It's hard to believe that Patrick Swayze aka the Swayze is no longer with us. Swayze passed away in 2009 at the age of 57. Swayze ruled the movie screens in the late 80s and early 90s. Swayze could dance (DIRTY DANCING). Swayze could brawl (ROAD HOUSE). Swayze could surf (POINT BREAK). Swayze could make an entire theater of women swoon (GHOST). Swayze brought an earnest intensity to every role he played, like he might never get another role after his current one. It may sound like I'm making fun of him but I enjoyed Swayze as an actor even if I wasn't crazy about every movie he made.
DIRTY DANCING is directed by a man you may never heard of named Emile Ardolino. Sadly, Ardolino died in 1993 at the age of 50 from complications due to AIDS. Ardolino had made a couple of documentaries about dancing in the 70s which may have helped his chances to direct DIRTY DANCING. Besides DIRTY DANCING, Ardolino also made the hit comedy film SISTER ACT (1992) starring Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, and Harvey Keitel. DIRTY DANCING screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein based her script on her own Jewish family's summer vacations to the Catskills and her experiences and memories. Her nickname was Baby and her father was a doctor like Jennifer Grey's character in DIRTY DANCING..
Set in the summer of 1963 in the Catskills of upstate New York (with Virginia and North Carolina standing in for that location), DIRTY DANCING opens with Dr. Jake Houseman (Jerry Orbach), his wife Marjorie Houseman (Kelly Bishop) and their two teenage daughters Lisa Houseman (Jane Brucker) and younger sibling Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) driving up to Kellerman's Mountain House for a week long vacation. Run by family friend Max Kellerman (Jack Weston), Kellerman's is the quintessential Catskills resort complete with swimming, golf, volleyball, dance lessons, and the week ending talent show. It's a safe, comfortable, boring place to have a vacation.
Director Ardolino introduces us to all the camp characters right away. There's rich college kid Robbie Gould (Max Cantor) waitering and picking up women for the summer. There's Neil Kellerman (Lonny Price), Max's nephew who's studying hotel management and busting chops as heir apparent to Max's resort. There's activities director (and future SEINFELD co-star) Stan played by Wayne Knight. And finally there's heartthrob dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) and his beautiful dance partner Penny Johnson (Cynthia Rhodes). Baby first lays eyes on Johnny when she stumbles into the employees only section of the resort where the summer camp workers bump and grind aka "dirty dance" at an after hours house party.
The drama begins when Penny learns she's pregnant. Unable to dance at an offsite resort gig due to morning sickness, Baby volunteers to step in and be Johnny's dance partner. It's a crazy idea thinks Johnny...but it just might work. Johnny's nephew Billy Kostecki (Neal Jones) arranges for Penny to visit a less than reputable doctor to take care of her "problem". Johnny and Baby pull of the dance routine. Baby starts to fall for bad boy Johnny. They return to Kellerman's to find Billy frantic. Penny has a terrible fever. The operation did not go well. Baby asks her Dad to help Penny. Dr. Houseman saves Penny but he's disappointed in Baby and disgusted by Johnny who he thinks got Penny pregnant.
Baby and her father have a fight. Baby runs back into Johnny's arms and bed. Johnny's from a working class background; Baby's from a liberal middle class Jewish family. With their different backgrounds, Johnny knows their relationship will never work out. His life begins to spiral down. Johnny beats up Robbie after he catches him putting down Penny. When Johnny turns down card playing guest Moe Pressman's (Garry Goodrow) wife Vivian (Miranda Garrison) for one last night of gigolo passion, Vivian makes up a story that Johnny stole some money from her. Max fires Johnny. Baby reveals she was with Johnny the night Vivian's money was stolen but Johnny doesn't get his job back. The final summer talent show prepares to go on. It's just another show until Johnny returns to perform the final dance with Baby, bringing the guests out of their seats.
The title DIRTY DANCING conjures up images of an illicit strip tease but dirty dancing, like the recent emergence of rock and roll, is a sign of a changing landscape in the early 60's. As Max Kellerman bemoans, "You think kids want to come with their parents and take fox trot lessons? It feels like it's all just slipping away." The old norms are slipping away replaced by bumping and grinding with your dance partner. Dirty Dancing is not the Charleston or the Cha Cha. Dirty Dancing is sweaty and sexual. It's breaking down the old traditions. It's the changing of the old guard.
All though you would think the hero of DIRTY DANCING is Swayze's Johnny Castle, the real hero is Jennifer Grey's Baby Houseman. She steps in to help Johnny perform a gig when Penny's sick. She's the first one to recognize Penny needs a real doctor after Penny's abortion and rushes to find her father Dr. Houseman. When Johnny's accused of stealing and fired, Penny steps up as his alibi and admits she was in Johnny's room when the crime was supposedly committed. Baby is in that in-between transition from teenager to woman. She's in infatuated with Johnny but Johnny knows who the real hero is, telling Baby he admires her for what she's done and who she is. As Johnny says, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." Baby is a strong female role model for the 80's.
