THE FANS' LOVE STORY: How The Movie 'DIRTY DANCING' Captured The Hearts Of Millions!

by Tabashnik, Sue

  You were just speaking about how Dirty Dancing allowed that something can be for the moment, that it’s sort of not just happiness forever.

  And I think the other thing that it does for me is that I think it shows that sometimes even though you do the right thing, it doesn’t mean that someone’s not going to get hurt. When you do the right thing, there are people that are going to get hurt.

  Are you talking about when Baby said Johnny didn’t steal the wallet?

  Oh gosh, there are so many … there’s that … there’s I think one of my favorite examples of that in the movie—I think probably frustrates most people, but I understand why he did it. I mean Johnny had several opportunities to tell her father the truth about the baby and chose not to …

  So when you do the right thing, sometimes people get hurt?

  There are examples of that all over the movie.

  Are you saying in other words, that the movie in some regards is realistic?

  Yes, in that regard, definitely.

  I also think there are some people that aren’t used to people doing the right thing for them.

  One of my favorite lines of the movie is: “Nobody has ever done anything like that for me.” I think that is a very important part of the movie. It is one of the most realistic parts of the movie. You really believe him when he says that. She (Baby) truly never hesitates to do the right thing in the movie … I don’t think she ever hesitates any time that she does the right thing. She just does what you should do.

  Now, did you hear Patrick talk on the 20th anniversary DVD? He said the movie could never have been made without Jennifer Grey—that no one else could have done the role. No one else could have captured Baby like she did. Do you think that is true?

  I do. I think the casting was ideal … I can’t picture it cast any differently.

  I doubt that the movie would be the same if the casting was different because characters were essential to the emotion of the story. I think they got it right … I think it was magic. That’s what I mean about the stage production … I just don’t see how it’s going to get pulled off. I think the story is only part of why it is such an icon. I think the casting is essential to that. I can’t picture anyone else in any of the roles.

  I personally have trouble picturing anyone else as Johnny.

  Yeah, that definitely wouldn’t have been the same.

  You spoke about North and South and Dirty Dancing—seeing them a lot of times. Are there any other movies that you watch a lot of times, whether Patrick is in them or not?

  There are. I have seen a lot of his things several times. I’ve seen every one of his movies at least once or more. I own all of his movies. I do have a couple other—what I refer to as cult classics or movies—that I have watched several times over. I have my favorites. The Breakfast Club is one of them … I think that was because of the actors I grew up with. But then I just have some favorites too. The Shawshank Redemption is a favorite of mine that I have seen several times. My husband and I really like A League of Their Own. We are such baseball fans. We think it is a really good story and again I think the casting in that is superb. (Per Becky’s notes, she has seen Ghost, The Outsiders, Red Dawn, Road House many times.)

  Will you continue to watch Dirty Dancing?

  Of course. I can’t wait for my daughter to be old enough to share it with her.

  How old is she?

  She is eleven … I don’t think she is quite ready yet …

  I can watch it over and over, and I never get tired of it. I still have friends that if they’re flipping channels and they see it, they’ll call me. Not like I don’t own eighteen different copies of the DVD.

  Is there anything else you want to say about Dirty Dancing?

  I find it almost difficult to even put in to words—how it moves me. How I can absolutely become caught up in it—even though I know exactly what’s going to be said, exactly what’s going to happen. Every time I watch it, it’s almost like I’m as captured as I was the first time I saw it. I never get tired of it. I’ll still smile, I’ll still laugh, I’ll still cry … And I think that’s the sign of a real good story.

  What do you think about a Dirty Dancing sequel? Can it be done?

  No, because again, I don’t believe the story goes on from there. I believe they touched each other in that moment. They changed each other both in some ways, but in that era that relationship was not going to last from there.

  Do you know about when you joined the fan club?

  Only within the last year.

  Do you ever watch it with your husband?

  I have. He thinks I am a little off. I always tease him that I was in love with Patrick way before he ever came along. He knew where he stood.

  He will even laugh and even make fun of me at times because I will get so caught up in it (DD) like I’ve never seen it before, and he just finds it very humorous.

  Patrick and Dirty Dancing and North and South are just part of who I am. My friends and family know … I can’t tell you the number of cards, letters, and e-mails I got, when he got sick …

  I never would have thought that someone that I had never met before would have such an impact on me …

  I think that there are a lot of people like that (from reading the guestbook).

  I understand where they are coming from. He is a special individual. He’s got to be to have captured me the way he has. There’s something there. I think it goes beyond charisma. There are a lot of people that have charisma that haven’t captured me the way he has.

  Like I said, what cracks me up … so many people … that know how enamored I am with him, say, “You know he is married.” Yes, I am very much aware, that is not what this has to do with, and partly, that’s what impresses me so much about him … a thirty-three year Hollywood marriage … You just don’t do that. You have to be quite a special individual. Don’t you? I think … He’s had the opportunity to seek so many more lucky roles, and he has chosen to do only things that he wanted to do … He could have been so much more in the limelight.

