Baby Was A Real Person
When writer, Eleanor Bergstein, was asked to conceive a story for a new screenplay, she paused to look back at her own experiences. Curating her past, this one experience she had with a dance instructor stood out, and she made this the foundation of Baby’s story; essentially the first draft had been stowed in her mind for years.
Eleanor’s nickname as a young girl was Baby, and that name quickly transitioned into the character. Adding more details to Baby, she was Jewish, and her family was from Brooklyn, taking a regular summer vacation in the Catskill Mountains. Her father was a doctor. She liked to dance. She even competed in dance competitions at the time, and the story goes on closely interwoven with the writer’s own childhood.
She Was A Mambo Queen
Writer Eleanor Bergstein has a zest for life she likes to translate into dance steps. Back in her time, she used to participate in dance contests at local dance halls, and parties. She was specifically fond of the Mambo, and she thought about it while writing the Dirty Dancing story.
Mambo has its origins in Cuba, and is considered by those with conservative views to be salacious. Not wanting to become too suggestive, the producers considered changing the title of the movie to I Was a Teenage Mambo Queen, but it sounded awkward, and they eventually decided against it.
On-Set Fighting
The filming of Dirty Dancing was initially spoiled by many challenges. First off, the two main stars just couldn’t stand each other right from the outset. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey both worked together in Red Dawn, a story about the United States being invaded by the Soviets, and the two were almost like that on the set.
Their performances were marred with tension, and they simply couldn’t get along. It is a testament to their professionalism how they would eventually overcome their personal differences to work on the story as if they really were in love, convincing millions of viewers of their supposed shared affection.
Not Really The Catskills
The story of the film revolves around the Catskills. Baby and her family would take a summer vacation there to enjoy its provincial scenery. The mountain ranges are located in the southern region of New York state, overlooking the city bustle from a peaceful vantage point.
In reality, the movie was actually filmed somewhere else to save on expenses. The set was put up in Virginia to give it a similar feel, and time wasn’t on their side. Summer was about to end, and the stage crew had to paint the leaves as it began to adapt to autumn. They planted more foliage, spray painted it with green to make it all look summery still.
Corny Lines
The Dirty Dancing movie was known for many things, including its being a number one source of romantic quotes. The line “Nobody puts baby in a corner,” was a heavy favorite among its fans that had girls swooning over their versions of Johnny in the private resorts of their minds.
However, Patrick Swayze, the actor who actually spoke that beloved line hated it. In his autobiography in 2009, he said that he could hardly stomach saying those words because “it sounded so corny.”