Dirty Dancing (1987) - Quotes

Dancing to the Rhythm of Emotion

Taglines: Dancing to the beat of their hearts.

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Moments of Dance and Love

Taglines: First dance. First love. The time of your life.

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Embrace Life's Joyful Moments

Taglines: Have The Time Of Your Life

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Acknowledgment of Mistakes and Praise

Jake Houseman: I know you weren't the one who got Penny in trouble.

Johnny Castle: Yeah.

Jake Houseman: [to Baby] When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong. You looked wonderful out there.

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Acknowledging Responsibility and Misunderstandings

Jake Houseman: [Jake gives Robbie a letter of recommendation for medical school] Good luck in medical school, son.

Robbie Gould: I wanted to thank you for your help with the Penny situation. I guess we've all gotten into messes.

Jake Houseman: What?

Robbie Gould: I thought Baby told you. Look, I'm not sure. Penny said so, but you know with girls like that. They're liable to pin it... on any guy around.

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Consequences of Choices and Relationships

Baby Houseman: [finding out the Schumacher's were guilty of stealing the wallets] So then - so then it's all right! I knew it would work out. I knew they'd have to apologize...

Johnny Castle: [shrugs her off] I'm out, Baby.

Baby Houseman: They fired you anyway because of me!

Johnny Castle: And if I leave quietly, I'll get my summer bonus.

Baby Houseman: So I did it for nothing. I hurt my family, you lost your job anyway! I did it for nothing!

Johnny Castle: No, not for nothing, Baby! Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before!

Baby Houseman: You were right, Johnny. You can't win no matter what you do!

Johnny Castle: You listen to me; I don't want to hear that from you, you can!

Baby Houseman: I used to think so.

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Conflict Between Father and Dance Instructor

Jake Houseman: Don't you tell me what to see! I see someone in front of me who got his partner in trouble and sent her off to some butcher, while he moved on to an innocent young girl like my daughter!

Johnny Castle: [angry] Yeah, I guess that's what you would see.

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A Daughter's Plea for Understanding and Forgiveness

Baby Houseman: I'm sorry. I never meant to lie to you.

Baby Houseman: But, Daddy, can I just explain?

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Encouraging Voice in the Face of Authority

Johnny Castle: [talking about Neil] That little wimp. He wouldn't know a new idea if it hit him in the Pachenga. He wanted some new ideas? I could've *told* him some new ideas!

Baby Houseman: Well, why did you let him talk to you that way?

Johnny Castle: What do you mean, and fight the bossman?

Baby Houseman: Yeah, tell him your ideas! He's a person like everyone else. I'm sure he'll think they're great.

Johnny Castle: Look, I know these people, Baby. They're all rich and they're mean. They won't listen to me.

Baby Houseman: Well, then why not fight harder? Make them listen?

Johnny Castle: [chuckles scornfully] Because, I need this goddamn job lined up for next summer! My dad calls me today, he says - with good news - you know, he says, "Uncle Paul can finally get you in the union.

Baby Houseman: Oh, what-what union?

Johnny Castle: The House Painters and Plasterers, local number 179, at your service.

Lisa Houseman: I've been thinking a lot about the Domino Theory. Now, when Vietnam falls, is China next?

Baby Houseman: I don't think they saw us.

Johnny Castle: [getting up] Fight harder, huh? I don't see you fighting so hard, Baby. I don't see you running up to daddy telling him I'm your guy.

Baby Houseman: I will. With my father, it's complicated. I will tell him, I...

Johnny Castle: [stalks off] I don't believe you, Baby! I don't think that you ever had any intention of telling him. Ever.

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Questioning Relationships and Experience

Baby Houseman: Have you had many women?

Johnny Castle: [laughs] What?

Baby Houseman: Have you had many women?

Johnny Castle: Come on, Baby.

Baby Houseman: Come on. I want to know.

Johnny Castle: [jumps out of bed and Baby smiles at him; getting dressed] No, no. Look, you've gotta understand what it's like, Baby: you come from the streets and suddenly you're up here, and these women are throwing themselves at ya, and they smell so good, and they really take care of themselves, I mean, I never knew women could be like that, you know? And they're so rich, they're so goddamn rich, you think they must know about everything. And they're slipping their room keys in my hands, two and three times day, different women. So here I think I'm scoring big, and for a while you think, hey, they wouldn't be doing this if they didn't care about me, right?

