# Travolta's Movie Dances **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 15, 2004, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307 "2004-10-15T02:57:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![widdleytinks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a4c791/32.png) [@widdleytinks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdleytinks)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/1 "2004-10-15T02:57:10Z")
Has anyone here noticed that John Travolta dances at least once in everyone of his flicks? Can anyone name one that he **hasn’t** danced in? widdley ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/2 "2004-10-15T03:05:47Z")
I haven’t seen it – but please, Dear Og, tell me he didn’t dance in **Battlefield Earth** / ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/3 "2004-10-15T09:51:25Z")
I haven’t seen many of them in a long time but I don’t recall him dancing in quite a few. I had started on but deleted my first post and said heck with it. Here’s a list of his movies and maybe we can all take part and cross 'em off together. I haven’t seen all of them so I can’t say anything about some of them. I’m pretty sure about the ones I’ve marked. Maybe on the question marks. and I know I’m probably just wrong about one or two…the old brain cells ain’t what they used to be. 😉 •Ladder 49 (2004) • A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004) • The Punisher (2004) **no** • Basic (2003) **no** • Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) • Domestic Disturbance (2001) • Swordfish (2001) • Battlefield Earth (2000) **no** • The General’s Daughter (1999) **no** • Lucky Numbers (1999) • A Civil Action (1998) • Primary Colors (1998) **yes** • The Thin Red Line (1998) **no** • Face/Off (1997) **?** • Mad City (1997) • She’s So Lovely (1997) • Broken Arrow (1996) • Michael (1996) **yes** • Phenomenon (1996) **?** • Get Shorty (1995) **?** • White Man’s Burden (1995) • Pulp Fiction (1994) **yes** • Look Who’s Talking Now (1993) • Chains of Gold (1992) • Look Who’s Talking Too (1991) • Shout (1991) • The Dumb Waiter (1989) • The Experts (1989) • Eyes of an Angel (1989) • Look Who’s Talking (1989) • Perfect (1985) **?** • Staying Alive (1983) **yes** • Two of a Kind (1983) **?** • Blow Out (1981) **no** • Urban Cowboy (1980) **yes** • Grease (1978) **yes** • Saturday Night Fever (1977) **yes** • The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976) **no** • Carrie (1976) • The Devil’s Rain (1975) Well, what’dya think? 😉 I believe I can at least say that Travolta doesn’t always dance in his movies. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/4 "2004-10-15T10:46:40Z")
It’s not him dancing, it’s the thetans. P.S. _The Devil’s Rain_ was an ensemble cast tour-de-force! ---
**Author:** ![Jenny\_Haniver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Jenny\_Haniver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenny_Haniver)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/5 "2004-10-15T13:44:54Z")
There is dancing in _Ladder 49_ - not fancily, but the other characters comment on what a good dancer he is, so I think it counts. Pretty sure there’s no dancing in _Broken Arrow_ or _Get Shorty_. He does dance in _Look Who’s Talking_ - didn’t see the sequels, but in the first one I’m pretty sure he dances with Kristie Alley, and he definitely dances with Bruce Willis. (er, the baby, that is.) ---
**Author:** ![Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kel_Varnsen_Latex_Division)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/6 "2004-10-15T14:12:15Z")
Travolta is all about the dance. He could be sitting perfectly still and the man would still be dancing. Dance on John. Dance on. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/7 "2004-10-23T10:13:09Z")
I don’t remember Travolta being in **Goldmember**. Are you sure he was? IMDB doesn’t have him listed. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/8 "2004-10-23T10:37:23Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > I don’t remember Travolta being in **Goldmember**. Are you sure he was? IMDB doesn’t have him listed. That’s where I got the list from. I’ll see if I can cite this. JT has been in a lot of films for brief cameos. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/9 "2004-10-23T10:50:37Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > I don’t remember Travolta being in **Goldmember**. Are you sure he was? IMDB doesn’t have him listed. At the very end of the film he appears as the character, Goldmember, in the “movie version”. He tells everyone that he is from Holland and asks “Isn’t that weird?”. He’s on screen for less than 20 seconds and, yes, he dances. [lagniappe] Once a friend and I went to see a movie and the theatre was packed. We got there early but still couldn’t find any good seats, the lights hadn’t even gone down yet and the theatre was full. We searched and searched: “Are those seats taken?” “Yes.” “Are those seats taken?” “Yes.” Finally, as we are down front looking back at the entire seating area, I see two empty seats way in the back. I dart up the isle, looking only at the seats- keeping my eyes on the empty seats! As I get to the back I only take my eyes from the seats at the last moment to ask the person sitting in that row if those seats are taken. I’ve already begun speaking the request as I move my eyes from the empty seats to person sitting next to them. “Are those seats taken?” “Yes.” “O.K., Thanks.” I turn to walk back down the isle to meet up with my friend, who is still making his way up the isle. To my friend: “Do you know who I just asked for his seats?” “Who?” “John Travolta.” We ended up having to sit way at the front all the way over to the side, so that we were looking at the screen sideways and the picture looked all distorted. I suspect John Travolta didn’t have anyone coming for those seats- he just wanted extra space to dance! [/lagniappe] ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/10 "2004-10-23T11:07:09Z")
