14 Odd Facts About What Happened On The Set Of 'Dirty Dancing'

This movie about the secret underworld of ‘Dirty Dancing’ was released in 1987 and it had everyone talking! It is a love story about two worlds that collide in a sexy tango of dance and drama. No wonder we were mesmerized once we saw Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze light it up with their performances! However, after all of this time, let’s take a look behind the scenes and talk about some of the things we may not know about our favorite film. Take a look: 1. In the scene where Johnny Castle (played by Patrick Swayze) and Frances “Baby” Houseman (Jennifer Grey) are alone practicing their dance moves for the weekly dance at a nearby resort, Johnny runs his fingers down Baby’s arm and she bursts out laughing. This is a genuine reaction from Grey… as is the frustration on Swayze’s face. headcramp Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze have incredible chemistry in the film—and you only need to watch roughly five minutes of the movie to see evidence of that. However, the difficulties and interpersonal struggles they had during the movie are a perfect example of how sometimes chemistry can make for major sparks on screen that do not always translate into friendly chemistry when those cameras stop rolling. Swayze was older than Grey and a more experienced dancer. The two knew it would be tough to work together from the start, but they both believed in the project too much to give up. 2. It was extremely cold on set during the filming of the lake scene, which would end up becoming one of the most popular scenes in the movie. Still, the actors had to tough it out in order to get through the scene—and their lips turned blue because of it. headcramp Wow! You would never know that either Patrick Swayze or Jennifer Grey were freezing cold in those scenes. Talk about some serious acting chops! The fact that this duo was able to make spending time in a frigid lake look like a nice way to cool off on a boiling hot summer day says so much about their impressive abilities as performers. People will often think that actors have it easy, but more likely than not they’re on set working long and grueling schedules. To top it off, they are often put in positions that are really uncomfortable—and sometimes even dangerous. Hypothermia? No thanks! Click NEXT for more 3. There is one scene where Johnny and Baby crawl to each other. The actors were actually just joking around during the filming of this, but the director thought it added a nice touch and decided to keep it in. headcramp It is amazing how many spontaneous and impromptu moments that have been captured during the filming of movies have turned into such hallmark scenes of the films in question—and memorable movie trivia in their own right. If you asked someone to tell you a few famous scenes from the movie Dirty Dancing, undoubtedly one of the first they’ll have on their list is the montage in which Johnny and Baby (Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey) playfully crawl toward each other on the floor while they try to prepare for their big dance performance. It’s pretty crazy, all things considered, to think that this was all just an improvisation during filming! 4. Jennifer Grey initially refused to work on this film because Patrick Swayze was going to be a part of it. Apparently, she didn’t enjoy working with him previously on Red Dawn. Swayze was able to convince her, though. headcramp In addition to Swayze presenting Grey with a convincing argument, it was hard for Grey to look at the script in front of her and not recognize what a smash hit it would be. The movie captures a feeling of youth turning into a adulthood that speaks to almost every single person who watches the movie. Plus, the romance between Swayze and Grey’s characters (Johnny and Baby) is one of the truly great cinematic romances. There’s a reason this movie was such a hit, and why so many drop everything they’re doing to watch it when it comes on TV. Click NEXT for more 5. Jennifer Grey had to prove to the casting directors that she could play a younger woman. Her role of Baby was actually a whole 10 years younger than the actress’s real age. She had five minutes to prove it in her audition, and she did. headcramp Oh man, did you have any idea that Grey was so much older than her character? It is crazy just how much a person can change the way they look by changing the clothes they wear, how they speak, and their body language. Jennifer Grey’s portrayal of Baby as a relatively naïve teenager is absolutely believable. It used to be the norm for much older actors to play teenagers—just look at the cast of Grease if you’re in doubt. Nowadays, Hollywood is more likely to cast younger actors to fill roles of any age. Sometimes that works for the film, but diehard Dirty Dancing fans will argue it’s a good thing it didn’t happen here! 6. After the success of the first film, studios wanted to cash in on a sequel. Swayze was offered $6 million to return to the screen as Johnny, but he really wasn’t a fan of doing sequels and he ended up declining the offer. headcramp Sometimes, as much as certain movies are major hits beloved by everyone who sees them, there is no reason to try and repeat the success of the first film. The studios don’t often agree and are tempted to cash in on the success of their big hits. Swayze was probably convinced that it would be impossible to capture lightning in a bottle with a second film. Of course, it was for the best, because most fans agreed with him! When a sequel to the film was made years later—dubbed Dirty Dancing Havana Nights—it was completely unrelated to the original classic. In fact, the only thing it seemed to share with the original were the words “Dirty Dancing” in the title. Click NEXT for more 7. There is one scene where Johnny and Baby are dancing in the woods. Since the film was shot in October, the