179 Fun Facts About Dirty Dancing

What is Baby Houseman's real first name?

Baby's real name is Frances; she tells Johnny she was named after Frances Perkins, the first woman in a US president's cabinet.

In what year is Dirty Dancing set?

The summer of 1963: The New York Times called the film a metaphor for America that summer, orderly and prosperous, a Yiddish-inflected Camelot.

What is the name of the resort where the Housemans spend the summer?

Kellerman's is the upscale Catskills resort in the Borscht Belt where the Housemans stay; it is owned by Max Kellerman, an old friend of Dr. Houseman.

What is Baby's father's profession?

He is Jake Houseman; Baby borrows money from him without saying it is for Penny's abortion.

What is the name of Baby's older sibling?

Lisa, Baby's older sister, is played by Jane Brucker; she sets her cap at the waiter Robbie and performs a number at the end-of-season show.

Who introduces Baby to the dance instructor at the staff's secret party?

Billy Kostecki, played by Neal Jones, is the kindhearted cousin who carries the watermelons.

Who is the father of Penny's baby?

Robbie Gould, a waiter and medical student who chases the guests' daughters, is the father; by the time Penny needs help he has moved on to Lisa.

Which Ivy League medical school does Robbie attend?

Robbie is a Yale medical student; at the season's end Dr. Houseman snatches back the recommendation letter he wrote for him once Robbie admits he got Penny pregnant.

Why does Baby borrow $250 from her father?

Baby asks her father for $250 on the golf course to pay for Penny's abortion, refusing to tell him what the money is for.

Why does Baby end up dancing with Johnny in place of Penny?

Missing the show at the nearby resort would have cost Johnny and Penny the season's salary.

Who falsely accuses Johnny of stealing her husband's wallet?

Vivian Pressman, the guest whose advances Johnny rejected, names him as the thief out of spite after her husband Moe's wallet goes missing.

Who turn out to be the real wallet thieves at the resort?

The writer wanted her friend Dr. Ruth Westheimer to play Mrs. Schumacher, but she backed out on learning the role was a thief.

Why is Johnny fired even after being cleared of theft?

Baby clears Johnny by admitting she spent the night with him, but Kellerman's forbids staff from mixing with guests, so Max fires him anyway.

Which song plays as everyone joins the final dance?

'(I've Had) The Time of My Life' plays over the finale, when Johnny pulls Baby onto the stage, the staff and guests join in, and the pair finally land the lift.

Which Johnny Castle line made AFI's list of the 100 greatest movie quotes?

'Nobody puts Baby in a corner' is number 98 on AFI's 2005 list of movie quotes; Johnny says it to Baby's parents before leading her to the stage for the last dance.

Who wrote Dirty Dancing?

Eleanor Bergstein wrote the screenplay, drawing on her own Catskills summers, and co-produced the film; she later wrote the book for the stage musical.

Who directed Dirty Dancing?

Emile Ardolino, an Oscar-winning documentary maker who had never directed a feature, fell for the script and got the job; he went on to make Chances Are and Sister Act.

Which company finally made the film after MGM put it into turnaround?

Vestron Pictures, until then a home-video distributor, made Dirty Dancing as its first in-house feature after MGM dropped it; president Jon Peisinger greenlit it.

What was the film's approved budget?

The average film at the time cost $12 million; producer Linda Gottlieb had agreed to halve her proposed budget.

Roughly how much did Dirty Dancing earn worldwide?

Dirty Dancing grossed about $214 million worldwide on its small budget: roughly $64 million in the US and Canada and about $150 million in other territories.

At which festival did Dirty Dancing premiere in May 1987?

Dirty Dancing premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1987, then opened in US cinemas on August 21 that year.

Which 1980 Michael Douglas film's cut dance scene prompted the screenwriter to write Dirty Dancing?

The screenwriter had written It's My Turn (1980), starring Jill Clayburgh and Michael Douglas; when its producers cut an erotic dancing scene, she built a whole story around the idea.

Johnny's character was based on the stories of which real Catskills dance instructor?

Michael Terrace, a former Catskills dance instructor, told the screenwriter his stories when she went back to research the resorts in 1985.

