14 Surprising Facts About Dirty Dancing

Released on August 21, 1987, nobody—neither Patrick Swayze nor Jennifer Grey—could have anticipated the cultural phenomenon that Dirty Dancing would become. Thirty years later, we’re still reminiscing about its passionate choreography, unforgettable soundtrack of classic hits, and the famous line about not putting Baby in a corner. Here are some lesser-known but fascinating facts about the legendary film, which grossed almost $215 million worldwide.

1. PATRICK SWAYZE THOUGHT DIRTY DANCING'S LONGEVITY CAME FROM ITS SOUL.

In a conversation with AFI, Swayze shared his thoughts on why Dirty Dancing has remained relevant for so long. “It’s all about the heart,” he explained. “It’s not about the sensuality; it’s about people discovering who they are—like this young dance teacher who feels like he’s just a product, and this young woman trying to figure out her identity in a world of limitations, with such a unique perspective. On a deeper level, it’s about the sweet, funky Jewish girl winning over the guy because of what’s in her heart.”

2. THE FILM GAVE NEWMAN HIS BREAKOUT MOVIE ROLE.

Before playing Stan, the resort’s social director, Wayne Knight had minor roles in a few TV films, including an uncredited appearance in the post-apocalyptic drama The Day After. Dirty Dancing gave him the exposure that ultimately led to his iconic role as Newman on Seinfeld in 1992.

3. BILL MEDLEY THOUGHT HE WAS RECORDING A SONG FOR A “CHEESY PORNO.”

Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes recorded the vocals for the Oscar-winning hit “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” Medley recalled to Songfacts that music supervisor Jimmy Ienner contacted him about gathering tracks for the movie. “It sounds like a cheesy porno film,” Medley remarked. Initially skeptical, Medley turned down the song because his wife was pregnant. However, Ienner convinced him to record it a few months later, even though Medley doubted the film's success.

“We just came in to record together, not knowing it was going to be the biggest hit of the year. It’s still hard to believe,” Medley said. The song went on to sell over 500,000 copies, and Medley later named his memoir The Time of My Life. (Fun fact: The film was actually the 11th highest-grossing of 1987; Three Men and a Baby claimed the top spot.)

4. PAUL FEIG STARRED IN A DIRTY DANCING TV SPINOFF.

Dirty Dancing became a short-lived TV series in 1988, lasting only 11 episodes. However, it introduced audiences to emerging stars like Paul Feig (creator of Freaks and Geeks and director of Bridesmaids) and Melora Hardin (Jan Levinson from The Office). Hardin played Baby, but with the surname Kellerman, because her father in the series was Max Kellerman, not Dr. Houseman. CBS even used “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” for the show’s opening credits.

5. A DIRTY DANCING REALITY SHOW AIRS OVERSEAS.

Between 2007 and 2008, the UK's Living network aired a reality show called Dirty Dancing: The Time of Your Life. In this two-season competition, groups of dancers vied for a one-year contract with Bloc, a prestigious Los Angeles dance agency. The show took place at Virginia’s Mountain Lake Lodge, where much of the original film was shot. Contestants performed in front of three judges, including Miranda Garrison, who portrayed Vivian Pressman in the film and also served as an assistant choreographer.

6. MOUNTAIN LAKE LODGE REGULARLY HOSTS DIRTY DANCING WEEKENDS.

The Pembroke, Virginia resort, famous for hosting many of the Kellerman’s scenes, regularly offers Dirty Dancing-themed weekends throughout the year. Activities include themed dinners, a sock hop, a movie screening, a watermelon toss, group dance lessons, and even a Dirty Dancing scavenger hunt, among many other exciting events.

7. ELEANOR BERGSTEIN WROTE ANOTHER DANCE FILM AFTER DIRTY DANCING.

After penning the script for Dirty Dancing, Eleanor Bergstein went on to write and direct another film in 1995. She created Let It Be Me, starring Jennifer Beals and Campbell Scott. Though she hasn’t directed or written any other films since then, she successfully adapted Dirty Dancing into a popular stage production.

