48 Fun Facts About Footloose

Who plays Ren McCormack, the dancing newcomer, in the 1984 Footloose?

Kevin Bacon was a little-known New York stage actor the studio couldn't picture as Ren, so the director arranged a screen test to change its mind.

From which city does Ren move to the small town of Bomont in the 1984 Footloose?

Chicago is where Ren and his mother leave when her marriage breaks up, moving in with relatives in Bomont; his big-city ways mark him out on his first day at school.

Which actor plays the strict Reverend Shaw Moore in the 1984 Footloose?

John Lithgow's reverend ends the film asking his congregation to pray for the students and their dance, a prom he had fought to stop.

In Footloose, what tragedy drove Reverend Moore to ban dancing?

His son died after a night of drinking and dancing, one of several teenagers killed in a car wreck; the reverend then led the town to outlaw public dancing.

Which director of The Goodbye Girl and Steel Magnolias also made the 1984 Footloose?

Herbert Ross got the job at the second attempt: his deal talks broke down, the studio hired someone else, and he returned when that director was let go.

Which director, fresh from a ruinous flop, was hired for Footloose and then dropped as his demands grew?

Michael Cimino had not made a film since the costly failure of Heaven's Gate; when his demands on Footloose kept growing, the studio let him go and went back to its first choice.

Which real town's dance ban, lifted for a 1980 prom, loosely inspired Footloose?

Elmore City, Oklahoma, had outlawed public dancing since its founding; when its students won the right to a prom in 1980, the news reached a songwriter hunting for a film idea.

What did the school-board president say as he broke the tie over the 1980 prom that inspired Footloose?

"Let 'em dance" settled it: the board had split two against two over the school's first prom, and the vote made national news.

In which US state was the 1984 Footloose filmed?

Utah stood in for Bomont: the crew shot around Provo, Payson and Lehi, where the star spent time hauling flour sacks at a local firm to prepare for his role.

Which blockbuster album did the Footloose soundtrack knock off number one on the US chart in 1984?

Thriller's run at number one ended in April 1984: the Footloose songs had been released before the film opened, so that audiences would already know them when they watched.

Which Footloose scene needed four doubles for its star?

The warehouse dance put a stunt double, a dance double and two gymnasts in his costume; he was furious to be doubled, and says the studio told him never to mention it.

What does Ariel give Ren as a gift in the 1984 Footloose?

A music box is her gift after her bruising split from Chuck, handed over in a town that polices loud music; the two kiss for the first time moments later.

Who plays Ariel, the reverend's rebellious daughter, in the 1984 Footloose?

Lori Singer's Ariel is the reverend's own daughter, so Ren's fight over a dance lands inside the preacher's home: she takes Ren's side and argues it out with her father in his church.

Who plays Rusty, Ariel's best friend, in the 1984 Footloose?

Sarah Jessica Parker was fresh from the high-school sitcom Square Pegs; the screenwriter has said Rusty was first written for her co-star on that show, Tracy Nelson.

Who plays Willard, the friend Ren teaches to dance, in the 1984 Footloose?

Chris Penn, younger brother of Sean Penn, played the farm boy who is quicker with his fists than his feet, and who ends the film using both at the prom.

In Footloose, what kind of vehicle do Ren and Chuck drive in their game of chicken?

Tractors make it a slow-motion duel that Ren wins by accident: his shoelace snags on a pedal, so he can't leap clear, and Chuck bails out first.

Where do Bomont's students finally hold their prom in the 1984 Footloose?

A grain mill over the county line put the dance beyond Bomont's law, an idea from Ren's boss at work; the reverend and his wife stand outside listening.

What does Ren use to argue his case for dancing before Bomont's town council in Footloose?

Bible verses turn the reverend's own book against the ban: Ren reads passages that celebrate dancing and silences the room, though the council still votes against him.

What is written on the brick thrown through Ren's window in Footloose?

'Burn in Hell' lands in the bedroom of Ren's young cousins the night before he faces the council, and his uncle blames him for the trouble.

What does Reverend Moore stop members of his congregation from doing late in Footloose?

Burning library books is the step too far: the reverend scolds his own flock and sends them home, the first sign he is ready to bend on the dance.

Made for about $8 million, roughly how much did the 1984 Footloose gross in North America?

$80 million was roughly ten times its cost and the seventh-best US total of 1984; the studio had dropped one director when his plans for the film kept growing.

Which studio released Footloose in February 1984?

Paramount took the script on after a rival studio let it go, and backed it with a pay-or-play deal that committed it to paying the producer whether or not cameras rolled.

Who wrote the Footloose screenplay and most of the soundtrack's lyrics?

Dean Pitchford was a lyricist with an Oscar for 'Fame' and no screenplay to his name; he wrote this one himself so that the story and its songs would be built together.

Which song beat two Footloose nominees to the 1984 Oscar for Best Original Song?

