Nicole Scherzinger played Penny but opposes abortion

The website Premier Christian Radio reports that Nicole Scherzinger almost refused to play Penny Johnson in the Dirty Dancing ABC original movie that was broadcast in May 2017. Scherzinger explained that she opposes abortion but playing the role gave her the celebrity and opportunities to speak out against abortion. to The article includes the following passages:

American singer and actress Nicole Scherzinger has revealed the moral conflict she had in playing a TV character who has an abortion.

Nicole Scherzinger plays Penny Johnson ... [who] has an illegal abortion which ends up threatening her life.

The former Pussycat Dolls star, who's a Catholic, told the Daily Mail: "So I got the role and I almost didn't take it because I didn't want to promote abortion, because my character has an abortion. .... Hopefully they [viewers] can learn from her ways, and I can be a positive influence."

Scherzinger said her grandfather, who's a minister, prayed about the role and advised that she take it.

She went on:

My mum got pregnant with me when she was 17 and had me when she was 18. She chose.

Her [my mum's] parents were never going to let her have an abortion. So I came out [was born].

So, I just want ... to encourage everybody to keep your babies.

We decided that maybe I could be a voice, that I could shed some light on the subject without being preachy."

Dirty Dancing will be Nicole Scherzinger's first lead role in a film.

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According to Gallup polls of public opinion, most people think that abortion should be illegal in at least some circumstances. These divisions of opinion have remained roughly stable for several decades. (Click on the images to enlarge them.)

The portion of the population opining that abortion should always be legal rose after 1987, when Dirty Dancing was released, but returned to its usual level by about 1997.

However, most people think abortion should be legal in the first three months of pregnancy, which would include the Penny's abortion in Dirty Dancing.

About a third of the population believes abortion should be illegal in the first three months.

Many people -- such as Scherzinger -- suspect or know that they themselves almost were aborted. Such people are likely to oppose abortion.

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Some people dislike the movie Dirty Dancing because it portrays abortion as a good solution to Penny's unplanned pregnancy. Although I respect such an opinion, I suggest that abortion opponents acknowledge the movie's eternal popularity and use it as a well-known basis for discussing abortion as a moral issue.

When the talented and admired entertainer Nicole Scherzinger advises young women to "keep your babies" instead of aborting them, she exerts a real influence -- especially since she herself has played the role of Penny Johnson and so has thought seriously about Penny's predicament and anguish.

Since Scherzinger was not aborted, she lived to dance in the Dirty Dancing original movie.

No More News About Jason Whittle

This article is the fifth in a series.

The first article was titled Patrick Swayze's Unknown Son.

The second article was titled The Whittle Family of Morgan County, Missouri.

The third article was titled The 1972 "Disney on Parade" Tour and Patrick Swayze.

The fourth article was titled Patrick Swayze met Bonnie Kay Whittle in April 1972.

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One month has passed since Globe magazine revealed in its July 31 issue that Patrick Swayze had an unknown son, Jason Whittle. Since then, neither Globe no any other tabloid has reported any more information.

I figure that the Globe article caused Patrick's widow Lisa to reach a settlement that satisfied Whittle and will prevent him from revealing any more information about this matter without her permission.

Lisa has remarried to a wealthy jeweler named Albert DePrisco. His sister Deirdre is a professional ballroom dancer.

Any legal disputes about Patrick Swayze's estate are bad publicity for Lisa. It's been reported that some of Patrick's relatives alleged that Lisa manipulated the dying Patrick into willing the estate entirely to her.

I don't have an opinion about the truth of such allegations. However, the allegations would resurface repeatedly with continued news about Jason Whittle trying to get part of Patrick's estate. She could afford to give Jason plenty of money to prevent further news stories.

It seems to be a good ending for Jason's family and also for Lisa's family.

I think that Patrick and Lisa never knew about Jason while Patrick was alive. I assume that if they had known, they both would have been happy to make him a belated son in their own Swayze family.

I hope that Jason eventually will tell his story in a manner that Lisa approves. I think that his story could be turned into an interesting movie. There is an ironic contrast between Patrick's becoming famous because of the pro-choice movie Dirty Dancing and Jason's living to become wealthy (and I hope happy) because he himself was not aborted.