Swayze gives a brave performance as bad boy from the other side of the tracks Johnny Castle. Johnny's secure about his dancing chops. But Johnny is insecure about his background. He's barely making ends meet. "I'm nothing," he tells Baby at one point. He's emasculated over and over by Max and Neil who can fire him at any moment. He has to play gigolo and sleep with older women like Mrs. Pressman to keep his job. But like all cinematic heroes, Johnny follows his dream. I can only imagine that Johnny will end up like John Travolta's Tony Manero in SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (1977) and end up dancing on Broadway after the film ends.
Both Swayze and Grey were newcomers when DIRTY DANCING became a huge hit. Swayze had appeared in Francis Coppola's THE OUTSIDERS (1983) and John Milius's RED DAWN (1984) as well as the Civil War mini-series NORTH AND SOUTH (1985). But it would be DIRTY DANCING that would propel Swayze into stardom. Grey, the daughter of actor Joel Grey (CABARET) had already appeared with Swayze in John Milius's RED DAWN and as Ferris Bueller's put upon sister in John Hughes FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF (1986). Like most hit romantic films, Swayze and Grey's chemistry ignites DIRTY DANCING. Ironically, while making DIRTY DANCING, the Swayze and Grey didn't always get along.
Director Ardolino throws in a few familiar actors to counteract the new, fresh faces of Swayze and Grey. Jack Weston who plays Catskills resort owner Max Kellerman will be familiar to film fans from Norman Jewison's THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR (1968) and as a thug terrorizing a blind Audrey Hepburn in Terence Young's WAIT UNTIL DARK (1969). Jerry Orbach who plays Baby's father Dr. Jake Houseman was a journeyman actor until DIRTY DANCING. The film's success would take him eventually to a leading role in television's LAW & ORDER in which he appeared in 274 episodes between 1991 until his death in 2004. A special shout out goes to Jane Brucker who played Baby's older sister Lisa. Brucker is hilarious as the sibling who's oblivious to her little sister or anything else that doesn't revolve around her. Brucker's awkward practice performance singing "Hula Hana" (which Brucker co-wrote) for the talent show is cringeworthy and priceless.
Most period films stick with music from that era but DIRTY DANCING uniquely bounces between 60's songs and more modern songs during several montages and the final dance sequence. We hear the Ronette's "Be My Baby" and "Stay" by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs that take us back to the early 60s. But the filmmakers throw in more modern songs including Eric Carmen's "Hungry Eyes", Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", and even the Swayze providing his voice for "She's Like the Wind" with Wendy Fraser. This smorgasbord of songs works in DIRTY DANCING when it could have been distracting.
I have a soft spot for modern films that wax nostalgic about the past. They have become their own type of genre. Some of the good ones include John Landis's ANIMAL HOUSE (1978), Barry Levinson's DINER (1982), and Garry Marshall's THE FLAMINGO KID (1984). Those three films tend to have a more male slant to their stories which makes DIRTY DANCING unique. It's told from the point of view of Baby Houseman, a young educated woman about to go off to college who discovers during her summer vacation that life isn't fair and fights for what she believes is right even if it means butting heads with the man she loves and respects the most -- her father.
DIRTY DANCING is an example of a little film with no real star power that has a good nostalgic story that captures the imagination of an audience. Following the classic blueprint, the young lovers are from different socio-economic backgrounds yet fall in love despite their differences. DIRTY DANCING revitalized the musical aspect of a movie in a way not seen since FOOTLOOSE (1984). It had a catchy soundtrack that mixed classic 60s tunes with modern ones. But it had dancing in it as well. The finale where Baby finally does "the Lift" with the Swayze has been immortalized more recently in CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE (2011) with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone performing "the Lift" to a 2019 Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial where Colonel Sanders catches and lifts the Mrs. Butterworth syrup bottle woman (for KFC's new chicken and waffles) as Bill Medley sings "I've Had the Time of My Life." You know you're an enduring film when commercials are paying homage to you.
So many thanks to my dear wife for introducing me to DIRTY DANCING. Not only was it my first encounter with the Swayze but watching the film revealed I could enjoy films that didn't have explosions and gun fights and laser battles. Somewhere in my jaded, snobby film soul, there was a softy waiting to reveal himself. Nowadays, I get teary eyed just watching a commercial or a feel good story on the evening news. Thanks DIRTY DANCING for bringing my gentler side out into the open.
No comments:
Post a Comment