  We covered a lot of ground. I appreciate it.

  I think he’s an easy subject to talk about. Dirty Dancing is an easy subject to talk about.

  For the first time since Patrick got ill, just in the last week I’ve been able to start watching something with Patrick in it. I watched the commentary on the 20th anniversary. Patrick talked about how he is so amazed by the multi-generation fan base for DD and something like how he realizes fans have put him where he is (which I have heard him say before).

  I remember the day that I found out … that the news broke that he was ill. I came home and I started rifling through all of the DVDs. My husband finally came up behind me and said, “Can I help you find one?” and I said, “I am looking for the North and South commentary. I don’t want to see him acting in a role. I want to see him talking.” I just had that need to see him—not in character—Patrick …

  Do you watch the North and South commentary?

  Yes, it’s fantastic if you haven’t seen it … Unlike some of the other commentaries, it really is Patrick Swayze, James Reid, Leslie Ann Dowe … very nuts and bolts … And he’s Patrick—typical—genuine …

  Did you see One Last Dance?

  Oh, yes. I’ve seen all of his movies. Every one of them. I own them all. When I say I am a fan, I am a fan.

  I think that we have really have covered a lot of ground.

  I hope I was able to give you something additional—something different.

  You have.

  Good.

  It’s really interesting because a lot of people say some of the same things, but then everybody has their own view of it or their own things that strike them about it or resonate with them.

  I think the only other thing is when we had talked about living in the moment. My absolute favorite line of the movie, and why I think it’s that living in the moment. My absolute favorite part of the movie is when she looks at him and says, “ … 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.”

  I think everyone needs to feel that in their lives, even if it is not the person you spend the rest of your life with … just that feeling, at that moment …

  Additional Demographic Information

  Marital Status: Married

  Education: BA from Central Michigan University

  Profession: Medical Office Manager

  KELLY MINER

  Age 37. Lives in Southfield, Michigan.

  March 11, 2009 (in-person interview).

  Can you tell me what year you first saw Dirty Dancing?

  I actually saw it when it first came out in 1987 and I was actually in high school in the 10th grade. And now, I’m thirty-seven.

  So you were about sixteen?

  Yes, about sixteen years old.

  How did you hear about the movie? Did somebody tell you about it? Did you see it in the paper?

  I’m actually a “moviehead.” I love movies. I like anything with music, dancing, comedy, love. I come from a family where both of my parents are professional musicians, so I just have it in me.

  So both of your parents are musicians. Tell me about that.

  My dad is seventy-eight now. My mom is seventy-six now. They originally worked at Detroit Public Schools as teachers and they were the music program. Basically, they had a glee club and they were basically over the music department for a school on the east side of Detroit called Lilly Bridge Elementary. But unfortunately, in the mid ’80s as we all know, some inner cities got hit hard, and they took music out of some of the Detroit public schools. So my parents were basically forced to teach 6th and 2nd grade. They are musicians. My dad actually still has a music school in Detroit where he teaches music, voice, and guitar lessons. So he still teaches, but when they were in their careers, unfortunately their music careers were cut short due to the economic times in the Detroit Public School system which unfortunately still exists today—which is kind of ironic.

  When you saw it the first time, did you see it by yourself or with somebody?

  I know I was with at least three girlfriends.

  So how many times do you think you’ve seen Dirty Dancing?

  Around ten. I just recently saw it over Christmas time. It was on DEMAND and I watched it.

  So why do you like Dirty Dancing so much?

  Well one, because of Patrick Swayze. I always liked him. He’s hot, and just a good guy.

  Was that from the very first time you saw him?

  Yes. And then, it is not only a love story but it’s also a fun story. It’s comedy too. And it’s also about family and the relationship that she had with her father, and I am really close with my father so I bonded with that story line as well. And kind of about social class too. It didn’t matter what social background you came from. Everybody got along.

  That’s a lot of reasons. How do you think Dirty Dancing impacted you personally? Any of the choices from the questionnaire apply to you?

  It definitely gave me hope that love still exists. I think that it shows love on many levels. I mean even the love he had for the people he worked with and how they looked out for each other, and then the relationship he had with Jennifer Grey’s character. I liked that—the whole looking out for each other, unconditional love. Everybody had each other’s back. I really liked that. Also, I think it did give hope that people will do the right thing. Towards the end, the father lightened up because he kind of had pre-judged him (Johnny) for his lifestyle, and then he realized how much his daughter really loved him, and how he was good for his daughter. I think in the end, it showed people are about doing the right thing.

  In addition to Dirty Dancing, are there other movies that you’ve seen many, many times? And if so is Patrick in them?

  Ghost. I love Ghost. I’ve seen that a lot. The Outsiders. I was a big Outsiders fan. I’ve seen that many times.

  Are there other movies though, that Patrick is not in, that you’ve seen a lot of times?

