On its 10 year anniversary, in 1997, Dirty Dancing was released in theaters. but what you may not know is what actually caused this to happen – it was thanks to a gag by Conan O’Brien! In 1997, O’Brien asked his fans to flood the studio with letters demanding to see Dirty Dancing on the big screen again.
Even though the whole thing was meant as a joke, it actually worked! What’s even funnier, O’Brien later admitted to not even liking the movie that much.
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.
Clearasil Sponsors Backed Out
The famous skin-care brand from the 50s, Clearasil, was going to sponsor the film. It made sense since they knew the movie would be a hit among teenagers at the time, and what are teenagers most known for? Acne problems. Hence, Clearasil was very interested in becoming one of the movie's main sponsors. However, there was one tiny detail.
Once the company found out about the abortion plot in the movie, they became uneasy. They approached Bergstein about cutting the storyline altogether, but she refused. Thus, Clearasil quickly backed out.
The Entire Movie Was Basically Done in Two Months
Because of its huge success, many people thought that Dirty Dancing was a big-budget, Hollywood movie. But that wasn't the case at all. In fact, the film had a relatively low budget, and it was basically done in just over two months!
Considering a film usually takes at least a few months to produce, it's quite impressive that Dirty Dancing was able to be completed in such a short time. This meant there were only two weeks for rehearsals - which were a lot - and only 44 days of filming. Unbelievable!