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Dirty Dancing Movie Goofs / Mistakes

Dirty Dancing Goofs

PG-13
Have the time of your life...
Dirty Dancing Picture
...Love and life in this wonderful 80's movie.

Oooopsy...

"Er, someone wasn't on top of their game that day..."
See the goofs, blunders and plain ole mistakes in the 1987 Dance / Music movie starring Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes

Jack Weston, Kelly Bishop, Jane Brucker, Max Cantor, Charles 'Honi' Coles, Miranda Garrison, Garry Goodrow, Neal Jones, Wayne Knight, 'Cousin Brucie' Morrow, Alvin Myerovich, Antone Pagan, Lonny Price, Paula Trueman, Thomas Cannold Update Cast


We believe the following are all legit mistakes. If we've bungled it, or you have additional info, please update us.

Thanks to Annalisa
The scene where Baby and Johnny are practicing the foot movements and Baby trips, was a genuine goof. It was really late at night and they just had to get the shot done. Jennifer was so tired that she accidently tripped while trying to dance and they left it in there.
Thanks to Carol Baker
When the family first arrive at Kellerman's they attend a group dance class being given by Penny. Note the studio microphone visible at the top of the screen.
Thanks to Catrina Higgins
When Johnny is teaching Baby to balance by walking on the log over the river, they're talking and Johnny sits down, legs straddling the log, you can see the rocky river bed below. When Johnny goes to pull himself back up to standing position, if you're really quick, you can see, not the river bed but a big red inflatable stunt bag. As a former dancer myself, the movie will always be close to my heart.
Rewind Archive
There are a couple of continuity mistakes in the film. Eg: when Johnny jumps over the railing to hit Robbie, his belt buckle comes undone then when he throws him down to the ground it is buckled again.
Thanks to luvinchris92800
During the scene when Baby asks Johnny if he's "had many women", when Johnny gets up and puts his pants on, if you listen very carefully you can actually hear Patrick say "oof". I had heard this was because he got his stuff caught in his zipper. Nobody noticed it in editing and it was left in.
Thanks to Ashleigh
When Baby is painting the tree for the musical there is no actual paint on the paint brush.
Rewind Archive
When Johnny, Baby and Billy go to fetch Penny from the kitchen where Baby saw her crying when she was with Neil, the three of them all crowd to the same chain link in the barrier. That's because it has been lowered so that it is easier for them to step over. Quite obvious when you're watching, if you know that is the case.

Tina Marie adds: Actually I just visited Mountain Lake where this particular scene was shot. The rope chain did not have to be lowered... There was no rope chain at all. The film crew built it to give the impression that the staff was separated from the guests.
Thanks to Dana Palmer And Brittanie And Many Others!
When Johnny and Baby are leaving the resort it's raining but when he turns to break the window you can see in the back that it's actually very sunny and not raining.
Thanks to Martina Palatto and Renee
When Johnny Castle has to break into his car window... He uses the pole to completely bust out his window. But the next car scene, there is a perfect hole instead of a completely busted out window.

