Everyone makes mistakes — even filmmakers. However, you’d assume that with millions of dollars on the line — and millions of people tuning in — there would be less of them.
And yet, mistakes slip through the cracks time and time again. This time, we’re combing through the iconic film Dirty Dancing to find the 18 mistakes fans and filmmakers missed.
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1. Baby’s denim shorts
Who could forget the iconic scene where Baby practices dancing by the lake?
In the scene, she wears denim shorts that were very ’80s fashion. The only problem is, the movie was set in 1963…
A behind-the-scenes secret explains this mistake
“The shorts in the movie were mine,” actor Jennifer Grey who played Baby told InStyle.
“And I’m pretty sure they were Levi’s because that’s all I wore. I’m obsessed with Levi’s and love how the brand keeps current but also stays true to the classics.”
2. Johnny’s sweaty forehead
The dance scenes in the film were very real. Want to know how we know? The sweat on the dancers!
But when Patrick Swayze – who plays Johnny – jumps off the stage in the final dance scene, his hair is totally wet and sticks to his forehead. Yet, in the shot before that, it was completely dry.
3. Lisa Houseman’s hair
The actress who was originally cast to play Baby’s mother was changed to Kelly Bishop after filming began.
So you’ll see that the mom’s hair is blonde at the start and then red for the rest of the film.
4. Johnny’s jacket
It takes several takes to get a scene right, especially when dancing is involved.
That’s why in the scene prior to the final dance scene, we see Johnny take off his jacket two times.
5. The markers
Many movies and TV shows have markers, which are used to indicate where actors stand.
This is visible in the film after Johnny and Baby do their dance at the end of the movie and Baby’s dad stops them.
6. Baby’s laughter
When actors break character during a scene, it’s usually edited out of a film. That wasn’t the case with this film! The laughter we hear from Baby when Johnny is running his fingers down her arm was real. The director decided to leave it in.
7. The road lines
Road lines have proven to be quite an issue in movies and films. In Dirty Dancing, the road has yellow solid center lines at the beginning of the film. But ’60s centerlines were white, not yellow.
8. Johnny’s pants
Dancing can be a messy sport. When Johnny slides on the dance floor on his knees, his black pants get all dusty from the floor. But in the shot after this, they are clean as new again.
9. Johnny’s backward driving
After Baby and Johnny’s performance at the Sheldrake Hotel, Baby changes her outfit in the back of Johnny’s car. But the lights and shadows outside the car’s window are moving in the wrong direction.
10. Baby’s shoes
Baby’s denim shorts weren’t the only item of clothing from the wrong decade. She also wore Keds shoes that were out of place. They didn’t come out until the 1980s! At least they looked cute.
11. Baby’s hair
In the scene where Penny Johnson – played by Cynthia Rhodes – is sick after her abortion, Baby’s hair kept changing. It’s wavy when she gets out of Johnny’s hair and then is curly after she runs to get her father.
12. Johnny’s belt
There was a wardrobe malfunction in the scene where Johnny is fighting with Robbie who is played by Max Cantor. Johnny’s belt comes undone and hangs down. But in the next shot, the belt is fixed again.
13. The aerobic clothes
Dirty Dancing sure loved ’80s fashion! In addition to Baby’s shoes and shorts, the girls who are practicing their dance routines in the film are wearing ’80’s style workout and aerobics clothing.
14. The hole
Johnny proved himself to be the ultimate bad boy when he came up with a solution to get the keys that were locked in his car. He takes a lamppost and smashes it into his window.
While the window is almost completely broken at the first, there is a perfect hole in the next shot.
15. The hole II
During the same car window scene, it’s raining when Johnny looks to grab his keys. But when he grabs the post to break the window, you can see that the sun is up and the ground is dry.
16. Jake Houseman’s collar
When Baby and her father (Jerry Orbach) are sitting on the porch talking about Baby’s night with Johnny, Jake’s collar changes from being popped to unpopped. This happens even though he doesn’t move much during the scene.
17. Otis Redding’s song
The song Love Man by Otis Redding is playing during Johnny and Baby’s first dance with the staff.
This wasn’t factually correct since the song wasn’t recorded until 1967 and the film was based in 1963.
18. The blue tarp
Movies have to go to extreme lengths to keep their actors safe. So if you look closely in the scene where Baby and Johnny are dancing on top of a tree trunk, you’ll see a blue tarp underneath the tree root.
