More than 30 years later, Dirty Dancing continues to hold its position among the most outstanding films ever. But while we were awed by the way Patrick lifted Jennifer, there is a whole other movie to be made by what was going on behind the scenes, and we'll tell you all about it!

Strong Tension Existed Between The Main Stars

Patrick was trained in classical ballet among other forms of dance. After all, he took the best dance class - courtesy of his mom. He started his entertainment career as a dancer, while Jennifer had some dance training herself. The two had worked together previously in the 1984 film Red Dawn, but Jennifer wasn't thrilled to work with him again. He had to talk her into accepting the part.

This Is Why There Were No Closeup Shots in the Famous Lift Scene

The lifting scene was shot in at a lake in North Carolina. In October, the water temperature is downright frigid. If you had asked the actors, they could have confirmed it because their lips were blue from the icy waters, but they still had to give a perfect smile. That was why no close-up shots were done of them.

A Huge Age Gap

Even though Patrick wanted Jennifer to portray Baby for the full movie, she still had to show that she could do it, as the character was a decade younger than Jennifer's actual age.

Apparently, she didn't need more than five minutes to convince everyone that she was indeed the actress for the part, which turned out to be a career-making one for her. 

They Made More Money They What They Could Handle

The right production choice was made to show Dirty Dancing in theaters. The movie almost never made it past a rough cut. So the film, which had cost $5M to produce, had impressive earnings of $214M globally!

It was a smash hit! This figure alone could attest to the fact that they created a cult classic. Even after more than 30 years later, Dirty Dancing would still be ranked as having a place among the best.

The Film Wasn't Made Where We Thought

The film wasn't actually made in New York. A small part was done in North Carolina, and the rest was filmed in Virginia. It was shot during the autumn months, therefore it was much cooler than what the actors had led us to believe.

Also, the foliage wasn't as green as the producers had anticipated. So to make viewers believe that it was filmed in the summertime, they sprayed them with green paint.

Grey's Father Was a Cabaret Dancer

One thing that became certain was that when Grey took on the part of Baby, she earned the fame she received with all her skills and talents as an actress and dancer. But with her dad being an entertainer as well, we have to acknowledge that the family apparently possesses the relevant DNA for this sort of talent.

Joel Grey, her dad, is an iconic Cabaret entertainer, therefore, it's possible that he tutored her in certain things during her growing years. However, one thing's for sure, this family can dance and understand how to fully entertain an audience.

Johnny and Baby Were Doing It On Stage

The film Dirty Dancing was modified by none other than the screenwriter and co-producer herself, Eleanor Bergstein. She adapted it into a stage musical in 2004 and called it Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage. As with the movie, the play was extremely successful in Europe, Chicago, and Toronto, making money in the process.

It still remains for it to be shown on Broadway; however, lovers of the movie were able to view their beloved film as a musical stage production. And any reason to again enjoy the chemistry between Johnny and Baby is good enough for us.

The Unplanned Move That Stole The Show

There was a segment in the film in which Baby and Johnny crawled toward each other. This wasn't a part of the script and wasn't supposed to be in it at the onset. Believe it or not, the performers were doing it in preparation to do their scenes and it gave the directors an idea.

They so loved it that they could visualize it as a possible segment and opted to include it. It made the final cut into the completed movie and became one of the most famous scenes. There are times when improvising a little can have a big impact. In this case, it was like gold.

Sarah Jessica Parker Almost Got the Lead Role

Joining with the various optimistic women who tried out for the lead part of Baby, Failure to Launch star, Sarah Jessica Parker did a screen test as well. This was before she did some of the on-screen productions that she became so famous for.

Now, we do love Sarah in her many and varied screen roles, however, the only actress that we can envision portraying that character is Jennifer Grey. Hence, we are happy that none compared to or bested her during the auditions. The electricity between Patrick and Jennifer could not be matched. 

Swayze Surprised the Cast

Along with playing Johnny, the lead character in the film with the hot hairstyle, Swayze gave his skills in another area of Dirty Dancing as well. It's the norm for most movies that actors just focus on their character, but apparently, Patrick was really phenomenal.

Apart from being an amazing actor, he was responsible for the tune She’s Like The Wind, which was in one of the tracks on the album for the movie. And get this, Swayze and Stacy Widelitz wrote this song, and Swayze was the singer. When they picked him to play the leading man role, they absolutely made the right choice.

Refused to Shoot a Sequel Despite Huge Pressure

With the film Dirty Dancing turning out to be a big earner at the box-office and a global sensation, understandably, the discussion turned to them creating a follow-up movie. But apparently, Swayze totally disliked the concept of part two and therefore refused the proposal to do a movie follow-up.

The proposal wasn't just a regular one, as it would have given him a sizable addition to the cash he already had in the bank. He would have received $6M to play Johnny again in creating part two of the movie, however, he gave a firm no.