Also, Johnny wants to break into his car to get the keys. He kicks off a pole light and rips out the pole. But no wires come out of the ground to connect the pole and the light to each other and to the circuit.
Thanks to Jennie
When Johnny and Baby are in the car driving back from their performance at the Sheldrake hotel the trees outside the car window are moving in the wrong direction. If this were actually happening, the couple would be moving backwards!
Thanks to Deirdre Easton
You can tell they ran the last dance sequence loads of times as you can see the knees of Johnny's trousers are shiny due to the parts when he slides on his knees. They wouldn't be that worn if he'd only done it once. It's seen just as he arrives at the back of the hall to meet the other dancers.
Thanks to Keisha Hovis
You can also tell that the last scene of the movie was taped several times because Johnnys hair is wet in one shot and dry in another several times.
Thanks to Chrissy Simpson
When Patrick Swayze jumps off the stage at the end dance scene, he is not sweating. He then spins around, stops, and is dripping with sweat within less than 2 seconds!
Thanks to Jools
In the scene where Neil comes up to the dance studio, just after they have done the dance to "Love Is Strange", and Neil upsets Johnny by mixing his ideas for the last dance, Johnny puts the same records away twice.
Thanks to Kate, Jennifer And Lynsay
In the last scene when Baby and Johnny are about to do the dance, you see Johnny taking off his jacket and then the camera zooms up to watch billy put the record on and Johnny has his jacket on again; then takes it off again.
Thanks to Megan
In the scene where Baby, Johnny, and Penny are in the dance studio. You see Penny walk over to the record player. Penny places the needle on the record, then quickly removes it from the record, as the music begins to play. Then Penny begins to dance behind Baby as Johnny dances with her.
Rewind Archive
Neil interrupts a heated dance moment between Baby and Johnny, in which Neil suggests that Johnny use the Pachenga as the final dance number. You see the mirrored image of Johnny in the background putting away a stack of records in anger. The camera then cuts to Baby, and then back to Patrick in the background slamming down the same stack of records.
Thanks to Chris
Also, when Baby goes to Johnny's cabin before the heated dance/make-out, count how many times they say the word "great" in conversation. Try another adjective!

Victor Quayle kindly wrote in to add that the writer, Eleanore Bergstein, intended the threefold repetition of 'great' to express the awkwardness that Baby and Johnny were feeling when she arrived unexpectedly. Eleanore Bergstein was so set on this text that, when the film when to Europe, she instructed all translators in subtitles and dubbing to stick to the repetition.
Thanks to Matt
At the final dance, at one point Max says "Have you got sheet music on this stuff" notice how he is just standing saying it. The very next scene, in the right hand side, he is already dancing with a woman.
Thanks to Crystal Hames
When Baby is sitting with her sister, upset before the last scene, you see her putting stockings on but you can see clearly that she is not wearing them when she is on the stage.

But ppl have written in to say she is interrupted by her sister so you never see her put them on. You just see her rolling them like she was getting ready to.
Thanks to Lisa Kerbes
When Baby and Johnny are in bed the first time they were supposed to have just finished making love, but if you pay close attention you can see as she rolls over that she has underwear on! [Thanks to Michelle Cutter] Patrick Swayze was supposed to get out of bed on the other side. (Which is why you see her underwear) They were going to refilm it, but the tension or feel of the filming was just right, so they kept it in.
Thanks to Jacque
When Lisa goes to Robby's room and catches him with another woman, notice that when she opens the door, the hand towel is there and then when she closes it, the towel is not there
Thanks to Crystal Godet
When Johnny and Baby are on their way home from the Mambo act, they are driving but the car's gearstick is in the park position.
Thanks to Anonymous
There is a shot from behind Baby's car just arriving up to kellerman's front walk. You see the original actress that was to play the mother in the front seat. Notice mother has blond hair and the actress that ended up playing the mother had brown hair.
Thanks to Jodie
When baby askes Jonny 'have you had many women?' when he gets out of bed in anger, he gets his trousers on really fast which suggests he doesn't put any boxers on!
Thanks to beanbag
When Baby and Billy carry watermelons Baby is wearing a mohair sweater. She is clearly wearing the sweater while watching Johnny dance, but in the next shot it is gone.
Rewind Archive
The mulch on the ground is dry when it was supposed to be raining when Johnny and Baby go to the lake.
Thanks to Jeanne
When Johnny returns and jumps off the stage, he gets the knees on his pants dirty doing spins, but when he comes back up to get BABY they are clean as a whistle.
Thanks to Anonymous
In the ballroom in the final dance scene's, the upper portion of Baby's dress is loose fitting and at other times the same dress in the same dance is snug fitting.
Thanks to Brian
When Baby was getting ready for the Good Bye Dance, you see her picking up her stockings to put on, yet when she does the big dance with Johnny and spins and her dress rises up, she is not wearing stockings.

