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Kellerman's Mountain House
Nobody puts Baby in the corner.
Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze)
Filmed in 43 days on a modest budget, Dirty Dancing became the first film to be released
a true cultural phenomenon in the world. Its soundtrack is also a success, selling millions of copies.
The story of Dirty Dancing is largely based on the childhood of screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein. While the film was to be financed by MGM, a change in management jeopardized the project. Eleanor Bergstein then knocked on the doors of many majors but all refused. Eventually, the script found a home at Vestron Pictures, a small production studio. Debutant Emile Ardolino was chosen to direct Dirty Dancing and insisted that Patrick Swayze play the lead. Wishing to avoid the use of understudies for the dance sequences, the director emphasized from the outset the need to hire a multi-talented actor. For the female lead, the team cast Jennifer Grey, with whom the lead actor has already played in John Milius’ Red Dawn.
On the set, as the crew takes over the Mountain Lake estate in Virginia, where the hotel renamed Kellerman’s Mountain House is located, Patrick Swayze impresses with his dancing skills. Jennifer Grey, on the other hand, approaches things with less enthusiasm. The current does not pass at all with his partner. Although the love story between Johnny and Baby is supposed to take place in the summer, the autumn shooting forces the set designers to repaint the leaves of the trees green. At the beginning, the temperatures are scorching. Several technicians are suffering from discomfort. The delay accumulated and forced Emile Ardolino to stay longer than expected in Virginia. The climate deteriorates and soon the mercury drops as quickly as it rises. For the scene in the lake, Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey have to endure four degrees of water. During the sequence where he is working on his partner’s balance, the actor falls and injures his knee. Every one of his takes with Jennifer Grey turns into a confrontation. Finally, the filming is completed but the test screenings turn out to be catastrophic. Producer Aaron Russo even advises Vestron’s director to burn the negative and run the insurance. The abortion scene is also problematic and impacts the promotion of the film.
Yet, despite all the obstacles and the studio’s distrust, Dirty Dancing immediately struck a chord with audiences. Word of mouth ensures a steady stream of viewers for the film. By the end of its theatrical run, it had already grossed $170 million, $164 million more than its budget. When it was released on video, Dirty Dancing was the first film to sell more than one million copies. Even the soundtrack, featuring Patrick Swayze’s hit She’s Like the Wind, is a record-breaker. The Mountain Lake Lodge, on the other hand, has been receiving many fans. Even though the famous lake has dried up, the magic remains.
Dirty Dancing only costonly cost $6 million. It grossed $214,577,242 worldwide.
Mountain Lake Lodge
Founded in 1851 and located at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains, Mountain Lake Lodge hosts many events and is still riding the wave of fame gained from the movie.
The owners of this luxurious hotel are not shy about exploiting the fame that Dirty Dancing has given them. Offering many activities to tourists in an idyllic setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it also hosts events such as weddings and seminars. Mountain Lake Lodge has been in existence since 1851 and can attest to some of the great events in American history, such as the Civil War. The various occupants have changed the Lodge’s offerings extensively over the years, without ever altering its essence.
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Cult! movies: 100 mythical places of cinema [French Edition]
Since the dawn of cinema, films have invaded the world and highlighted sometimes unexpected places. Every film location has its secrets. The latter are sometimes as exciting as the feature films themselves.
Did you know that the cemetery where the final duel of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was built from scratch and that no body lies there? Or that the bus ofInto The Wild has been moved to discourage fans from spending the night there? From the story of the construction of The Bridge on the River Kwai to the incredible encounter during the shooting of the last scene ofIndiana Jones and the Last Crusadeembark on an exciting world tour with the greatest stars of the seventh art. Shiver in the real haunted house ofAmityville and discover the terrifying anecdotes of the making ofApocalypse Now in the Philippines. Visit the building of Blade Runner before stopping at Hogwarts and finally landing in Jurassic Parkin the middle of the Hawaiian archipelago. What if we also took you behind the scenes of the making of the Hobbits’ village of Lord of the Rings ?
Produced by a team of pop-culture specialists and enhanced by numerous anecdotes, Cult! movies tells the secrets of the places that made the history of cinema.
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Discover all the places Dirty Dancing on our map
By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.