The Title That Almost Tanked The Movie

In the more recent decades of movie history, Dirty Dancing is among the best-known ones, and we barely give its title a thought. However, not so for the screenwriters who almost used a totally separate name. Writer Eleanor Bergstein unveiled the fact that A Teenage Mumba Teen was almost used.

The rationale behind using this proposed name was that with the name Dirty Dancing, they had problems taking it beyond the US-Canada border, and they needed to solve this, perhaps through their lawyers. The border officials imagined a different storyline and believed the movie to be somewhat of an adult movie with the name it had.

The TV Show That Failed

After the movie Dirty Dancing came out, a cast-off television series was made. As the film proved itself in becoming a raging success in the cinemas, it shocked no one that a modification of it became a TV series, in the hopes of garnering a similar reception.

This program aired for the first time in '88 starring popular actors like Melora Hardin and Paul Feig. It ended after 11 shows. Yes, you read that right; prior to being Jan on the TV sitcom, The Office, Hardin danced her heels off portraying Baby on the small screen.

The Movie Was So Nice They Had To Have It Twice

Factually, the 2004 movie Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights is a Dirty Dancing reboot. Not surprisingly, it doesn't hold the same distinction as the genuine one, nor are the main characters the same. But the choreographer of the dance segments was the individual from the original movie, and it was very rewarding.

The remake is loaded with good-looking actors, sultry segments, and Latin beats. The fashion selected for the cast was rather nice, and the movie demonstrated that it was one well worth seeing, although it took a different path from the genuine one. 

Their Personal Feelings Kept Erupting

In spite of the electricity between Swayze and Grey as Johnny and Baby, the two were at odds with each other when the camera stopped rolling. Patrick related at one point that they did have times of momentary conflict when they were exhausted from shooting all day long.

He said Grey appeared to be somewhat emotional, and occasionally would cry if she received criticism. Patrick also spoke about what he called her witless moods in which she'd simply begin laughing, which meant that retakes of segments had to be repeatedly done.

The Part Was Tailor-Made For Him

At the start, the movie's producers visualized an Italian-American character (maybe olive-skinned with dark hair) for Johnny and discussed offering the part to actor Billy Zane, whose eventual role in the film Titanic brought him fame. But while doing the audition, they realized his dancing wasn't what they were looking for.

Patrick, however, had all the right moves. He had, of course, among other things, been a dancer with the production Disney On Parade during the 1970s. So the producers dismissed the concept of an Italian Johnny and went with Irish Johnny instead to make Patrick fit the persona better.

Grey's Idol Became Her Fan

Many celebrities and non-celebs alike would still be mesmerized by Jennifer Grey years later. Jennifer, who saw the movie Crazy, Stupid, Love, was amazed to see actor Ryan Gosling do the lift from Dirty Dancing and hear him say her name as he romanced actress Emma Stone.

Grey was stunned when it happened. She admitted to being a huge Gosling fan and said that she was in a cinema with her spouse watching the film and suddenly she heard her name. She turned to him and in disbelief noted what she had just heard. That must have made her smile ear to ear!

Mrs. Schumacher's Role Was Offered To Dr. Ruth

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the well-known psychotherapist, was the one who was initially approached by the Dirty Dancing production team to portray Mrs. Schumacher. At first, her thoughts were that she would do it. However, when it occurred to her that her image as a therapist might suffer as a result, she gave the matter further thought.

In real life, her job is to help people care for their mental health. And, as the character in the film was a thief, Dr. Ruth concluded that this wasn't a role she should play as it might be detrimental to her professionally in the coming years. So Paula Trueman got the part instead.

The Inspiration For The Name Fell From The Creator's Lips

The producers had the same idea about the film prior to trying to put the script together, but then when they began to develop it, things just wouldn't gel. Eventually, Lisa Gottlieb, the producer, had Eleanor Bergstein talk about her life.

Bergstein related that her dad was a doctor, and during her formative years, she lived in Brooklyn. She also said that during that time, she did dirty dancing on the other side of the tracks. That sentence struck a connection with Lisa who called it a million-dollar movie name, and the key to the story's creation.

The Grooving Was Secondary To The Social Commentary

During an interview, Patrick explained the real background tale of Dirty Dancing. He said that it wasn't about the sultriness of the main characters but about individuals attempting to understand who they really were. There was that youthful dance teacher who felt that he was only a product of his circumstances.

Then there was the youthful woman attempting to figure herself out against a background of social limitations when her understanding of life was so wonderful. To a certain extent, the full movie told the story of this amazing, jazzy Jewish young woman finding her guy as a result of her heart's state.