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There more articles in this series.

A Comment From the Son of Jason Whittle

Patrick Swayze: "I was born to be a dad"

I cry every single time at the end of "Dirty Dancing"

The website Christ and Pop Culture recently published an article titled Dirty Dancing and Shrugging off the Dance Floor, written by Anna Allen. The website identifies her as follows:

Anna Virginia Allen is a recent graduate from Oklahoma Baptist University where she received a B.A. in English. She’s currently a writer at the Hobby Lobby Corporate Offices. She enjoys long naps on the couch with her cat, and reading into the wee hours of the night.

The article includes the following passages:

.... If it’s so predictable, then why did I cry? And you should know that I didn’t just cry the one time. This overflow of emotion occurs every time I watch Dirty Dancing. It’s not even a remotely sad movie. In fact, this movie has a thrilling ending — the girl and guy get together, the dad approves of the guy, and it’s assumed that they live happily ever after.

So maybe my tears are those of bitterness rather than those of excitement for a happy ending.

At the Christian university I attended, the focus on marriage is a strong one. Although it may not be intentional, the pressure to find a true love and wed him is definitely prevalent among the young female students.

I remember that during my freshman orientation, the upperclassmen put on a skit that brought the “ring by spring” process to life. This was done by placing twelve or so girls on an imaginary dance floor. There were four rounds to their dancing. Each round represented the four years you were in college. As the girls danced, one by one, a boy would come up to a girl and drag her off the stage, implying that she had been married.

Soon, by the senior year, there was only one girl remaining. The crowd watched and pitied her as she danced completely alone. Eventually, the girl tired of dancing on her own and began to walk off stage.

As a young and impressionable freshman, the message I received from this skit was that marriage was a goal to reach, or an achievement to be made. In these skits, marriage was depicted as a prize that should be attained in the four years it takes to get a degree. But most importantly, these skits taught me that if I don’t find a guy by the end of my college career then I should just shrug and leave the dance floor, giving up on finding love.

Well, faithful readers, I am well past my college career and, you guessed it: I don’t have a guy. But why should that even matter to me? I’m only 22 years old; I should be worrying about other things besides finding a husband.

This notion of finding a husband while in college has been so ingrained in my mind that I don’t even realize that it’s something I grow sad about. Most of the time, I’m independent, carefree, and happy to be on my own. But then one day I’ll wake up, and it’s as if someone flipped a switch — I’m suddenly beyond bummed because of my relationship status, and I’m convinced that I’ll never meet anyone.

There have been times in my life where my prayers have consisted of the words, Dear God, everyone around me is getting engaged, and it sucks. I have had to learn how to trust God in the fact that His ultimate plan for my life is better than any plan I could come up with. Am I sad that I’m still reppin’ the single life? Sometimes. And that’s okay. But I’ve decided that I’m not ready to put all my focus on marriage and relationships.

So back to Baby and Johnny. At the end of the movie, when that ever-present Bill Medley song comes on, we see Baby and Johnny slowly dancing, euphoric after their big number. As the song also slows down, we see Johnny mouthing the final lyrics to Baby:

Now I’ve had the time of my life.
No, I never felt like this before.
Yes, I swear it’s the truth,
And I owe it all to you.

This scene is where I cry. Every single time.

I think deep in my subconscious, the tears stem from all that I’ve been told about being single. I cry because I don’t want to be the last girl dancing. I don’t want to be the girl who has no other option but to shrug and leave the dance floor. And it shouldn’t be like that. Society shouldn’t put that much focus and urgency on marriage, especially not for those my age. ...

Does Anna cry because she feels sorry for Baby not being engaged to Johnny at the movie's end?

I do understand that Anna cries because she feels sorry about herself, but she could improve her interesting essay by clarifying exactly how the movie's ending touches her sensitivity about still being single.

Videopia

Some amateur organization called Videopia performed "Dirty Dancing" at the Notting Hill Arts Club in October 2009

An Interview with the Director of the Stage Version

YouTube provides the following interview with Alan Swerdlow, who directs the stage version of Dirty Dancing in Singapore.

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Following are three videos of that stage version.