Where was Dirty Dancing filmed?

The film was shot in North Carolina and Virginia, because no Catskills resort of the right period look survived; two separate properties were cut together to form one resort.

Which part of the film was shot at the Mountain Lake Hotel?

The Mountain Lake Hotel's stone lodge played Kellerman's main building: its dining room appears on screen and its lake hosted the water-lift practice, with the Houseman cabin nearby.

What was Chimney Rock, the Lake Lure location, before the film?

Chimney Rock was a Boy Scout camp whose hall and cabins became Kellerman's staff quarters; the site was later redeveloped as the Firefly Cove community, leaving only the stone steps.

How long did principal photography last?

Principal photography took 43 days, running from September 5 to October 27, 1986.

What did the set decorators have to do when the shoot ran into autumn?

Shooting ran into autumn, so the crew spray-painted the turning leaves green to keep the look of summer; by then the lake for the lift practice was bitterly cold.

What injury did Swayze suffer doing his own stunts on the balancing log?

Swayze insisted on doing his own stunts and fell from the log, leaving a knee so swollen that fluid had to be drained from it.

Why did the arm-tickling scene end up in the film with Grey giggling?

Grey was exhausted and ticklish, Swayze got annoyed, and the choreographer called it one of the most delicate moments in the film.

How many times was the climactic lift rehearsed before it was shot?

Grey has said it was only ever done on the day the scene was filmed.

Why were the film's dailies held up at the Canadian border?

Bergstein considered renaming it I Was a Teenage Mambo Queen.

What alternative title did the screenwriter consider because of the border trouble?

She floated I Was a Teenage Mambo Queen after customs officials took Dirty Dancing for a porn title, but the original name stayed.

What did producer Aaron Russo reportedly say after seeing the rough cut?

After a screening of the rough cut, Aaron Russo reportedly said 'Burn the negative, and collect the insurance'; studio executives expected the film to flop.

Which acne brand dropped a promotion because the film kept its abortion plot?

Clearasil had planned a tie-in promotion but withdrew when the screenwriter refused to cut the abortion subplot, which drives the plot and could not simply be removed.

Which three actresses were considered for Baby before Jennifer Grey?

Winona Ryder, Sarah Jessica Parker and Sharon Stone were all considered before Jennifer Grey, then 26, won the role of the 17-year-old Baby.

How much was Jennifer Grey paid for the film?

The role came to define her career, and earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

Which 20-year-old was the first choice for Johnny before his screen test disappointed?

Billy Zane was cast first, but his screen test with Grey showed no spark; the producers then turned to Swayze, who was 34.

Johnny's heritage was changed to what after Swayze was cast?

Swayze had trained with the Joffrey Ballet but his resume said "No dancing" because of his knee.

On which earlier film had Grey and Swayze worked together and clashed?

Grey and Swayze had clashed while making Red Dawn (1984), yet their Dirty Dancing screen test together showed unmistakable chemistry.

How did the producers fix the stars' on-set feuding?

The stars were facing off before every scene until they saw the footage with the breathtaking chemistry again.

Who plays Dr. Jake Houseman?

Jerry Orbach, a Broadway veteran, plays Baby's father Jake Houseman; he later spent twelve years as a detective on Law & Order.

Which Disney character did the actor who plays Dr. Houseman voice four years later?

Dr. Houseman's actor voiced Lumiere, the candelabra in Beauty and the Beast (1991), and sang its showstopper 'Be Our Guest'.

Who plays Penny Johnson?

Cynthia Rhodes, a trained dancer already seen in two 1983 dance films, plays Penny; she married singer Richard Marx in 1989 and retired from acting soon after.

Which resort staff member is played by Wayne Knight, later Seinfeld's Newman?

Wayne Knight, in his first film role, plays the resort staffer Stan; he went on to play the mailman Newman on Seinfeld.

Who plays Baby's mother Marge Houseman?

Kelly Bishop plays Marge; she had been cast as a resort guest and was moved up when the actress first chosen for Marge fell ill in the first week of shooting.

Which Stars Hollow matriarch was played by the actress who plays Marge Houseman?

Marge's actress played Emily Gilmore, Lorelai's formidable mother, across all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls and its 2016 revival.