  It’s an older movie. It’s called Sparkle—Irene Cara was in it and Philip Michael Thomas. It was about three sisters that were entertainers. It came out in the late ’70s. I’ve seen that movie at least thirty times.

  Anything else?

  Imitation of Life. There are two versions. The one with Lana Turner—that one I’ve seen about I would say about twenty times. There are two of them. There is one that came out like in the fifties and then that one I think came out in the seventies but Lana Turner was the actress in the one I like … It was about two women, a black women and a white woman, and both had daughters and the black daughter actually looked white, and so she was passing as white. People were finding out she wasn’t a white girl …

  Have you ever met Patrick or anyone else from the Dirty Dancing cast?

  No, I have not.

  Will you continue to watch Dirty Dancing?

  Yes, it was fun, and if I ever have children—that’s it—that’s the kind of movie that anybody can relate to that you would show the younger generation. So it’s definitely kind of like a West Side Story kind of movie where everyone just sees it because it’s like nostalgia. I definitely will watch it again. I’ll probably end up getting the twenty–year DVD.

  What do you think about the movie being made in to a stage production?

  Definitely, ’cuz it’s basically music so it would fit right into like a play. I think that would go off very well. I would go see it. It definitely has all the elements for Broadway.

  What do you think about a movie sequel being made at this point?

  If they do it right. And what I mean by do it right is like maybe add new, fresh characters, but yet don’t forget the old characters … It should stand on its own though ’cuz sometimes when people do sequels, I think they mess up because if someone hasn’t seen the first movie, a lot of people can’t relate to the second movie …

  What other things do you want to say about Dirty Dancing?

  I just think that anybody that’s into music and dancing—it’s just another genre of dancing that we should take heed to. And just like everybody is trying to own that Dancing With The Stars—you know born now. I think DD has its own culture and its own fan base, and I think it will always live because anybody that’s into music and dancing will appreciate it. I mean if you are somebody that’s into dancing, this is definitely a must see movie if you have not seen it. It’s definitely a classic when it comes to that.

  It’s a movie that you know, so many movies out today are so serious—it lends itself to a sense of fantasy element too, so I think it’s just a happy movie. It’s a positive movie. Sometimes we see so many dark movies. This is an uplifting movie. And I like the theme song. I really like that.

  Do you have a favorite character or scene?

  Would you say the finale scene is your favorite?

  Actually, the finale scene was good, but I think leading up to it was better—like when they were practicing and she was kind of quirky with it. Jennifer Grey definitely stole the show for me. She was really good. I mean Patrick was good, but just her character being quirky and so naive in a sense. I really liked the character, and she was kind of like timid and she became confident towards the end. She was my favorite character, and he was second to her.

  I also liked the scene when the dad finally figured out that Patrick Swayze’s character was the one that was helping out with that guy—the guy who was playing on his other daughter. I kind of like how that was revealed—like the bad guy was finally found out.

  Additional Demographic Information

  Marital Status: Single (never been married)

  Education: Eastern Michigan—Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications/Film

  Saginaw Valley State University—Masters in Leadership and Public Administration

  Profession: Freelance Television News Reporter—Fox Toledo News

  Auto Show Spokesperson (represents Chrysler)

  Offici
al Patrick Swayze International Fan Club member: Not yet

  Kelly and I then had a discussion about arts in the schools.

  I was just commenting about Beyonce and how Beyonce feels about music in the inner city curriculum in schools. She had made a comment, as she’s part of the campaign to save the music [SAVE THE MUSIC FOUNDATION], which Gloria Estefan is also part of, and many other well-known artists. But basically, Beyonce said that the reason why she’s pulling for schools in the inner city (and just in general all over) to have music in their curriculum—is because if she did not have it in her school at that time, she said she probably wouldn’t be the artist that she is today—for the simple fact that she was a shy student, and that she expressed herself through music. So that is why she’s very for music in the school system because that’s how a lot of the students grow.

  I heard Patrick Swayze when he came to the Music Hall (Detroit) twice (2002 & 2004) and talked about this subject—the importance of the arts for kids. He came with Complexions Contemporary Ballet. They are awesome. They go all over the world giving dance concerts and they do outreach to inner city kids—give dance workshops. Patrick, is on the advisory board of directors (and so is Lisa, his wife), and so he would travel sometimes with the company to have charity benefits. He introduced Complexions Contemporary Ballet—didn’t dance. I sat in the front row. It is not the best place to sit to see the dancing, but that is where I wanted to be to see and hear Patrick. In his introductory speeches, he talked about how important the arts are and how the arts distinguish us humans from beasts. Also, he spoke about how important it is to get the kids away from the TV and computer, and get them involved in dance and the arts, before it is too late. He also said that through dance, we can unite the world. After the dance concert (both times), Patrick hosted a gala reception at the Detroit Athletic Club to raise money for Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Patrick gave autographs and pictures.