She Would Always Be Free

The defiant lines that in effect exclaimed that no one was allowed to sideline Baby, were probably among the most iconic parts in the whole film. However, it was said that it didn't impress Patrick. It seemed that he hated it to the extent of asking that it be taken out of the movie but the production group held their ground.

Following the release of the movie though, Swayze started speaking differently about it when he saw that it tied in so beautifully with the completed production. He had to agree, though hesitatingly, that leaving it in was the better option. Well, the earnings and audience reception should more than attest to that.

Her Laughing Was A Regular Thing

As with a number of films, several of those brief periods of time that we saw on the screen were not in the script. One such was the segment in which Baby went into peals of laughter when tickled by Johnny.

In actuality, Jennifer was really quite ticklish, so it was impossible for her to prevent herself from laughing even while filming was in progress. It made us smile, but the annoyance Johnny showed was Patrick's real reaction to Jennifer's laugh. The production group loved it and chose to include it.

She Had Some Tough Pals

There were talks to determine if the partners that Bergstein had as a young woman couldn't have had roles in the movie. She explained that it wasn't possible because they were either on parole or serving prison sentences, as the community was that violent.

Though the men couldn't have been in the movie themselves, them being so animated as dancers elevated the movie's genuineness, and was among the main reasons why the film became so legendary. The movie costumes for dance sessions were so sizzling that they also helped in capturing our attention.

The Time Of His Life

Singer Bill Medley sure had his doubts at first, but his resolve to cut the theme track for the movie absolutely altered his existence. He benefited to such an extent, that he seemed to think that Swayze was his rabbit's foot, because three years after this, he cut one more track for a movie that Swayze starred in.

Bill loaned his vocals to the movie Ghost, a classic romance production in which actress Demi Moore starred along with Patrick. The Righteous Brothers' song, Unchained Melody played in the pottery segment. Bill wrote a book about his life called The Time of My Life, in 2014.

The Theme Track Scored Big

In '87, the track (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life saw 50,000 copies of it sold, after the movie came out, taking it to the first spot on the charts. Then at the Grammy Awards, the tune was recognized when Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley were honored for having the best pop entertainment with singing by a group or two persons.

In addition, during the Academy Awards in '88, the screenwriters for Dirty Dancing received an Oscar award for their original tune. Medley, the singer, was probably feeling ecstatic. It must have been a relief after all his initial anxiety.

Project Movie Re-showing Was A Go

A decade following the initial release of Dirty Dancing in the cinemas, a group of fans expressed a wish to give the younger age group the opportunity to view it in the theaters. Amazingly, late-night host, Conan O’Brien was the man leading the initiative.

Conan stirred up people to send letters calling for the movie to be released once more. His crusade actually achieved success, and the movie was shown once more in cinemas to commemorate the 10th year of its release. And would you believe that Twitter, let alone Social Media marketing didn't even exist when he did it?!

The Basic Story Was About Her

Eleanor Bergstein, the writer of the script for Dirty Dancing, did it with her personal life as the basis. Also, she wrote the plot to inspire herself. In her lifetime, she too went to the Catskills, had 'Baby' as her moniker, and was taught to dance at the fêtes she attended.

No doubt she was the Baby who wouldn't be relegated to any corner after her skilled script-writing and the production of this phenomenal, money-making film. Additionally, in '95, Bergstein became a film director,  who penned Let It Be Me. However, from that time on, she hasn't served as a film director.

"What Is This Movie About Anyway?"

In the same way that there were split seconds in the movie that earned legendary status, the song Time Of My Life did as well. That popular tune became solidly associated with the movie, but unbelievably, songwriter/singer Bill Medley initially didn't want to record the song.

For Swayze, it gave people the impression of being a cheesy adult movie. Thankfully, with the director's influence, Medley recorded the tune which augmented the movie's appeal and vice versa. And we know that Medley most likely has no regrets or about being associated with it, especially as his career and bank account benefited a lot from it

Yet Another Form Of The Movie...

The United Kingdom came up with their own reality TV show version of Dirty Dancing and began showing it in 2007. It was called Dirty Dancing: The Time of Your Life, and it was, in essence, a dance contest. A plus for the contestants was that the judges were the film's actors.

This cast-off program only ran for a couple of years and wasn't approved for the third season. It would appear that the dance moves on Dirty Dancing were choreographed mainly for the movie and on reality television, the concept had a lukewarm reception. 

A Production Churned Out Unbelievably Fast

Back then, the production team had a really short filming timetable so the actors had just a couple of weeks to rehearse. The majority of us would probably require way in excess of 14 days to pull off lifting an individual up above our heads with such grace and ease.

However, Grey and Swayze perfected the famous lift without any effort. It took 44 days, for this whole movie to be shot and comparing this to the majority of films in Tinsel Town, that duration was extremely short. It makes sense that a reduced period for filming helps contribute to bigger cinema earnings, especially if the movie does great at the box office!