'I Just Called to Say I Love You' won for Stevie Wonder, so Footloose left empty-handed despite holding two of the five nominations: its title track and 'Let's Hear It for the Boy'.

Who sings the title song of Footloose, a US number one in 1984?

Kenny Loggins wrote most of it with the film's screenwriter over a few days in a Lake Tahoe hotel room, nursing a rib injury from a fall at a concert while his co-writer hid a case of strep throat.

Who sang 'Let's Hear It for the Boy', the second number-one hit from Footloose?

Deniece Williams sings it over the montage in which Ren teaches his friend Willard, who can't dance a step, how to keep time.

Which singer recorded 'Holding Out for a Hero' for the Footloose soundtrack?

Bonnie Tyler got a song built to order: the lyricist studied Jim Steinman's Meat Loaf epics and wrote the opening lines in that style to lure him in as co-writer.

The singer of the Footloose title song earned what nickname for hits from Caddyshack and Top Gun?

King of the Movie Soundtrack was earned with 'I'm Alright' from Caddyshack and 'Danger Zone' from Top Gun, yet of all his film songs only 'Footloose' reached number one.

The director of the 1984 Footloose had first made his name in what role?

Choreographer first: he staged dances for Broadway musicals and for films such as Funny Girl, and was in his forties before he directed a picture of his own.

Which director of Hustle & Flow made the 2011 Footloose remake?

Craig Brewer rewrote the script as well as directing, sharing the writing credit with the man who wrote the 1984 original.

Who plays Ren in the 2011 remake?

Zac Efron was cast first and left; Chace Crawford replaced him and then dropped out too.

Which Dancing with the Stars professional plays Ariel in the 2011 Footloose remake?

Julianne Hough had been a professional partner on the ballroom show, and went back to its floor as a guest in October 2011 to dance to songs from the remake with her co-star.

Who plays Reverend Moore in the 2011 Footloose remake?

Dennis Quaid's reverend, like the 1984 original, steers the council into its ban after a crash kills a carload of local teenagers, his own son among them.

Who plays Willard, Ren's best friend, in the 2011 Footloose remake?

Miles Teller already knew the part: he had played Willard in a stage production of the Footloose musical while he was at high school.

In which state is Bomont located in the 2011 Footloose remake?

Georgia is both the setting and where the remake was shot, in autumn 2010; its director said he wanted to put his own 'Southern grit' into the story.

Why did the original star decline a cameo in the 2011 Footloose remake?

He disliked the role, Ren's deadbeat dad, and told Howard Stern the part was 'dopey'; he added that having one of his films remade at all made him feel old.

Roughly how much did the 2011 Footloose remake gross worldwide?

$63 million worldwide, on a budget of about $24 million, was less than the 1984 film had taken in North America alone, 27 years of ticket-price rises earlier.

Which country star recorded the title song for the 2011 Footloose remake?

Blake Shelton cut an upbeat country version for the remake, which still opens with teenagers dancing to the 1984 original.

Which Broadway theatre, later Hamilton's home, housed the Footloose musical?

The Richard Rodgers Theatre housed it for 709 performances; the film's writer adapted his own screenplay for the stage with the show's director.

Which famous critic called Footloose 'a seriously confused movie' that tries to do three things and does them all badly?

Roger Ebert said it wanted to be a town drama, a teen picture and a music video at once; it still became one of 1984's ten biggest US hits.

In which film did the star of the 1984 Footloose make his feature debut?

Animal House gave him a small part as a fraternity pledge in 1978, but fame didn't follow and he went back to waiting tables until Diner and then Footloose.

What do players do in the parlour game named after the star of Footloose?

Players link actors to him by shared films in six steps or fewer; college students invented it in 1994 after watching two of his movies back to back, Footloose among them.

For which HBO film did the star of the 1984 Footloose win a Golden Globe and a SAG Award?

Taking Chance cast him as a Marine officer who volunteers to escort a fallen young Marine's body home to Wyoming; it was based on the real officer's own journal.

Which studio first developed Footloose before putting the script into turnaround?

20th Century Fox developed it with producer Daniel Melnick and then let the script go; the studio that picked it up ended with one of 1984's ten biggest hits.

Which film did Ron Howard choose to direct instead of Footloose?

Splash won out: he turned down both Footloose and Mr. Mom to stay with his mermaid comedy, which reached cinemas three weeks after Footloose did.

Which Stephen King adaptation did the future star of Footloose pass up to take his screen test?

Christine, John Carpenter's killer-car film, was the other lead he was up for; he bet on the Footloose test instead, and the Christine part went to Keith Gordon.

What do Ren and Chuck race in the 2011 Footloose remake?

School buses take the place of the 1984 film's game of chicken; Ren wins although he has never driven one, and nearly dies when his bus catches fire.

Which pair, the voices of Loverboy and Heart, duet on the Footloose love theme 'Almost Paradise'?

Mike Reno and Ann Wilson were borrowed from their bands for the ballad, co-written by Eric Carmen; it reached the top ten as one of six hit singles from the album.