Who ended up playing the adulterous guest Mrs. Pressman after the casting reshuffle?

Assistant choreographer Miranda Garrison stepped into the role of Vivian Pressman when the actress first cast as Vivian was moved up to play Baby's mother.

Marge's line "She gets that from me" is a wink to what?

Bishop won the 1976 Tony for A Chorus Line under the name Carole Bishop.

Which New York radio personality plays the magician who saws Baby in half?

Bruce 'Cousin Brucie' Morrow, the New York Top 40 disc jockey, plays the magician at the Kellerman's show who saws Baby in half.

Who plays Max, the resort's owner?

Jack Weston, a character actor from The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) and Ishtar (1987), plays the resort owner Max Kellerman.

Who plays Max's grandson Neil?

Lonny Price plays Max's grandson Neil; he went on to a career as a Broadway director, staging concert versions of Company and Sweeney Todd with the New York Philharmonic.

Which legendary tap dancer plays bandleader Tito Suarez?

Charles 'Honi' Coles, the tap master of the duo Coles & Atkins, plays bandleader Tito Suarez; he received the National Medal of Arts in 1991.

Who plays Robbie Gould?

Max Cantor plays the waiter Robbie Gould; Cantor, also a journalist, died in 1991 aged 32.

At which rival hotel do Baby and Johnny perform the mambo in Penny's place?

Baby fills in for Penny at the Sheldrake, a nearby hotel, where she and Johnny dance the mambo but she does not attempt the lift.

Who choreographed Dirty Dancing?

Kenny Ortega choreographed the film; Gene Kelly had mentored him on Xanadu (1980), and he later directed the Michael Jackson concert film This Is It (2009).

Which Disney Channel franchise did the film's choreographer later direct?

The film's choreographer went on to direct all three High School Musical films, starting with the 2006 Disney Channel movie.

How did Ardolino approach casting the dance roles, unlike Flashdance?

That is why Swayze, with his Joffrey training, was such a find.

For which 1983 documentary did the film's director win an Oscar?

He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin', about Jacques d'Amboise teaching New York schoolchildren to dance, won the director the 1983 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

Which hit 1992 comedy did the Dirty Dancing director also make?

Sister Act, with Whoopi Goldberg as a lounge singer hiding in a convent, was the director's 1992 hit; his last films, The Nutcracker and a TV Gypsy, came out after his death in 1993.

At which famous Catskills resort did the young screenwriter spend her summers?

Her family summered at Grossinger's, the best-known of the Borscht Belt hotels; while her parents played golf she spent her days in the dance classes.

At which dance studio chain did the screenwriter work as an instructor in college?

She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1958.

Who sings the Oscar-winning closing song?

Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes recorded the duet, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the April 1988 ceremony.

Who wrote the lyrics of the film's Oscar-winning theme?

Franke Previte, a New Jersey singer-songwriter, wrote the lyrics of '(I've Had) The Time of My Life' and co-wrote its music; it won the 1988 Oscar for Best Original Song.

Which singer turned down the finale song because she did not like the film's title?

Donna Summer turned the song down because she thought the title Dirty Dancing sounded unseemly; several other singers also passed on it.

Why did Bill Medley initially refuse to record the finale duet?

He also feared another soundtrack flop and thought the title sounded like a bad porno movie.

Whose demo version was the finale actually danced to on set?

The finale was filmed to the demo sung by Franke Previte and Rachele Cappelli, recorded before the hit version existed; Previte has said Swayze preferred that version.

Which song did Patrick Swayze co-write and sing on the soundtrack?

Swayze co-wrote 'She's Like the Wind' in 1984, originally for Grandview, U.S.A.; released from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, it reached number 3 on the Hot 100 in 1988.

Who does Swayze say inspired the ballad he sang on the soundtrack?

Swayze said the ballad was inspired by his wife Lisa Niemi; they met in 1970, when she was 14, and were married from 1975 until his death in 2009.

Who sings "Hungry Eyes"?

Eric Carmen, best known for 'All by Myself', sings 'Hungry Eyes', which plays over the montage of Johnny teaching Baby to dance.

