Dirty Dancing (1987)
Dirty Dancing was the link movie connecting The Outsiders and Duck Duck Goose.
Linked through Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.
Both Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey appeared in Dirty Dancing.
About Dirty Dancing
"First dance. First love. The time of your life."
Expecting the usual tedium that accompanies a summer in the Catskills with her family, 17-year-old Frances 'Baby' Houseman is surprised to find herself stepping into the shoes of a professional hoofer—and unexpectedly falling in love.
Directed by Emile Ardolino
Written by Eleanor Bergstein
Where to watch
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Top cast
Behind the camera
Box office
Awards
(I've Had) The Time of My Life, performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Soundtrack
Score by John Morris
The film's score was composed by John Morris, while producer Jimmy Ienner created the commercially successful soundtrack that spawned two multi-platinum albums and multiple singles, including the hit '(I've Had) The Time of My Life' performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.
Movie trivia
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1
Screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein based Dirty Dancing largely on her own childhood—she had been nicknamed Baby—and after MGM shelved her finished 1985 script it was eventually picked up by Vestron and greenlit with a $5 million budget.
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2
Emile Ardolino had never directed a feature film but became passionately attached after reading Bergstein's script while serving on jury duty and was chosen to direct Vestron's first feature.
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3
For Baby the filmmakers considered Winona Ryder, Sarah Jessica Parker and Sharon Stone before casting Jennifer Grey, who was paid $50,000; male contenders included Billy Zane, Val Kilmer and Benicio del Toro before Patrick Swayze was chosen despite his resume noting no dancing after a knee injury.
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4
Director Ardolino insisted on hiring performers who could actually dance rather than using stand-in dancers, and Kenny Ortega—trained by Gene Kelly—handled the film's choreography.
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5
Principal photography lasted 43 days in Lake Lure, North Carolina and Mountain Lake, Virginia; the production endured extreme heat (set temps reported as high as 120°F), crew faintings, Paula Trueman collapsing, Swayze injuring his knee, spray-painted green leaves, and a swimming scene filmed in near-40°F water Grey later called horrifically cold.
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6
Jimmy Ienner assembled a soundtrack that generated two multi-platinum albums and multiple singles; the film premiered at Cannes on May 12, 1987, drew strong praise for Grey and Swayze, and in 2024 was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry.
Themes
Videos
![Dirty Dancing (1987) Theatrical Trailer [4K] [FTD-1169]](https://img.youtube.com/vi/IJlyeKCn3PQ/hqdefault.jpg)
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