Wouldn't you LOVE to see this show?

If so, then don't be so critical of the ABC original movie !!

Skinny Cow's "Dirty Dancing" Videos

Cynthia Beaumont, who apparently runs a company called Skinny Cow, has a YouTube page which includes the following videos:

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Skinny Cow's Ultimate Dirty Dancing Party Kit Prize

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Skinny Cow and Dirty Dancing Tour

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Our Skinny Cow Dirty Dancing Viewing Party

How far did Lisa and Robbie go sexually?

As Lisa and Baby Houseman were trying on wigs, Robbie approached Lisa. Robbie and Lisa discussed his intention to buy an Alfa Romeo automobile with his tip money.

Robbie and Lisa discuss his intention to buy a car.

Then Lisa talked with Baby.

Lisa Houseman
Baby, would you cover for me tonight? Tell Mom and Dad I went to lie down.

Baby Houseman
Where are you going?

Lisa Houseman
To the golf course. There's a pretty view from the first tee.

Of course, Lisa intended to engage in some sexual activity with Robbie. However, later that night Baby saw Lisa rushing out of the woods, followed by Robbie:

Lisa Houseman
Robbie. I don't hear an apology.

Robbie Gould
Go back to Mommy and Daddy and listen. Maybe you'll hear one in your dreams.

Obviously, Robbie tried to go further in the sexual activity than Lisa anticipated.

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Although Lisa and Robbie met at "the first tee", their sexual activity did not take place in the open. Robbie took Lisa into an enclosed place. Perhaps Robbie had a key to the clubhouse, which was located near the first tee. Perhaps there was some other nearby structure, such as an equipment shed.

Lisa was afraid to be seen or caught doing sexual activity. She was afraid that her parents would find out merely that she went to a secluded location with Robbie. Robbie understood Lisa's fears, and so he arranged to take Lisa into a place where she would feel safe from being seen by passers-by.

Therefore, Lisa did not become angry at Robbie because she felt he had exposed her naked private body parts to other people.

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The encounter at the golf course was the third sexual encounter between Lisa and Robbie.

1) The Houseman family had arrived at the Kellerman resort hotel in the mid-day of Saturday, August 10, 1963. That evening, Robbie was introduced to the Houseman family when he was their waiter at their dinner in the hotel's restaurant. After Robbie finished his work shift, he changed into a suit and then danced with Lisa in the ballroom. After they danced, Robbie took Lisa to a nearby secluded location, where they talked and kissed.

Thus they reached the sexual first base, which is defined as kissing, including open-mouth (or French) kissing.

2) On Sunday evening, Robbie and Lisa met again on the hotel's main grounds. Again they went to a nearby secluded location, where they went beyond kissing. This time Robbie fondled Lisa's breasts through (not under) her blouse and bra, and she caressed his torso and arms. All this touching was on top of the clothes, because their location was not so secluded that they could not be seen by passers-by.

Thus they reached the sexual second base, which is defined as petting above the waist, including touching, feeling, and fondling the chest, breasts, and nipples.

3) On Monday evening, Robbie and Lisa met on the golf course and went into an enclosed structure. Lisa felt reasonably sure that she would not be seen by passers-by, and so she was ready to go further in her sexual activities with Robbie. Lisa would allow Robbie to remove her blouse and bra and would allow him to fondle and kiss her naked breasts. Meanwhile, she would remove Robbie's shirt and caress his naked shoulders and chest. Lisa figured that she and Robbie had not completed their second-base experience yet, and she was happy to complete it in this third encounter.

Thus they completed the second-base experience by petting each other's naked skin above the waist.

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However, Robbie had counted the base progression differently. According to his calculation, he and she on this third encounter were supposed to reach third base, which is defined as petting or orally stimulating below the waist, including touching, feeling, and fondling the vagina, clitoris, penis, or testicles.

To be more specific, Robbie expected Lisa to masturbate his naked penis to orgasm. Meanwhile he would return the favor by petting her panty-covered crotch -- if she allowed him to do so. (If she did not allow him to do so, then their encounter would happily require much less unnecessary bother for him.)