> **[John Travolta - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000237/)** > > John Travolta, Actor: Pulp Fiction. John Joseph Travolta was born in Englewood, New Jersey, one of six children of Helen Travolta (née Helen Cecilia Burke) and Salvatore/Samuel J. Travolta. His father was of Italian descent and his mother was of... Look down in the filmography (as himself). BTW the top list from which this came has changed. The credit for his part in _Goldmember_ was included when I posted this list. It has since been moved to the cameo listing at the bottom. I didn’t see the movie, so I couldn’t say but I see that **bienville** has already referenced his role in the film so there ya go. 😉 Take a look at all of the TV roles he’s been in. The man has been around. Regarding the change of credit listing at the imdb. You think somebody there reads this board? I’ve noticed lately that a lot of reference sites appear to change their data as the mistakes are found and noted at _The Dope_. I think this board has some influence out there that we underestimate. I’ve been following a couple of stories lately that seem to reflect the discussions or debates going on here. I could cite one that is practically word for word as one thread I’ve been following. I don’t know for sure though, perhaps they just have been using the same cites? It’s damned eerie sometimes. BTW: Having grown up in the 70’s myself and in the thick of the disco era. Yeah, he’s got the dance in his blood. We all did/do. shake, shake, shake…shake, shake, shake… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/11 "2004-10-23T11:10:10Z")
I see. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/12 "2004-10-23T13:09:06Z")
> [@](#): > > I think this board has some influence out there that we underestimate. I’ve been following a couple of stories lately that seem to reflect the discussions or debates going on here. I could cite one that is practically word for word as one thread I’ve been following. I don’t know for sure though, perhaps they just have been using the same cites? It’s damned eerie sometimes. You go to other websites? ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/13 "2009-09-16T14:56:08Z")
> [@t-keela](#): > > I haven’t seen many of them in a long time but I don’t recall him dancing in quite a few. I had started on but deleted my first post and said heck with it. Here’s a list of his movies and maybe we can all take part and cross 'em off together. I haven’t seen all of them so I can’t say anything about some of them. I’m pretty sure about the ones I’ve marked. Maybe on the question marks. and I know I’m probably just wrong about one or two…the old brain cells ain’t what they used to be. 😉 > > •Ladder 49 (2004) > > • A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004) > > • The Punisher (2004) **no** > > • Basic (2003) **no** > > • Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) > > • Domestic Disturbance (2001) > > • Swordfish (2001) > > • Battlefield Earth (2000) **no** > > • The General’s Daughter (1999) **no** > > • Lucky Numbers (1999) > > • A Civil Action (1998) > > • Primary Colors (1998) **yes** > > • The Thin Red Line (1998) **no** > > • Face/Off (1997) **?** > > • Mad City (1997) > > • She’s So Lovely (1997) > > • Broken Arrow (1996) > > • Michael (1996) **yes** > > • Phenomenon (1996) **?** > > • Get Shorty (1995) **?** > > • White Man’s Burden (1995) > > • Pulp Fiction (1994) **yes** > > • Look Who’s Talking Now (1993) > > • Chains of Gold (1992) > > • Look Who’s Talking Too (1991) > > • Shout (1991) > > • The Dumb Waiter (1989) > > • The Experts (1989) > > • Eyes of an Angel (1989) > > • Look Who’s Talking (1989) > > • Perfect (1985) **?** > > • Staying Alive (1983) **yes** > > • Two of a Kind (1983) **?** > > • Blow Out (1981) **no** > > • Urban Cowboy (1980) **yes** > > • Grease (1978) **yes** > > • Saturday Night Fever (1977) **yes** > > • The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976) **no** > > • Carrie (1976) > > • The Devil’s Rain (1975) > > Well, what’dya think? 😉 > I believe I can at least say that Travolta doesn’t always dance in his movies. Carrie - **YES**. He is slow dancing at the prom. Phenomenom - **YES**. He dances with his dog on the porch. Get Shorty - No, but in… Be Cool, **YES**. Austin Powers: Goldmember - NO. John Travolta only had a cameo at the end. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/14 "2009-09-16T15:30:57Z")
• A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004) **yes** , and a great movie • The Experts (1989) **yes** , with future wife Kelly Preston ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/15 "2009-09-16T15:39:05Z")
I think I saw him in the _Thriller_ video, dancing like a zombie. (Reported) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travoltas-movie-dances/269307/16 "2009-09-16T15:41:08Z")
Heh. Yup, I’m gonna close this zombie.