DIRTY DANCING (TV)
Summary
This made-for-television drama musical, based on the 1987 feature film of the same name, tells the story of shy Frances "Baby" Houseman and her fateful summer romance with a bad-boy dancer. The story begins in New York City in 1975 as a 30-year-old Baby sits down to watch a new Broadway musical, "Dirty Dancing." Back in 1963, bookish 18-year-old Baby heads to a resort in the Catskills with her parents Jake and Marjorie and her boy-crazy younger sister Lisa, and they are greeted by the owner, family friend Max Kellerman. Baby and her parents try out the lodge's dance classes as Lisa strikes up a flirtation with Harvard-bound waiter Robbie, and Max introduces Baby to his nephew Neil, who seems impressed by her budding feminist ways. After dinner, Baby is amazed when hired dancers Penny Rivera and Johnny Castle take to the floor, though Neil observes that Johnny has "a real attitude problem." When Baby departs the event alone, fellow waiter Billy takes her along to a raucous staff party, and though he is cold at first, Johnny briefly dances with her to "Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance)" and then sneaks off for a tryst with a guest, Vivian Pressman.
In the morning, Johnny angrily defends Penny when a fellow employee rudely insults her, though Max threatens to fire Johnny if he continues making trouble. Baby goes golfing with her father, who wonders if she is headed to medical school out of genuine interest or just a desire to emulate him. Over dinner, Marjorie tries to entice Jake to take a romantic vacation with her, and when Penny suddenly runs out of another dance performance, she confides to her new friend Baby that she is pregnant. Johnny joins Vivian for a sultry performance of "Fever," and though Jake dismisses it as "vulgar," Marjorie seems entranced by their chemistry. Penny tells Johnny and Baby that her erstwhile lover has no intention of helping her, admitting that an illegal abortion costs $250. Later, Lisa sneaks out for a rendezvous with Robbie, but she is upset when he immediately attempts to initiate sex and she hurries away. Baby asks Jake for the $250 loan but declines to explain what it is for, aware that he trusts her enough to hand it over, and she later presents it to Penny. Johnny declares that they are not a "charity case," but Baby states that she wishes to hire them for dance lessons, wanting to perform in the end-of-summer talent show, and they agree.
Johnny proves to be a strict teacher, and though Baby improves under his tutelage, she decides not to tell her family about her plans. Neil covers for her when she attempts to use him as an alibi, and he points out that her newfound love of dance does not conflict with her interest in academia and women's liberation. Penny realizes that she must skip an important dance performance in order to undergo the procedure, and Baby offers to fill in for her as Johnny's partner. The two of them practice their mambo in the woods, though Baby is especially nervous about the "lift" at the end of the sequence, despite their many rehearsals in the lake. Elsewhere, Jake dismisses Marjorie's attempts to rekindle their romance, and Marjorie begins to spend time with Vivian, who seems content with her life as a freewheeling divorcée. Later, Vivian gives Johnny her ex-husband's Rolex as a gift, admitting that she enjoys his company. Penny gives Baby a solo lesson, informing her that she has a habit of "leading," and she gives her a few extra tips to "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." Lisa begins to bond with talented guitarist Marco, though bandleader Tito seems to disapprove of their interracial flirtation, and Johnny and Baby's mambo performance is a great success, though she decides at the last second not to include the lift maneuver.
Johnny happily praises Baby's new skills, but they then learn that Penny has suffered serious complications from the abortion and is dangerously ill. Desperate, Baby brings her father to assist her, and Johnny falsely claims to be "responsible" for Penny, prompting an angry Jake to order him to keep his distance from Baby. Jake scolds Baby for deceiving him about the $250, upset to realize that she is no longer his innocent young daughter. Johnny agrees that he is not "good enough" for Baby, admitting that he spent several months in prison for petty crimes after dropping out of school. She praises his talents, however, and when she begs for one more dance to "Cry To Me," the two soon become intimate. In the morning, the family is taken aback when Jake abruptly declares that they are leaving the lodge ahead of schedule, meaning that they will miss the talent show. He tends to a recovering Penny, suggesting that she "take stock of her life" after the scare, and Penny spots the sparks between Baby and Johnny and warns him not to jeopardize his job by getting mixed up with a guest. At the next dinner, Marjorie takes the stage and, explaining that she must miss the talent show, bravely performs "They Can't Take That Away from Me" for Jake.
