Since its release, Dirty Dancing has been one of the most parodied films in the history of cinema and TV. From the famous lift-up lake scene, which has been mimicked ad nauseam in countless films, including Crazy, Stupid Love, to people simply dancing to the trademark soundtrack, ‘(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life’, it seems Dirty Dancing has stayed on our screens for over 30 years.
In fact, one of the funnier renditions of the film was done in The Muppets, when Kermit The Frog struggles to lift up Miss Piggy in a hilarious scene where they’re dressed like Johnny and Baby.
The Film is Called ‘Swirling Sex’ in Poland
Outside of English speaking countries, Dirty Dancing is known by many different names: In France, it is 'Danse Lascive' (Lustful Dance), in Brazil it's known as 'Hot Pace', and in Spanish speaking countries, it is known as 'Hot Dance'. Indeed, even though these are pretty much straightforward translations, there are a few that are downright hilarious.
For example, in Turkish, the film was translated to 'First Dance, First Hang'. And one of the more weird ones was the Polish movie poster that read 'Wirujacy Seks', or 'Swirling Sex'. However, for the Polish home video release, the name was changed to 'Dirty Dance'.
The Film With 'The Most Romantic Line Ever’
Dirty Dancing has many memorable quotes that are remembered by viewers' even today. Who can forget the famous 'Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner' line? But out of all the quotes, there was one that was actually voted "the most romantic line ever" to be heard in a film.
Surely you remember the scene when Johnny and Baby are talking about Penny's abortion, and he tells her that it 'took a lot of guts' to go to her father and ask for help, saying that she's not scared of anything. To this, Baby says, "I'm scared of everything, I’m scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I’m with you.” The famous British publication, the Daily Mail, rated this the No 1 most romantic movie line ever!
Experienced Dancers Only
Dirty Dancing director, Emile Ardolino, only wanted to cast experienced dancers in the film's lead roles. He wanted the make sure every scene looked as authentic and real as possible. In fact, most of the lead roles had a professional background in dance.
Patrick Swayze had formal ballet training, Jennifer Grey studied dancing in a private school in New York, Cynthia Rhodes had worked as a singer and dancer in her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. And the list goes on.
Dr. Ruth Almost Played Mrs. Schumacher
Remember the cute, little, sneaky-looking old woman that swiped purses when she got a chance? Yes, we're talking about Mrs. Schumacher. In the film, she is portrayed by an 89-year old Paula Trueman, a famous actress from the 60s and 70s. However, the role was originally meant to go to famous sex therapist, Dr. Ruth Westheimer.
As it turns out, Dr. Ruth was a close friend of Bergstein's and was perfect for the part. Unfortunately, she turned down the role because she didn't want to play a thief. Ironic, right? You'd think a sex therapist would be more open to the idea of playing a fake thief. But hey, everybody has a line they don't cross.