This misunderstanding about the proper sexual base made Lisa angry and then made Robbie angry. When Robbie persisted in putting Lisa's hand onto his pants-covered penis, she became angry and demanded that he not merely stop but also apologize. She refused to even rub his penis through his pants. The encounter ended when the two left the golf course and returned to the hotel's main grounds as she continued to demand an apology and he mocked her as childish.

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Lisa felt that third base still was too far in relation to the progress that she and Robbie had made in the process of going steady, which had the following seven characteristics:

1. Visible token

Probably when Robbie broke up with Penny Johnson, he got back his college-fraternity pin, and then he gave it to Lisa already on their second date. In return, Lisa gave Robbie a photograph of herself. So, their going-steady relationship did have this characteristic.

2. Required Dates

Lisa and Robbie had met and at least talked and kissed every day since the Houseman family had arrived. Both of them expected that they would continue to do so every day. So, their going-steady relationship did have this characteristic.

3. Exclusivity

Robbie and Lisa still had not declared their love to each other. They still had not made a rule not to be involved romantically with other people. So, their going-steady relationship did NOT have this characteristic.

4. Oversight

Robbie and Lisa had not known each other long enough to know each other's individual whereabouts and activities all the time. So, their going-steady relationship did NOT have this characteristic.

5. Special Events

Robbie and Lisa had danced with each other in the ballroom on that first Saturday evening, and they expected to dance together whenever the band was playing and he was not working in the restaurant. So, their going-steady relationship did have this characteristic.

6. Sharing Money

Their relationship did begin to acquire this characteristic on Monday mid-day, when they discussed his tip earning and his intention to buy an Alfa Romeo automobile -- an intention for which Lisa expressed her approval.

It was this progress in their going-steady relationship that caused Lisa to agree to complete their second-base sexual activities by granting Robbie access to her naked breasts.

7. Intimacy

As Lisa and Robbie developed their going-steady relationship, they progressed accordingly through second base. Lisa felt that second base was the right base for them to be on, whereas Robbie thought that they should be moving onto third base.

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This relationship between 1) going steady and 2) progressing through the sexual bases is quite clear to Baby Boomers, but not to the younger people who belong to Generation X, Generation Y and Millennials. The latter three generations grew up not with the going-steady courtship convention but rather with the intercourse-on-the-third-date courtship convention.

Millennials, for example, who watch Dirty Dancing calculate that the encounter on the golf course was the third date of Lisa and Robbie, and therefore the couple was supposed to have sexual intercourse. Because Lisa apparently refused to do so -- so think dopey Millennials -- Lisa was too prudish and violated the courtship convention.

In 1963, however, the very idea of an intercourse-on-the-third date rule was outlandish -- especially for upper-middle-class young people like Robbie and Lisa. Even Robbie thought that the golf-course date was too soon to reach home base.

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Lisa acted properly in accordance with the 1963 going-steady rules by refusing to touch his pants-covered penis, by putting her bra and blouse back on, and by terminating their second-base encounter. She was setting the limits and punishing Robbie for going too far too fast.

If Robbie wanted to reach third base with Lisa, then he would have to make more progress in the list of going-steady characteristics. Probably the most important item for Lisa was that Robbie would have to establish exclusivity -- to convince Lisa that he would not be involved with other women.

In general, the young women controlled the progression through the sexual bases. Therefore, Lisa's decision that she and he should stay on second base during this encounter was her prerogative. Robbie should have been satisfied to see her beautiful naked breasts and to fondle and to kiss them. Robbie was wrong to persist in rushing her to involve his silly penis directly in their activities. Robbie was wrong to make Lisa angry, and he was doubly wrong to mock her because she had properly set their limit.

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When Lisa and Robbie rushed out of the woods while arguing, they were seen by Baby and Neil. Although it was obvious that Robbie had tried to go too far with Lisa, Baby and Neil were nonchalant. The latter couple knew that Lisa and Robbie had become involved with each other for only a few days ago. Baby and Neil figured correctly that Lisa and Robbie had gone no further than second base, and so Robbie had done really nothing worse than paw Lisa's breasts. Therefore, neither Baby nor Neil felt compelled to intervene.

