRTY DANCING QUESTIONNAIRE

  I would like to interview people who have been positively influenced by the movie. I hope to publish the results and analysis of the survey and interviews, along with other information about Dirty Dancing to honor the movie and the fans’ perspective on the movie.

  Sue Tabashnik © Copyright 2007

  QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS

  The questionnaire was placed online on November 25, 2007, and questionnaires were accepted through August 30, 2008. The total number of questionnaires received was 186. The following pages will display questionnaire results that include data by age and country; answers to questions 1, 4, 6, and 7; and comments from the fans on questions 4, 5, 6, and 7.

  Credits:

  Compilation of data:

  Sue Tabashnik

  Initial formatting of data:

  Margaret Howden

  Final formatting of data:

  Jan Griffith

  QUESTION 4: CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITE SCENES IN DIRTY DANCING—OTHER:

  Please tell me your other favorite scenes.

  *Number written before the comment indicates how many people made the comment.

  36: When Baby goes to Johnny’s room after Penny’s abortion and Baby’s father snubbed Johnny. Baby and Johnny dance in Johnny’s room and Baby says, “I’m scared of everything … most of all I’m scared of walking out of this room and never feeling for the rest of my life the way I feel when I am with you.”

  5: Johnny and Baby singing “Hey Baby” in the studio—the Sylvia and Mickey scene.

  3: Johnny and Baby dancing the Mambo at The Sheldrake. Its awkwardness is endearing and very well-filmed—realistic, entertaining, and funny.

  3: After Johnny and Baby danced in the hotel and return by car, when Johnny looks in the mirror while Baby is changing her clothes. I love the smile on his face.

  3: When Baby and Johnny are in Penny’s room. Baby leaves, then Johnny follows seconds later. Baby is standing on the deck, and they say some wonderful things. Johnny walks away. Then Baby yells, “Johnny,” and he turns around and makes this wonderful smile.

  3: Baby’s conver
sations with her father—when asking for the money for the abortion and when they reconcile over it.

  2: Johnny and Penny doing the first dance—the mambo.

  2: When Johnny has to leave and says goodbye to Baby and the song, “She’s Like The Wind” is playing while he is driving away.

  2: Outside of the movie, more particularly the extras. I really enjoyed seeing and experiencing the learning curve of Johnny and Baby for the various sequences. I am a dancer myself and loved this a lot.

  2: When Johnny, Penny, Baby, and Billy meet to find a solution.

  2: When Johnny fights with Robbie.

  2: All scenes.

  2: When Baby’s father told Johnny he was sorry.

  2: When Baby sees Johnny for the first time.

  1: When Billy takes Baby to the hall where the Dirty Dancers are and soon Johnny & Penny go bouncing in and do their dancing.

  1: I luv this movie, so much. I watch it constantly. I grew up with this movie. It is one of my favorites.

  1: When Baby finds money and gives it to Penny.

  1: Almost the whole movie is wonderful.

  1: It’s hard to pick just one scene, but just looking at Patrick gets this sixty-six year old married granny’s heart pumping.

  1: It brings back the memory of your first time you fell for a boy … brings back memories of a sock hop … It was a big deal to get asked to dance.

  1: When her sister does the hula thing.

  1: When she tells him her real name.

  1: After the Schumakers get caught stealing and Johnny comes to find Baby in the staff quarters. He tells her that he’s done, and she gets upset because what she did was not good enough to save him. Johnny basically tells Baby not to lose faith in life and that he has learned to have faith through her.

  1: When Johnny takes responsibility for Penny’s situation.

  QUESTION 5: CHOOSE UP TO 5 THINGS YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT DIRTY DANCING—OTHER:

  Please tell me the other things that you liked best.

  *2 similar comments: Everything. This movie is excellent, how Jen portrays a teen, how she falls for the hot Patrick. The dancing, acting, music, the entire movie. Also, the love scenes.