How many weeks did the soundtrack spend at number one on the Billboard 200?

The soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 for 18 weeks across 1987 and 1988, spinning off three Top 5 singles.

What was the follow-up soundtrack album, released in 1988, called?

More Dirty Dancing, released in 1988, collected the film's songs left off the first album along with pieces of the orchestral score.

Which 1962 hit by the Contours became a hit again after appearing in the film?

'Do You Love Me' by the Contours had peaked at number 3 in 1962; after the film it was reissued and climbed to number 11 in 1988.

Who was the film's music supervisor?

Jimmy Ienner, who had produced Three Dog Night, supervised the music and licensed many of the oldies the screenwriter had picked from her own record collection.

Which Ronettes classic opens the original soundtrack's track listing right after the theme?

'Be My Baby', the Ronettes' 1963 hit, is track two on the album and plays over the film's opening credits.

Which Merry Clayton song from the soundtrack reached number 45?

'Yes', Merry Clayton's 1988 single from the soundtrack, peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Who composed the film's orchestral score?

John Morris, Mel Brooks's regular composer (The Producers, Young Frankenstein), wrote the film's orchestral score.

Which traditional tune was used for the resort's song that closes the talent show?

'Kellerman's Anthem', sung at the end-of-season show, is set to 'Annie Lisle', the 1857 tune used for many college alma maters, with lyrics written for the film.

How many Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe wins did the theme song collect?

'(I've Had) The Time of My Life' won one of each: the 1988 Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Original Song and a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal by a Duo or Group.

The finale song was reportedly on which tape in the box Ortega and Garrison listened through?

They saw it as the obvious choice, and Ienner insisted Medley and Warnes record it.

Which critic gave the film a thumbs down for its "idiot plot"?

Roger Ebert gave Dirty Dancing one star, calling it an 'Idiot Plot' whose story holds together only because everyone behaves stupidly; his TV partner Gene Siskel gave it a thumbs up.

What home-viewing milestone did Dirty Dancing achieve?

Dirty Dancing was the first film to sell a million copies on home video; a decade on it was reportedly selling some 40,000 tapes a month.

A 2007 Sky Movies survey ranked Dirty Dancing first among what?

It beat the Star Wars trilogy, Grease and Pretty Woman, and has been called the Star Wars for girls.

In what year was Dirty Dancing added to the US National Film Registry?

The Library of Congress added Dirty Dancing to the National Film Registry in December 2024 as 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'.

Which college screens the film for incoming students because of one line about Baby?

Baby is due to start at Mount Holyoke in the fall, planning to study the economics of underdeveloped countries, and the college screens the film at orientation.

What happened to the wooden floor from the final dance scene?

The camp gymnasium where the scene was shot no longer stands.

What ranking did Dirty Dancing receive on AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions list?

Dirty Dancing placed 93rd on AFI's 2002 list of the 100 greatest American love stories, 100 Years...100 Passions.

How many crew passed out in 25 minutes one day, according to the choreographer?

With lights, indoor temperatures could hit 120 degrees Fahrenheit; Paula Trueman was treated for dehydration.

Who was originally cast as Baby's mother before falling ill?

Lynne Lipton was cast as Marge but fell ill in the first week; she is briefly visible in the car's front seat when the Housemans pull into Kellerman's.

How old was Paula Trueman when she played Mrs. Schumacher?

Paula Trueman, born in April 1897, was 89 when the film was shot in autumn 1986; she died in 1994 at 96.

Which network aired a short-lived Dirty Dancing TV series in 1988?

CBS aired the series in the 1988–89 season, with Melora Hardin and Patrick Cassidy as Baby and Johnny; it was cancelled within months.

Where is the 2004 prequel Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights set?

The family lands in Cuba just before the revolution of 1959; Romola Garai starred, and Swayze took a hefty fee for a cameo as a dance teacher.

Who plays the Cuban waiter and dancer Javier in Havana Nights?

Diego Luna, fresh from Y Tu Mamá También, plays the waiter Javier Suarez, who teaches Romola Garai's Katey to dance.

In Havana Nights, which company has transferred Katey Miller's father to Cuba?