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Later, toward the end of family vacation at the resort, Lisa confided to Baby:

I've decided tonight's the night with Robbie. He doesn't even know yet.

Nobody should think that Lisa intended to have sexual intercourse with Robbie. Rather, she intended merely to go to third base with him. "Tonight is the night" for third base -- is what she was thinking.

Lisa intended to surprise Robbie in his cabin. There they would talk and kiss. They would apologize to each other for their golf-course misunderstanding. She would allow him to remove her blouse and bra and to fondle and kiss her naked breasts. Then she would fondle his penis through his pants. Finally she would bare his penis and masturbate him to orgasm.

That would be enough for both of them. She did not really want him to paw her crotch, even through her panties, because she wanted to maintain her control of herself. She was afraid that if she became too aroused then she might allow Robbie to advance to home base.

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Lisa intended to advance to third base with Robbie on one of her last days at the Kellerman resort. Robbie had made no progress with Lisa in relationship to the going-steady characteristics. On the contrary, Lisa knew from watching Robbie that he was involved with other women -- in particular with Vivian Pressman.

Nevertheless, Lisa decided to advance to third base with Robbie on one of her last evenings at the resort. Her considerations were as follows:

* She already had advanced to third base with previous boyfriends.This would not be the first time she ever gave a boy a hand-job. She was curious to see, feel and explode Robbie's penis. Giving hand-jobs to handsome young men was fun.

* She had enjoyed her naked-second-base experience with Robbie at the golf course. She had enjoyed seeing this handsome, admirable man being excited by her naked breasts. She had enjoyed being touched there and had enjoyed touching his naked torso. She had re-lived that enjoyment in her private thoughts repeatedly during her three-week stay at the resort. She wanted to experience it again before she left.

*  Lisa knew that Baby had spent much time dancing with Johnny Castle. She did not want to feel that she herself was surpassed by her younger sister Baby in sexual adventures during this vacation.

* Although Lisa essentially had broken up with Robbie, she still liked him and felt sorry that their relationship had been interrupted. She wanted to make up with him and pleasure him so that they would part on good terms.

* Lisa hoped that her relationship with Robbie might continue. Maybe Robbie would invite Lisa to visit him at Yale if he could count on getting at least a lot of hand-jobs from her during her visit. Robbie was an extremely marriageable man. Lisa still might be able to involve herself with him in a romantic relationship.

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When Lisa opened the door of Robbie's cabin, she saw that he was having sexual intercourse with Vivian Pressman, an older, married woman. For various reasons, Robbie's relationship with Vivian was not a going-steady relationship -- as his brief relationship with Lisa had been developing into.

Because Lisa would depart within a couple of days, she would not have enough time to rationalize his promiscuity to herself and to resolve her concerns with him. When Lisa saw Robbie having sexual intercourse with Vivian, Lisa's potential romantic future with Robbie ended.

Lisa's giving teenage-girl hand-jobs to Robbie could not compete with Vivian's giving him adult-woman vaginal intercourse. Lisa would simply find herself a new, decent boyfriend who did not have the complications of too-promiscuous Robbie Gould.

Penny's Loss of Hope About Robbie

This article is part of a series about the relationship of Robbie Gould and Penny Johnson. The previous articles were:

Why Penny and Robbie Risked Pregnancy, Part 1

Why Penny and Robbie Risked Pregnancy, Part 2

The Movie's Violators of Going-Steady Rules

Robbie's View of Penny as His Potential Wife

"Going Steady" versus "Going Slumming"

Robbie Gould's Denial of Paternity

Penny's and Robbie's Prospects in Paternity Trial

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Robbie Dumps Penny

Robbie Gould broke up with Penny Johnson at about the end of June 1963, because he felt they were not a good match intellectually and culturally. Whereas he is enrolled in Yale Medical School, she dropped out of high school when she was 16 years old. Then Penny's mother kicked her out, and Penny soon went to work as a dancer in the Rockettes.

Robbie wanted a life-partner with whom he would be able to discuss long, philosophical novels such as Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. He wanted a wife who would socialize with his fellow intellectual professionals and their families. While he went steady with Penny, he came to realize that Penny never would live up to such expectations.