leaves on the surrounding trees were actually changing color by this point. The crew had to spray paint the leaves green to give the impression that the plot was taking place in the summer season of upstate New York. headcramp It’s completely surprising to rewatch the movie after you learn details like this about how the crew had to spray paint the leaves to convince the audience that it was summertime when Johnny and Baby practiced outside on the log. You would’ve never guessed that it was Fall at all! It is not uncommon in Hollywood to pay meticulous attention to details like these in the hopes of creating something that isn’t exactly as it appears to be. It used to be a common technique in Hollywood to shoot nighttime scenes in the daytime; this way, directors and producers could save lots of money on the expensive costs of night shoots. Spray-painting trees takes it to a new level! 8. In the original film, the dance that Johnny and Baby perform during the love scene wasn’t supposed to be in the final cut—it was only meant to be what Swayze and Grey performed for the film’s screen test. However, the director liked it so much that he kept it. headcramp In fact, it was the steamy dance the duo improvised together during their respective screen tests that initially sold the movie’s producers to cast Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze to play the lead roles of Johnny and Baby in the first place! It only makes sense that, once they cast the two actors, that they would try to work in the scene that they had all found so compelling. Where else would you find chemistry like that? It is a good thing they did, too; the famous love scene between Baby and Johnny comes at a climactic point in the film. If they had just embraced instead of dancing, it would be a very, very different movie. Click NEXT for more 9. The script for Dirty Dancing was penned by a woman named Eleanor Bergstein in 1987. During an interview, Eleanor claimed that the lead characters of the movie, Johnny and Baby, were actually influenced by her own life and her summers spent in the Catskills. headcramp Eleanor has never gone into detail about how much of her own life made it into the script itself, but she has discussed how her family would often spend summers at different resorts in the Catskills, just like Baby and her family. Whether there was a “real life” Johnny is a subject of much mystery—and Eleanor has stayed mum. Frankly, it is probably better to leave that to the imagination, don’t you think? 10. Many fans might not have noticed this, but throughout the film, Baby usually wears very light colors and Johnny is mostly dressed in dark colors. This is to help the audience subconsciously note the contrast in their personality types. headcramp Although the fact that the two characters wear different colors from each other throughout the film was a conscious choice, it is never directly addressed in the film. It doesn’t have to be! It is clear from the beginning of the movie that while the two are drawn to each other, Baby and Johnny’s very different backgrounds and views of the world make them as different from each other as two people could possibly be. Baby is virginal, while Johnny is dark and mysterious. Click NEXT for more 11. One of the main songs from the movie’s soundtrack was titled “She’s Like the Wind.” It was actually co-written by Patrick Swayze and also performed by him as well, giving him both acting and singing credits in the film! headcramp Patrick Swayze was born in the wrong time! While all of his film roles are iconic—and they definitely show off a little bit of what this Renaissance man could do—there’s no doubt that he would have been even more successful in a different era. Can you just imagine if he’d been working onscreen during the age of other dancing and performing greats, like Fred Astaire? 12. Jennifer Grey’s father, Joel Grey (below, right), starred in a very short-lived musical called Goodtime Charley. The lead character played the son of Charlemagne, and one of the backup dancers on set was none other than Patrick Swayze! headcramp Jennifer’s father, Joel Grey, was an insanely talented song-and-dance man in his own right! He’s now in his mid-80s, but during the height of his career, he was considered a staple in most Broadway shows. He practically created the role of the Master of Ceremonies in the iconic Broadway show Cabaret. He’s a true legend. Click NEXT for more 13. The assistant choreographer for Dirty Dancing, Miranda Garrison, was actually given a role due to a scheduling conflict. The director was, at one point, left without an actress to play bungalow bunny Vivian Pressman. They hired Garrison soon after. headcramp Fans of the movie definitely remember Garrison’s turn as the wealthy older woman who seduces Johnny with promises of cash and other, ahem… rewards. Luckily, everyone knows that Vivian doesn’t stand a chance when it comes to getting in between the lovebirds Baby and Johnny. Still, it was a tense storyline for everyone! 14. Conan O’Brien had a big part to play in the film’s 1997 re-release. He had actually written a petition that asked for fans to write personal letters requesting the re-release. The petition ended up working! headcramp It’s almost unbelievable how movies can connect every single person who watches them, no matter how different the viewers might be in every single way. The passionate response from countless fans of comedian and late-night host Conan O’Brien when he pleaded for Dirty Dancing‘s re-release in 1997 is definitely proof of that! Thank goodness Conan intervened and saved the day. Credits: headcramp Share this story on facebook with your friends. Related: Cabbage Patch Kids: The Facts About Them Are Too Strange to Make Up 12 Things You Didn’t Know About Burt Ward, As Told By Burt Ward Himself

14 Odd Facts About What Happened On The Set Of ‘Dirty Dancing’

by Zack Walkter
Published July 15, 2017