Katey's father Bert Miller is a Ford executive posted to Havana, which is why the family moves to Cuba on the eve of the revolution.

Who played Baby in the 2017 ABC television remake?

Abigail Breslin, the Oscar-nominated child star of Little Miss Sunshine, played Baby in ABC's three-hour 2017 remake, with Debra Messing as Marge and Sarah Hyland as Lisa.

How many viewers watched the 2017 TV remake's first broadcast?

The frame story added a grown-up Frances in 1975 attending a Broadway show choreographed by Johnny.

In which country did the stage musical premiere in 2004?

The musical premiered in Australia, at Sydney's Theatre Royal in November 2004, with Kym Valentine and Josef Brown as Baby and Johnny.

Where in London did the musical open in 2006 with a record pre-sale?

It opened at the Aldwych Theatre in October 2006 on a record West End advance of about £6 million and ran there until 2011.

Which director was attached to the sequel Lionsgate announced in 2020?

Lionsgate announced the sequel in August 2020 with Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies, Long Shot) directing and Jennifer Grey returning as Baby.

Which Netflix docuseries devoted its very first episode to Dirty Dancing?

The Movies That Made Us opened its first season in 2019 with a Dirty Dancing episode about the struggle to get the film made and released.

Where was Patrick Swayze born?

Swayze was born in Houston, Texas, on August 18, 1952, and attended Waltrip High School there.

With which ballet companies did Swayze train in New York?

In New York Swayze trained at the Harkness and Joffrey ballet schools and danced with the Eliot Feld Ballet before turning to musical theatre.

Which magazine named Swayze Sexiest Man Alive in 1991?

People magazine named Swayze its Sexiest Man Alive in 1991, the year after Ghost made him a romantic lead.

For which three films was Swayze nominated for Golden Globes?

Swayze's three Golden Globe nominations were for Dirty Dancing, Ghost and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), all in the comedy or musical category.

Of what did Patrick Swayze die in 2009?

Swayze died of pancreatic cancer on September 14, 2009, aged 57, about 20 months after his diagnosis.

Jennifer Grey's father Joel Grey won his Academy Award for which film?

Joel Grey won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret, a role he had created on Broadway.

Which reality show did Jennifer Grey win in 2010?

Jennifer Grey won season 11 of Dancing with the Stars in 2010 with partner Derek Hough, 23 years after Dirty Dancing.

Which surgery famously left Jennifer Grey unrecognisable in the early 1990s?

Grey had two rhinoplasty procedures in the early 1990s, the second to correct the first; she later said she 'went into the operating room a celebrity and came out anonymous'.

Which John Hughes film had Jennifer Grey starred in the year before Dirty Dancing?

She played the jealous sister Jeannie Bueller.

Which Marvel actor was Jennifer Grey married to from 2001 to 2021?

Clark Gregg, Marvel's Agent Coulson, married Grey in 2001 and their divorce was finalized in 2021; they co-starred in the 2006 Lifetime film The Road to Christmas.

What did the studio plan to do with the film after a weekend in cinemas?

The studio expected a flop and planned a token weekend in cinemas before sending it straight to home video; word of mouth instead kept it playing for months, past $60 million domestically.

Which Australian film was the studio's first release, a year before Dirty Dancing?

Malcolm, Nadia Tass's comedy about a tram-obsessed inventor, was the studio's first release; it opened in New York on July 18, 1986.

What was Patrick Swayze's mother Patsy's profession?

Patsy Swayze was a dancer and choreographer who ran a Houston dance studio and choreographed the film Urban Cowboy (1980).

Which Broadway role did Swayze play in a replacement cast early in his career?

Swayze joined the Broadway production of Grease as a replacement Danny Zuko in 1978, after touring as Prince Charming in Disney on Parade.

Which body part's injury ended Swayze's hopes of a college football scholarship?

A knee injury ended Swayze's hopes of a college football scholarship, and the same knee troubled him throughout his dance career.

Which 1985-86 miniseries brought Swayze recognition before Dirty Dancing?

Swayze played the Southern cadet Orry Main in North and South (1985) and its 1986 sequel, the ABC miniseries that made him a star.

Swayze's final role was FBI agent Charles Barker in which 2009 A&E drama?