Robbie broke up with Penny properly. He assured her that she was a beautiful, talented and nice woman who had done nothing wrong in their relationship. However, he knew it would be better for both of them to go their separate ways. He would remember Penny fondly, but now he had to terminate their romantic relationship.

Penny Continues to Hope

Penny was heart-broken. She had been so happy and proud to be going steady with such an admirable man. Robbie was handsome, intelligent, confident, capable, successful and charming. In a few years he would become a respected doctor, with the job security and a high income to fund a beautiful lifestyle.

Penny could not get over Robbie. After the break-up, her sorrow continued for weeks. If only she could get another chance with him, she would restore his love toward her. She would ask him to lend her The Fountainhead again, and this time she would read it with all her heart and discuss it with all her mind. When Penny had tried to read the The Fountainhead in June, she had not understood that her reading it was so important to Robbie. Now she would read it all, and she would love it as much as Robbie loved it.

Robbie Moves On

While Penny was making herself miserable by wallowing in such futile thoughts about Robbie, he moved on with his life and plans. He flirted, socialized and dated with other women. He enjoyed their beautiful female bodies as much as he could. He was getting to know and enjoy a variety of women along his way to finding the right woman to marry.

Penny is Pregnant

In early August, Penny realized she might be pregnant. She felt nauseous. She was not merely late with her menstrual period -- she apparently had missed it.

If Penny indeed were pregnant, then the future baby would be the product of the real love that Penny and Robbie had shared. The baby would be a boy, and Robbie would love and raise his son. They would be a happy family, and Robbie would be proud of his son and of his loving and smart wife Penny.

Other People Become Involved

Just after the first week of August, Penny told her dance partner Johnny Castle that she was pregnant from Robbie. Since her pregnancy might affect her dancing, she had to tell Johnny. She begged Johnny to keep the secret to himself.

Penny begged Johnny also to refrain from confronting Robbie about the situation. Penny explained to Johnny that she wanted to discuss her pregnancy with Robbie at the right time and in the right way.

Johnny told only his cousin Billy Kosetecki, because he wanted Billy to watch Robbie and to find out how to arrange an illegal abortion.

Of course, Penny told her two fellow female professional dancers, Janet and Maria. Penny asked them to watch Robbie and to report to her about his remarks and activities.

Robbie Becomes Involved With Lisa

On the evening of Saturday, August 10, Robbie was introduced to the Houseman family, which had arrived earlier that day. As a waiter in the hotel restaurant, he was introduced to the Housemans by Max Kellerman, who was the hotel's owner and also was a medical patient and a personal friend of Dr. Jake Houseman.

Robbie understood that he would please Max if he pleased Dr. Houseman's daughter Lisa. After Robbie finished waiting on his final table of that evening's work shift, he hurried back to his cabin, changed into a suit, hurried to the ballroom and asked Lisa to dance.

As Penny and Johnny were performing their rumba dance in the ballroom, Penny noticed Robbie dancing with Lisa. Penny understood that Robbie constantly was prodded by Max to dance with the guests' teenage daugters, but Penny wondered how far Robbie would go with Lisa in the coming days. Penny did not want Robbie to be involved with any other young woman when Penny talked with him about her pregnancy.

Later that night as Penny settled prepared to go to sleep, her roommate Janet told her that she had seen Robbie kissing Lisa that evening. Janet's spy report worried Penny.

Johnny Talks With Penny About an Abortion

On the evening of Sunday, August 11, Johnny took Penny aside to talk with her. Johnny had learned from Billy that an abortionist would be in the vicinity on Thursday, August 22. Johnny did not know yet how much money an abortion would cost, but he promised to help pay for it out of his own pocket.

Penny still was hoping that her talk with Robbie during the next day or so might begin a reconciliation. Surely Robbie would want to help raise his own son. Surely Robbie would fall in love again with Penny.

Penny told Johnny that she did not want to decide yet about an abortion. Penny would talk with Robbie before she made any decisions at all.

Johnny immediately raised another consideration. Johnny reminded Penny that they were scheduled to dance at the Sheldrake Hotel on that same Thursday, August 22, when the abortionist would be available. Penny would have to decide soon about an abortion, because the date conflict might compel Johnny to cancel the performance or else practice the performance dance with another female dancer.