8. BERGSTEIN SAYS EASTERN EUROPE LOVES DIRTY DANCING.

In a 2006 interview with The Guardian, Bergstein shared how Dirty Dancing became popular in the former Eastern Bloc. “In Russia, when a woman arrives at a battered women’s shelter, they first care for her wounds and offer her soup. Then, they sit her down and play Dirty Dancing for her. When the Berlin Wall fell, there were images of children in Dirty Dancing T-shirts, saying, ‘We want what they have in the West! We want Dirty Dancing!’”

9. PENNY BRIEFLY BECAME A POP STAR IN THE LATE 1980s.

Cynthia Rhodes, known for her role as Tina Tech in Flashdance (1983) and as John Travolta’s love interest in Staying Alive the same year, gained even more attention for playing Penny, Johnny Castle’s partner in Dirty Dancing. A couple of years after the movie, she married singer Richard Marx (who she later divorced) and briefly filled in as the lead singer for the L.A. pop band Animotion, famous for their hits “Room to Move” and “Obsession.”

10. JENNIFER GREY PLAYED A VERSION OF HERSELF ON THE SITCOM IT’S LIKE, YOU KNOW...

The brief ABC sitcom (1999-2000) had Grey playing a member of a Seinfeld-esque crew, but with Los Angeles standing in for New York City. Grey embraced self-mockery, even poking fun at her nose job and Dirty Dancing fame. In one episode, Arthur (Chris Eigeman) meets “Jennifer Grey” and remarks, “Oh, like the actress. Dirty Dancing. You spell it the same way as her?” “I am Jennifer Grey,” she replies, performing a dance to prove it. “You look different,” he says. “Nose job!” she blurts. “Just one?” he responds. (She’d had two.)

11. GREY WAS SURPRISED TO BE PART OF THE FILM CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE.

In the 2012 rom-com Crazy, Stupid, Love., Ryan Gosling uses the iconic Dirty Dancing lift to win Emma Stone’s character over. As Grey watched the scene, she was caught off guard. “I’m such a fan of Ryan Gosling, and suddenly he’s saying my name [in the movie],” she told Yahoo!. “I was just sitting in the theater with my husband, and I looked at him like, ‘Oh my God, Ryan Gosling just said my name. What’s going on?’ I was so scared. I thought, ‘Oh no. What are they going to do?’ Then, there I was, part of their movie.”

12. BORSCHT BELT RESORTS LIKE KELLERMAN’S ARE FADING AWAY.

The Catskills and upstate New York, home to resorts like Kellerman’s, formed what was known as the Borscht Belt, a haven for Jewish-American families from the 1920s to the 1980s, peaking in the 1950s and ’60s. Comedians such as Joan Rivers and Jerry Seinfeld launched their careers in these resorts. However, since the 1990s, many of these resorts have closed down.

13. TWO FILMMAKERS CREATED A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE RESORT THAT INSPIRED KELLERMAN’S.

For more than a century, the Monticello, New York-based Kutsher’s Hotel and Country Club hosted Jewish-American families every summer. Wilt Chamberlain worked as a bellhop there, and according to filmmakers Caroline Laskow and Ian Rosenberg, the husband-and-wife duo behind Welcome to Kutsher’s: The Last Catskills Resort, it also helped inspire Dirty Dancing.

“Maybe Hollywood took what was true about the Catskills and adapted it for their own needs, but ... [Hollywood] was simply replicating what was already here,” Rosenberg told ABC News. One of the last remaining resorts of the Catskills’ Borscht Belt, Kutsher’s closed in 2013 and was sold to a billionaire who plans to replace it with a $250 million yoga and wellness center. At least the documentary serves as a tribute to the golden age of dance and escape.

14. A DIRTY DANCING REMAKE WAS RELEASED EARLIER THIS YEAR.

Rumors of a Dirty Dancing remake had been circulating in Hollywood for a few years, and earlier this year, it finally came to life. The film, starring Abigail Breslin as Baby, did not receive particularly favorable reviews. “Somehow, this well-meaning, bland remake has managed to extract the magic—leaving the story and iconic lines intact while draining the subtlety, charm, and lead chemistry that made the 1987 original unforgettable,” wrote Entertainment Weekly about the remake.