In The Beast, shot in Chicago, Swayze played the unorthodox FBI agent Charles Barker; A&E aired its only season in early 2009.

Which 2003 film did Swayze co-produce and star in with his wife Lisa Niemi?

One Last Dance (2003), written and directed by Lisa Niemi, cast the couple as former dancers reuniting for a tribute performance; Swayze also produced.

Which future Family Ties star was Jennifer Grey's best friend at the Dalton School?

Tracy Pollan, later Ellen on Family Ties and Michael J. Fox's wife, was Grey's closest friend at Manhattan's Dalton School, from which Grey graduated in 1978.

Which Amazon comedy series starred Jennifer Grey as Judy Meyers from 2014 to 2017?

Red Oaks, Amazon's 1980s country-club comedy, ran from 2014 to 2017 with Grey as Judy Meyers, the young lead's mother.

Which animated series featured Jennifer Grey's voice work from 2008 to 2014?

She was born in New York City to Joel Grey and singer Jo Wilder.

Jerry Orbach was the first performer to sing which standard from The Fantasticks?

As El Gallo in the 1960 off-Broadway original of The Fantasticks, Orbach introduced 'Try to Remember', the show's opening ballad.

Jerry Orbach won his Tony Award for which musical?

Orbach won the 1969 Tony for Best Actor in a Musical as Chuck Baxter in Promises, Promises; he was also nominated for Guys and Dolls and Chicago.

Which NYPD detective did Jerry Orbach play on Law & Order from 1992 to 2004?

Orbach's Lennie Briscoe, the wisecracking detective, appeared in more than 250 Law & Order episodes; Orbach's last work was two episodes of Law & Order: Trial by Jury.

Kelly Bishop won her Tony Award for originating which role in A Chorus Line?

Bishop created Sheila, the jaded veteran dancer, in the original 1975 A Chorus Line, winning the 1976 Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical under the name Carole Bishop.

Which 1983 films featured Cynthia Rhodes as Tina Tech and Jackie?

Rhodes danced as Tina Tech in Flashdance and played Jackie, John Travolta's girlfriend, in Staying Alive, both released in 1983.

Cynthia Rhodes replaced Astrid Plane as lead singer of which 1980s pop group?

Rhodes fronted Animotion from 1989, singing on its hit 'Room to Move'; she had also danced in the video for Toto's 'Rosanna'.

Which song did Lisa actress Jane Brucker co-write for her character to sing in rehearsal?

Brucker co-wrote 'Hula Hana', the kitschy hula number Lisa rehearses for the end-of-season show.

Which Ayn Rand novel does Robbie lend to Baby?

Robbie lends Baby his copy of The Fountainhead, telling her 'some people count and some people don't', which sums up his contempt for Penny.

For which PBS series did the film's director profile dancers before Dirty Dancing?

The director made his name on PBS's Dance in America, filming the great American companies of the 1970s and winning Emmy awards for his dance programs.

The film's director died in 1993 of complications from what?

The director died of complications from AIDS on November 20, 1993, aged 50, days before his final film, George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, opened.

Where did Eleanor Bergstein earn her degree in 1958?

A teenage mambo queen, she taught at Arthur Murray studios during college.

Which novel by the film's screenwriter contains many of the themes later used in Dirty Dancing?

Advancing Paul Newman (1973) was the screenwriter's first novel, written fourteen years before Dirty Dancing and already working through its class and coming-of-age themes.

Which two composers share the credit on 'The Time of My Life' with its lyricist?

John DeNicola and Donald Markowitz share the writing credit with the song's lyricist; the three collected the 1988 Oscar for Best Original Song.

How long did 'The Time of My Life' spend at number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

'(I've Had) The Time of My Life' spent a single week at number one on the Hot 100, dated November 28, 1987, and topped the Adult Contemporary chart for four weeks.

Which 1981 Top 10 hit did Franke Previte's band the Knockouts have?

'Sweetheart' reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981, the biggest hit for Franke and the Knockouts, a New Jersey band.

Where did 'Hungry Eyes' peak on the Billboard Hot 100?

'Hungry Eyes' peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1988, one of three Top 5 singles from the soundtrack.