Despite Johnny's attempts to sever ties with Baby, the two soon end up back in bed together, while elsewhere Marjorie tells Jake that she is tired of living "like roommates" and is considering a divorce, overheard by a shocked Lisa. Unable to find Baby, she confides her woes to Marco, and when Vivian interrupts Baby and Johnny's evening together, he assures her that Vivian is merely a "bungalow bunny," a rich, lonely older woman who seeks comfort with the male staff members. In the morning, Baby returns home and is shocked to learn of her parents' fight, while Lisa is amazed to learn of her sister's secret affair. Later, Neil spots Baby and Johnny together during a sexy performance of "Love is Strange," and he takes his revenge by telling his uncle that Johnny has been caught stealing. Max finds the Rolex in Johnny's quarters and, unconvinced by his claims that it was a gift, has him arrested. Baby, realizing that Vivian has accused him out of jealousy, shocks her family by providing an alibi for Johnny, revealing that they were alone together all night. Later, she finds her father playing "They Can't Take That Away from Me" on the piano and tearfully informs him that Johnny is not a "lowlife," adding that he, Jake, is gradually alienating his family with his cold behavior.
Johnny visits Jake and pays back the $250 before bidding a sad farewell to Baby, who declares her love for him. Penny and Lisa attempt to comfort her, and Jake decides to make things right and takes Marjorie out for a romantic boat ride, admitting that they "lost track of each other" over the years. He promises to be more involved and affectionate, and the two finally reconcile. At the talent show, Lisa sings onstage alongside Max and Neil and Jake offers Robbie a letter of recommendation for Harvard, but when Robbie thanks him for assisting with "the Penny situation," Jake realizes his error and sternly informs the young man that he lacks integrity. Max and Tito admit that the world is changing for the better when Lisa and Marco perform "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" onstage, and Baby is shocked when Johnny suddenly reappears and takes her onstage, publicly declaring that she has changed him for the better. Jake apologizes for misunderstanding him, and Johnny and Baby perform an impressive dance number – complete with lift – to "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," soon joined by all of the other guests. In 1975, Baby – now Frances – greets Johnny after the show, which he himself choreographed, taking inspiration from her book about their memorable summer. She is joined by her husband Charlie and their young daughter, and the former lovers part once more, agreeing that they impacted one another's lives for the better. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: November 30, 1999 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:10:12
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 129342
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Musical; Dance; Asian American Pacific Islanders Collection
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV, 2017
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Allison Shearmur … Executive Producer
- Judy Cairo … Producer
- Bill Hill … Producer
- Stephen Meinen … Producer
- Megan Driscoll … Associate Producer
- Adam Anders … Executive Music Producer
- Peer Astrom … Music Producer
- Alexander Anders … Vocal Producer
- Wayne Blair … Director
- Jessica Sharzer … Writer
- Eleanor Bergstein … Based on the feature film written by
- Mark Isham … Music by
- Andy Blankenbuehler … Choreographer
- Abigail Breslin … Cast, Frances "Baby" Houseman
- Colt Prattes … Cast, Johnny Castle
- Sarah Hyland … Cast, Lisa Houseman
- Nicole Scherzinger … Cast, Penny Rivera
- Tony Roberts … Cast, Max Kellerman
- J. Qunton Johnson … Cast, Marco
- Shane Harper … Cast, Robbie Gould
- Trevor Einhorn … Cast, Neil Kellerman
- Beau Casper Smart … Cast, Billy Kotsecki
- Katey Segal … Cast, Vivian Pressman
- Billy Dee Williams … Cast, Tito
- Bruce Greenwood … Cast, Dr. Jake Houseman
- Debra Messing … Cast, Marjorie Houseman
- Michael Lowry … Cast, Leon Feinberg
- Jennifer Schemke … Cast, Esther Feinberg
- Abigail Pawski … Cast, 6-Year-Old Annie
- Keith Tripler … Cast, Charlie
- David Vogel … Cast, Mr. Louis
- Martha Nichols … Cast, Staff Dancer
- Christina Glur … Cast, Staff Dancer
- Alessandra Marconi … Cast, Staff Dancer
- Samantha Farrow … Cast, Staff Dancer
- Jessica Walker … Cast, Staff Dancer
- Ahmad Simmons … Cast, Staff Dancer
- Jovanni Christian Soto … Cast, Staff Dancer
- Marc Cardarelli … Cast, Staff Dancer
- Mikey Winslow … Cast, Staff Dancer
- Jason Williams … Cast, Staff Dancer
- Jaime Verazin … Cast, Staff Dancer
- Mark Stuart Eckstein … Cast, Staff Dancer