# Why are 'they' trying to convince us that "Dirty Dancing" is some sort of 'classic'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 16, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363 "2007-04-16T17:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/1 "2007-04-16T17:51:00Z")
Perhaps it’s me, but doesn’t there seem to be some bizarro campaign to turn this stupid film into some sort of defining “event” that we experienced back in 1987? There’s the special re-release occurring this year, for 2 days only (buy your tix now!!!). There was the 10th anniversary release back in 1997. There’s the UK musical. There’s the endless showings of the thing on cable. There’s that time spent where Turner was billing the thing as a “New Classic”. There’s… There’s me going “WTF”? Anybody want to take a shot at explaining this to me? Or am I the only one with this impression? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/2 "2007-04-16T17:53:44Z")
Um, because “they” want “our” “money”. Pretty simple, really. (And that movie? Guilty pleasure. I might actually pay to see it in the theater again for nostalgia’s sake, if it’s playing by me. But I’ve never seen the stage shows or any of that. Did buy the soundracks on vinyl back in the day. One \*and \*two. But I was 12, so I believe some slack is on order to be cut.) ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/3 "2007-04-16T17:56:29Z")
If you were a girl aged 10-15 when it was first released, it was a pretty huge deal. The movie played at every slumber party for several years afterward, and everyone had the soundtrack. It’s a guilty pleasure now, but many girls have fond memories of it. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/4 "2007-04-16T17:57:11Z")
Obviously. **whynot**. But why “Dirty Dancing”? Why not “Moonstruck” or “Fatal Attraction” or “The Untouchables”? Is there some sort of big “Dirty Dancing” fanbase that I’m completely out of the loop on? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/5 "2007-04-16T18:18:08Z")
[QUOTE=JohnT] Is there some sort of big “Dirty Dancing” fanbase that I’m completely out of the loop on? [/QUOTE] Yeah, I think I’m in the middle of it. As \*\*cbawlmer \*\*says, it was a 10-15 year old girl thing, so anyone who’s in their thirties and early forties now - career women and housewives just beginning to feel “old” and wondering where their Johnny went, or why he never showed up. With, of course, disposable income to go along with that romantic ennui and self-loathing. ---
**Author:** ![Adoptamom\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Adoptamom\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adoptamom_II)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/6 "2007-04-16T18:23:30Z")
Not only did I enjoy the original movie, but it has been a favorite of all five of my daughters. It still comes out on rainy Sunday afternoons, or for sleepovers, or anytime we want to admire Patrick Swayze’s butt 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/7 "2007-04-16T18:25:36Z")
I’ll fess up. I loved this movie. Now I can’t even watch it, it’s so corny. But Patrick Swayze was my big crush as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/8 "2007-04-16T18:28:31Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] Yeah, I think I’m in the middle of it. As \*\*cbawlmer \*\*says, it was a 10-15 year old girl thing, so anyone who’s in their thirties and early forties now - career women and housewives just beginning to feel “old” and wondering where their Johnny went, or why he never showed up. With, of course, disposable income to go along with that romantic ennui and self-loathing. [/QUOTE] Nah, for me it’s a mix of nostalgia, my enjoyment of the movie’s heavy cheeze factor, and my love of movies where people learn to dance. As a kid, I never wanted Johnny, but I did want to dance and feel sexy and touch boys in a general sense. The biggest thing that made a lot of girls love it back when the movie was new was that so many of our parents forbade us to see it. I mean, it had “dirty” right in the title! ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/9 "2007-04-16T18:50:20Z")
I’m a lot older than the target audience for _Dirty Dancing_, but I have quite a bit of nostalgia for it. Gee, I miss Jennifer Grey’s real nose. She’s almost unrecognizable now. ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/10 "2007-04-16T18:56:06Z")
Well, while I won’t be lining up to see _Dirty Dancing_, if they re-released _Footloose_ you can bet that I’d almost certainly go see that in a theater. That was a fun as hell movie _grin_…now to go practice my flying side kick. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/11 "2007-04-16T19:01:52Z")
Because I lost my virginity after going to see this movie in the theater and by god everyone is going to celebrate the passing of my youth with me whether you like it or not!! ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/12 "2007-04-16T19:07:57Z")
[QUOTE=ShelliBean] Because I lost my virginity after going to see this movie in the theater and by god everyone is going to celebrate the passing of my youth with me whether you like it or not!! [/QUOTE] OMG, my parents were right about this movie! :eek: 😃 I know at least two guys who lost theirs after watching it with their girlfriends on video. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/13 "2007-04-16T19:12:23Z")
It was a crappy movie. Boring and predictable. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/14 "2007-04-16T19:19:43Z")
A friend of mine worked in a video store when it came out on VHS (Gee, remember _those?_) and he said people would get in fights over the damn thing. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/15 "2007-04-16T19:19:55Z")
[QUOTE=ShelliBean] Because I lost my virginity after going to see this movie in the theater and by god everyone is going to celebrate the passing of my youth with me whether you like it or not!! [/QUOTE] Hell, for me it was \*Freejack \* with Mick Jagger and Emilio Estevez. And that ain’t enough for me to declare that turd a classic. ---
**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/16 "2007-04-16T21:20:11Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] It was a crappy movie. Boring and predictable. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but she carried a _watermelon_! (I’m sorry, but for us it’s just one of those things where you turn to your friends and quote something from the movie. And crap or not, we’ll be watching it at times, and I’m going to sing along with Mr. Kellerman, and I’m going to boo and hiss when I see the EVIL Shoemakers for the first time, and of course we’re all yelling: “Nobody puts Baby in a corner!” - it’s a bit like a performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show) ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/17 "2007-04-16T21:35:53Z")
I don’t know why anybody would need to own this on DVD. It’s on television \*all the time. \* It’s a running joke in my family, when checking the TV listings, to notice what time “Dirty Dancing” is on today. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/18 "2007-04-16T21:50:13Z")
[QUOTE=randwill] It’s on television \*all the time. \* [/QUOTE] Somebody on these boards once postulated that **HBO** stood for **Hey, _Beastmaster_’s On!** ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/19 "2007-04-16T21:50:21Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] It was a crappy movie. Boring and predictable. [/QUOTE] [Grouchy Smurf!](http://www.freeavatarsonline.com/avatars/cartoons/smurfs-grouchy-smurf-100x100.png) ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2007, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363/20 "2007-04-16T22:25:15Z")
[QUOTE=JohnT] But why “Dirty Dancing”? Why not “Moonstruck” or “Fatal Attraction” or “The Untouchables”? [/QUOTE] Dude, use some basic deductive logic. What is in _Dirty Dancing_ that is missing from these films? Yes, that’s right: ```auto Patrick Swayze ``` , the same man who made _Road House_, _Next Of Kin_, _Black Dog_, and _Red Dawn_ instant classics. And _Moonstruck_? Seriously? It lacks both real entertainment and kitsch value. And, of course, it doesn’t have Patrick Swayze. [QUOTE=Atrael] Well, while I won’t be lining up to see _Dirty Dancing_, if they re-released _Footloose_ you can bet that I’d almost certainly go see that in a theater. That was a fun as hell movie _grin_…now to go practice my flying side kick. [/QUOTE] Seek help. 😉 Seriously, the Tractor Chicken Race scene just tops off almost two hours of bizarre rebellion against The System and no-so-subtle homoerotic interplay. You could really dispense with the girls in the film without losing anything. Stranger [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-trying-to-convince-us-that-dirty-dancing-is-some-sort-of-classic/400363.md?page=2)