Eric Carmen was the lead singer of which power-pop band before going solo?

Carmen fronted the Raspberries, the Cleveland power-pop band behind 'Go All the Way' (1972), before solo hits such as 'All by Myself'.

With whom did Swayze co-write his soundtrack ballad in 1984?

Swayze wrote it with the composer Stacy Widelitz in 1984, originally for the film Grandview, U.S.A., which rejected it.

Which singer provides the harmony and co-lead vocals on 'She's Like the Wind'?

Wendy Fraser sings the harmony and shares the lead on 'She's Like the Wind', credited as 'Patrick Swayze featuring Wendy Fraser'; it reached number 3 on the Hot 100.

How many times platinum has the RIAA certified the Dirty Dancing soundtrack?

The RIAA has certified the soundtrack 11 times platinum for US shipments, placing it among the best-selling soundtracks ever.

Which record label released the Dirty Dancing soundtrack?

RCA Records released the soundtrack on August 4, 1987, two and a half weeks before the film opened.

Where did More Dirty Dancing peak on both the US and UK album charts?

More Dirty Dancing peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and on the UK Albums Chart in 1988.

Which Otis Redding song appears on More Dirty Dancing?

The album also includes 'Big Girls Don't Cry' and 'Some Kind of Wonderful'.

Bill Medley is best known as one half of which duo?

Medley's bass-baritone anchored the Righteous Brothers' hits with Bobby Hatfield, including 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'' (1964) and 'Unchained Melody'.

Jennifer Warnes won her first Grammy for a duet with which singer?

Warnes won her first Grammy for 'Up Where We Belong', her 1982 duet with Joe Cocker from An Officer and a Gentleman; the Dirty Dancing duet brought a second.

Jennifer Warnes' acclaimed 1987 album Famous Blue Raincoat covers songs by whom?

Warnes met Cohen in 1971 and the two remained friends.

Who directed Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)?

Guy Ferland, who had made The Babysitter (1995) and Telling Lies in America (1997), directed the 2004 prequel.

In Havana Nights, which college had Katey Miller planned to attend?

Katey, a bookish straight-A student, had planned to go to Radcliffe before her father's transfer took the family to Havana.

Which group recorded the song 'Dirty Dancing' for the Havana Nights soundtrack?

The Black Eyed Peas recorded 'Dirty Dancing' for the Havana Nights soundtrack, which also includes Wyclef Jean's 'Dance Like This'.

Who played Johnny Castle in the 2017 ABC remake?

Colt Prattes, a Broadway dancer who had appeared in Pink's 'Try' video, played Johnny in ABC's 2017 remake.

Who directed the 2017 television remake of Dirty Dancing?

Wayne Blair, the Australian director of The Sapphires (2012), directed the remake from a teleplay by Jessica Sharzer.

In what year is the 2017 remake's framing scene, with a grown-up Baby, set?

The remake frames the story from 1975, when a grown-up Baby attends a Broadway musical choreographed by Johnny and looks back on the summer of 1963.

Lake Lure, the film's main shooting location, sits in which county?

Lake Lure lies in Rutherford County, in the Hickory Nut Gorge southeast of Asheville.

Which waterway was dammed in the 1920s to create Lake Lure?

The Morse family's dam on the Broad River, finished in 1927, created Lake Lure; the town bought the lake itself in 1965.

Which two New York counties held most Borscht Belt resorts?

The Borscht Belt resorts clustered in Sullivan and Ulster counties, in the Catskills about 90 miles northwest of New York City.

Roughly what number of resorts operated in the Borscht Belt's heyday?

At its peak in the 1950s the Borscht Belt had as many as 500 hotels plus hundreds of bungalow colonies; the decline set in during the 1960s and 1970s.

Grossinger's, the famous Catskills resort, was located in which New York town?

Grossinger's stood just outside Liberty, in Sullivan County; hostess Jennie Grossinger built it into one of the largest Borscht Belt resorts.

In what year did Grossinger's close?

Grossinger's closed in 1986 after decades of decline; the abandoned site was largely demolished in 2018.

Vestron Pictures' parent company filed for bankruptcy in which year?

