Jake Houseman's Decision to Leave a Day Early

On the morning of Friday, August 30, 1963, as the Houseman family was eating breakfast in the restaurant, Jake Houseman surprised his wife and daughters that they all would depart from Kellerman's Mountain House on the next day, Saturday, August 31.Jake justified his decision to leave on Thursday by his desire to "miss the weekend traffic".

Click to enlarge

Because Monday was the Labor Day holiday, however, there would be relatively traffic on that particular Sunday afternoon in the middle of a three-day weekend.

On a normal Sunday, Jake's justification was plausible. If the family checked out of their rooms on Sunday at about noon and then stopped for a late lunch on the way home, then he would have to drive through metropolitan New Jersey and New York while many other weekend travelers were returning home.

The drive -- at least three hours -- to Dahill Road in Brooklyn, NY

The Houseman family lived near Dahill Road in Brooklyn, NY. In the best of driving conditions, the drive would be about three hours, but Sunday-evening traffic might add a couple more hours. Jake's explanation that the drive would be easier and faster on Saturday was plausible on a two-day weekend. However, this was a three-day weekend, and therefore few people would be driving into Brooklyn on Sunday evening.

=====

Jake relented to stay until Sunday because his daughter Lisa objected that she wanted to participate in the talent show scheduled for Sunday night. The breakfast conversation about Jake's decision went as follows:

Neil Kellerman
[On a loudspeaker] Singers, dancers, actors, this is your lucky day! Auditions for the annual Kellerman end-of-the-season talent show beginning in the playhouse.

[After approaching the Houseman's table] Everyone going to be in the show?

Jake Houseman
We're leaving tomorrow. Miss the weekend traffic.

Marjorie Houseman
But we're paid up until Sunday.

Lisa Houseman
And miss the show?

Jake Houseman
I said, we're leaving tomorrow.

Lisa Houseman
I was going to sing in the show.

Neil Kellerman
It's the big event. People bring their own arrangements. You don't want to miss it.

[To Baby] Baby, I need you for props.

Marjorie Houseman
Why would you want to leave early?

Jake Houseman
It was just an idea. We can stay if you want to.

[To Lisa] So, Lisa, what were you planning to sing?

Lisa Houseman
“I Feel Pretty" or ""What Do the Simple Folk Do?" or "l Feel Pretty." What do you think, Daddy?

Of course, Jake's weekend-traffic justification was just a pretext. The real reason why he wanted to leave already on Thursday was to get his daughter Baby away from Johnny Castle as soon he could.

Jake did not want to leave on that very day, Friday, because he felt obligated to make sure that Penny Johnson was recovering sufficiently from her abortion. Jake planned to examine Penny after breakfast. If Penny still needed medical treatment, then he might have to provide or arrange such treatment later that day.

======

During that breakfast, Jake knew already that Baby had spent the night in Johnny's cabin, because Lisa had told him so. The only person at the breakfast table who did not know was Marjorie, the mother.

Lisa and Baby shared a bedroom in the hotel, and so Lisa knew that Baby was away all night. Baby knew that Lisa would snitch to their father, because Lisa already had warned Baby that she would do so. The following video (beginning at 0:25) shows Lisa warning Baby on Thursday evening:

Lisa no longer was intimidated by Baby's threat to lie about her. Lisa knew that her father had become angry, suspicious and skeptical about Baby's behavior. Jake decided he should begin listening more to Lisa.

Jake soon would be able to verify for himself that Lisa was telling him the truth about Baby and Johnny's secret relationship. Jake himself would be able to spy on Baby.

The situation at breakfast is summarized as follows:

* Baby herself knew she had spent the night in Johnny's cabin.

* Lisa knew Baby had spent the night in Johnny's cabin.

* Baby knew that Lisa would snitch to their father.

* Jake knew that Baby had spent the night in Johnny's cabin.

* Marjorie did not have a clue about any of this.

When Jake announced that the entire family was leaving the next day, Saturday, then Baby knew for sure that Lisa indeed had carried out her threat to snitch to him.

One of the best moments in the movie Dirty Dancing is Baby's silent, hate-filled glare at her father as he announces his decision to leave the next day. Next time you watch the movie, pay special attention to that moment.

The father and two daughters were conducting themselves at the breakfast table in a sly manner to keep Marjorie ignorant.

======

Although Lisa had snitched about Baby to her father, Lisa decided on the spot to change her father's mind about leaving early. Fortuitously during the breakfast, Neil Kellerman announced a reminder to all the resort's guests that a talent show would take place on Sunday.

Lisa pretended to her father that she wanted to stay through Sunday because she had been planning to sing in the show. Of course, Lisa had not given even the slightest thought to participating until that moment at the breakfast table. When her father asked her what song she planned to sing, she reflexively named two different songs, one of which ("What Do the Simple Folk Do?") is a slow, un-melodic duet for which she would have to find a male partner.

Lisa's sudden plea to sing in the Sunday talent show surprised Jake, who relented and agreed to let the entire family stay through Sunday.

======

Sometime after breakfast, Lisa and Baby talked with each other privately. Baby admitted that she indeed had spent the entire night in Johnny's cabin.

When Lisa expressed her dismay that Baby might get pregnant or catch a venereal disease, Baby assured Lisa that she and Johnny's had not gone any further sexually than dry-humping each other. Johnny's penis had stayed inside his pants the entire night.

In return for Baby's sharing that intimate confidence, Lisa recounted her own relationship with Robbie. Although she and Robbie had gone steady for almost two weeks, they had not gone further than second base. At the golf course on the previous Friday, Lisa had allowed Robbie to touch and kiss her naked breasts, but she had resisted his insistence that they advance to third base. Lisa felt that their going-steady relationship had progressed to the point that she should begin touching his penis, even through his pants. That had been the cause of the argument that Baby had seen on that previous Friday.

Lisa and Baby agreed that they would talk some more that night when they were in bed.

======

The following previous articles are relevant to this article.

How far did Lisa and Robbie go sexually?

How far did Baby and Johnny go sexually?

You wouldn't care if I humped the entire army