Holly kindly pressed the update button to say that: Not only does Baby not have the stockings on during the final dance, but she obviously does not have on that heavy crinoline slip she is shown wearing earlier.
Thanks to Cheryl Gerow
When Baby is in Johnnys room dancing, he takes off her blouse and drops it to his right side. The camera then goes to show her back and he is holding her blouse then drops it.
Thanks to Redhead
There is a scene that is used twice: Baby is standing on the porch and her mother comes out to fuss at her about being with Johnny and hurting the family. After Johnny leaves the premises, it cuts to the same scene of Baby standing on the porch. Same clothes and all.
Thanks to Jools
In the scene after they have slept together for the first time and Johnny asks her real name, when they kiss, the blankets move & you can clearly see she is wearing white lacy underwear!
Thanks to Judi
When Baby goes to talk to her dad out by the lake (after telling him she was with Johnny the night before) notice his collar on the left side is down in first scene, then it's up, then back down, then up again.
Thanks to Kash Thompson
When Baby goes to Johnnies room after the Sheldrake and the stuff with her father, she is clearly wearing white jeans. After Johnny takes off her shirt, she is seen dancing with him with bare legs and yet her modesty is covered by her underslip. Even in the early 1960s women did not wear underslips with trousers. How she took her jeans off in less than three dance steps, and with no hopping about on one leg and getting her shoe laces (also miraculously vanishing) tied together and tripping her up... well...
Thanks to bill armstrong
At the start of the movie, when you see that the mom was blond, look for a vent window on her side. In one shot the vent window is broke and gone from the car and then it is back on the car looking like new and the mom is now a redhead.

when they are coming back from the hotel where they danced.of course the car shifter is in park.but if you watch the back window.when the car goes up the back window goes down..
Thanks to Raumo
In the final scene there are two moments that are shown twice. The moment when the father is about to get up and the mother stops him. But a biger mistake is a shot of the staff, standing at the back in a bunch and clapping, which appears for the second time after they were already dancing all over the room!
Thanks to Anonymous
When Baby first meets Johnny and explains that she was "carrying a watermelon," immediately after she says again in disgust to herself "I carried a watermelon?" It then switches to a different shot and you see her soundlessly mouthing the words "I carried a watermelon" again.
Thanks to Ron Burchard
In the last scene Johnnie plays a 45 rpm record "Time Of MY Life" for him and Baby to dance to.

The song lasts much too long to be a 45. [Editors note: did they have 12" 45s in that era?]



Bogus Blunders

Sometimes an apparent goof is not a real mistake

The following goofs for "Dirty Dancing" are apparently bogus. If you disagree or have additional info, please update us.

When Baby meets Johnny's cousin and he gives her the watermelon to carry, they are at the bottom of the stairs to where the rest of the dancers are dancing - next thing you see they are at the door of the studio, but the music has only gone on about a bar or two - speedy stair climbing or what!!!
In the final dance scene- when the dancing started, Johnny began the music with a record. By the end of the dance, the music director was directing a band "playing" the Time of My Life song where there was previously no band present.

-He wasn't directing an actual band, he was just directing. That's why Mr. Kellerman asked, "Have you got sheet music for this stuff?".
MYTH: When baby goes to Johnny's cabin to apologize for her the way her father treated him they start to dance. When he takes her shirt off he throws it off to the side, but then it cuts to the scene where he is rubbing her lower back, but he still has the shirt in his hand and he throws it again.

FACT: When johnny is taking off baby's shirt, he does not throw the shirt but continues to hang on to it.
Dirty Dancing's setting is the summer of 1963 but the song they dance to at the ending, "The Time Of My Life", wasn't released until 1987.

Holly updated: That's because Time of My Life was written for this film! THAT'S why it wasn't released until 1987!
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1987 Vestron Pictures
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