Its assets went to LIVE Entertainment; the label had launched with Malcolm in 1986.

Which Swayze film was the highest-grossing movie of 1990?

Ghost, with Swayze as the murdered banker Sam Wheat, grossed about $505 million worldwide on a budget of around $22 million, topping 1990's box office.

Which director made Point Break (1991), starring Swayze and Keanu Reeves?

Kathryn Bigelow directed Point Break, with Swayze as the surfing bank robber Bodhi; the title is a surfing term for a wave breaking off a point of land.

In Road House, Swayze's bouncer Dalton cleans up a bar in which fictional Missouri town?

Dalton takes the job at the Double Deuce in Jasper, a fictional Missouri town run by the crooked businessman Brad Wesley; a 2024 remake starred Jake Gyllenhaal.

Wayne Knight's breakthrough role after Dirty Dancing was which Jurassic Park character?

Knight played the treacherous programmer Dennis Nedry in Jurassic Park (1993); on TV he was Newman on Seinfeld and Officer Don on 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Jack Weston menaced blind Audrey Hepburn in which 1967 thriller?

In Wait Until Dark (1967) Weston played Carlino, one of the crooks terrorizing Audrey Hepburn's blind Susy; he was more often cast in comedies such as Cactus Flower.

Lonny Price created which role in Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along?

Price originated Charley Kringas, the lyricist friend, in the 1981 Broadway original of Merrily We Roll Along, singing 'Franklin Shepard, Inc.'.

Max Cantor, a Harvard graduate, wrote about heroin cures for which paper?

Cantor wrote for The Village Voice, including a piece on supposed heroin cures; he died of an overdose at 32 while researching a book on an East Village murder.

What does Johnny call Baby when her arms go limp during practice?

Johnny snaps 'Look, spaghetti arms' at Baby when her frame goes slack, then lays out the rule: 'This is my dance space, this is your dance space.'

Who produced Dirty Dancing, agreeing to halve the proposed budget to get it made?

Linda Gottlieb produced the film, accepting roughly half the budget she had first proposed; she and the screenwriter then chose a first-time feature director.

Where was the film's first-time director when he read the script and fell for it?

He was on jury duty when he read the script; his passion for it persuaded the producer and screenwriter to hire a director who had only made documentaries.

Dirty Dancing screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein shared what childhood detail with her heroine Frances Houseman?

She was nicknamed 'Baby' as a girl; the younger daughter of a Jewish New York doctor, she entered 'dirty dancing' competitions on family summers in the Catskills.

Which New York Top 40 station employed the DJ who plays the magician in 1963?

The magician's actor joined WABC in 1961 and starred on its evening Top 40 shows through the 1960s, when WABC dominated New York pop radio.

Where did the lyricist say he came up with the title 'The Time of My Life'?

The lyricist said the title came to him while driving the Garden State Parkway, after the film's music supervisor had begged him to write a song for the finale.

A song by which artist was originally planned as the Dirty Dancing finale before 'The Time of My Life' was chosen?

A Lionel Richie song was the first plan, but choreographer Kenny Ortega and assistant Miranda Garrison picked the Previte demo; Richie, Daryl Hall and Kim Carnes later declined to sing it.

Where did the AFI rank 'The Time of My Life' on its 2004 list of the 100 greatest film songs?

'(I've Had) The Time of My Life' placed 86th on AFI's 2004 list of the 100 greatest songs in American films, topped by 'Over the Rainbow'.

Which band first recorded 'Hungry Eyes' in 1984, three years before Eric Carmen's hit version?

It was left off their album Makin' the Point until a 1998 reissue; Carmen recorded his take at Beachwood Studios in Ohio.

British dance act Eyeopener took a 2004 cover of 'Hungry Eyes' to what UK chart peak?

Eyeopener's dance cover of 'Hungry Eyes' peaked at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart in 2004.

Production of ABC's 2017 remake was based in which town?

The remake's production office was in Hendersonville, with much of the spring 2016 shoot at the High Hampton Inn in nearby Cashiers.

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights opens with Katey Miller's family arriving in Cuba in which year?

The film opens in November 1958, weeks before Batista fled and the revolution triumphed on New Year's Day 1959.