Baby Houseman: [looks depressed] That's all right, I understand. You were just using them, that's all.

Johnny Castle: No, no, that's not it. That's the thing, see, Baby, it wasn't like that, they were using me.

Johnny Castle: What's your real name, Baby?

Baby Houseman: [laughs] Frances. For the first woman in the cabinet.

Johnny Castle: Frances. That's a real grown up name.

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Struggles of Identity and Self-Worth

Baby Houseman: Johnny, I came here because my father-

Johnny Castle: No, I mean the way he saved her. I mean, I.... I could never do anything like that. That was somethin'. The reason people treat me like I'm nothin is cause I'm nothin'.

Baby Houseman: That's not true! You- You're everything!

Johnny Castle: [clicks his fingers] You don't understand the way it is, I mean for somebody like me. Last month, I'm eating Jujubes to keep alive, and this month, women are stuffing diamonds in my pocket, I'm balancing on shit as quick as that, I could be down there again.

Baby Houseman: No, it's not the way it is! It doesn't have to be that way.

Johnny Castle: I've never known anyone like you before. You think you can make the world better. Somebody's lost, you find them. Somebody's bleeding-

Baby Houseman: Yeah, I go get my daddy. That was really brave, like you said.

Johnny Castle: That took a lot of guts to go to him! You are not scared of anything.

Baby Houseman: Me? I'm scared of everything! I'm scared of what I saw. I'm scared of what I did, of who I am. And most of all, I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life.... the way I feel when I'm with you!

Concern for Parental Awareness

Baby Houseman: Maybe my parents are looking for me.

Baby Houseman: I'm sure you are.

Confronting Truths in Family Relationships

Frances "Baby" Houseman: [to her father] I told you I was telling the truth, Daddy. I'm sorry I lied to you, but you lied too. You told me everyone was alike and deserved a fair break. But you meant everyone who was like you. You told me you wanted me to change the world, to make it better. But you meant by becoming a lawyer or a Doctor and marrying someone from Harvard. I'm not proud of myself, but I'm in this family too. You can't keep giving me the silent treatment. There are a lot of things about me that aren't what you thought. But if you love me, you have to love all the things about me, and I love you. I'm sorry I let you down; I'm so sorry, Daddy. But you let me down too.

Frustration and Determination in Dance Preparation

Frances "Baby" Houseman: Oh, yes, as a matter of fact it is. We're supposed to do the show in two days, you won't show me the lifts, I'm not sure of the turns, I'm doing all this to save your ass, what I really want to do is drop you on it!

The Weight of an Unexpected Burden

Frances "Baby" Houseman: [when she sneaks into the employees-only party; realizes what she just said] I carried a watermelon. I carried a watermelon?

Summer Memories of 1963

Frances "Baby" Houseman: [voiceover] That was the summer of 1963, when everybody called me "Baby", and it didn't occur to me to mind. That was before President Kennedy was shot, before the Beatles, when I couldn't wait to join the Peace Corps, and I thought I'd never find a guy as great as my dad. That was the summer we went to Kellermans.

A Final Dance with Meaningful Acknowledgment

Johnny Castle: Sorry about the disruption, folks, but I always do the last dance of the season. This year somebody told me not to. So I'm gonna do my kind of dancin with a great partner, who's not only a terrific dancer. Somebody who's taught me that there are people willing to stand up for other people no matter what it costs them. Somebody who's taught me about the kind of person I wanna be. Miss Frances Houseman.

Famous Quote from Johnny Castle in Cinema

Johnny Castle: [[w:AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes|American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations] * Note: ranked #98 in the ] in American cinema.

Empowerment and Defiance in Adversity

Johnny Castle: Nobody puts Baby in a corner.

Defining Dance Space and Boundaries

Johnny Castle: Look, spaghetti arms. This is my dance space. This is your dance space. I don't go into yours, you don't go into mine. You gotta hold the frame.