Perhaps Janet or Maria would be able to replace Penny at the Sheldrake performance. Penny did not want to discuss it. Johnny decided that he would, without Penny's knowledge, ask Janet and Maria whether they would be free on that future weekend.

Johnny Considers Baby as a Replacement Dancer

Later that Sunday night, Johnny and Penny went together to a "dirty dancing" party in the employees' bunkhouse.

By that time, Johnny had talked with Janet and Maria and had found out that neither of them would be able to replace Penny in the Sheldrake performance on August 22. Johnny considered that Penny would have to dance with him and therefore would not be able to get an abortion on that day -- if she did agree to get an abortion.

As Johnny was dancing at the party, he noticed Baby in the bunkhouse -- a place she did not belong. Johnny expressed his displeasure at Baby's presence and then resumed dancing with Penny.

Suddenly Johnny had a new idea. Perhaps Baby could dance well enough to learn to replace Penny at the Sheldrake. Johnny decided to test Baby's dancing skills.

Johnny invites Baby to dance with him in the bunkhouse.

Johnny sees that Baby has no dancing skills.

Johnny quickly saw that Baby had no dancing experience and no natural talent. Baby would not be able to learn the Sheldrake dance adequately in the available days.

Robbie and Lisa Begin to Go Steady

On the mid-day of Monday, August 12, Penny was demonstrating wigs to a group of hotel guests that included Lisa and Baby Houseman. Robbie approached Lisa from behind and remarked softly into her ear that he had collected a lot of tips so far today, and so he soon might be able to buy an Alfa Romeo automobile. Lisa responded that the Alfa Romeo was her favorite kind of car.

Robbie tells Lisa about earning good tips and buying a car

Johnny saw that Robbie was interrupting Lisa's wig demonstration. Johnny approached and flattered the women trying on the wigs. Johnny wanted to make his presence known to Robbie and Penny, to prevent those two from quarreling.

Lisa whispered to Baby that she and Robbie intended to meet secretly in a secluded location at the golf course that night. Lisa asked Baby to lie to their parents in case they asked Baby that night about Lisa's whereabouts.

On that occasion Penny heard enough of Robbie's and Lisa's remarks to realize that they were beginning to go steady. Robbie was telling Lisa about his finances and intended purchases, and Lisa was expressing her support. Lisa knew that the characteristics of going steady included the sharing of decisions about money.

Penny knew also that Robbie's invitation to Lisa to meet him at the golf course was an indication that he would advance to the sexual second base that night. In fact, that was the same location where Robbie had reached second base with Penny herself -- where Robbie had caressed Penny's naked breasts for the first time.

After Lisa departed, Baby complimented Penny for her dancing skills. Penny responded with irrelevant information that she had been kicked out of her home when she was only 16 years old.

Baby Houseman
So you were really a Rockette? I think you're a wonderful dancer.

Penny Johnson
Yeah? Well, my mother kicked me out when I was sixteen. I've been dancing ever since. It's the only thing I ever wanted to do anyway.

Penny was preoccupied with thoughts that her lack of education and culture were the cause of her breakup with Robbie.

Penny's Spies Report About Robbie and Lisa

Lisa's spies -- Janet and Maria -- secretly watched Robbie's and Lisa's movements and observed that they were going separately to the golf course to meet there. From a distance, Janet and Maria even saw Robbie and Lisa meet and embrace. They they saw Robbie petting Lisa's breasts through her blouse.

Janet and Maria saw enough to report to Penny that Robbie and Lisa were well on their way to second base, so they rushed to Penny to deliver their spy report.

Penny was devastated. Penny felt that she could not compete with Lisa -- who was younger, more educated and cultured, and the daughter of a medical doctor. Penny could not control her emotions. She fled to the restaurant's dark, empty kitchen and collapsed into a corner and wept.

Penny did not pay any attention to Baby and Neil when they came into the kitchen. After just a few minutes, Baby and Neil left. After another while, Johnny came into the dark kitchen and picked Penny up. He carried her into the empty bunkhouse, where he sat her down onto a sofa.

Penny Loses All Hope

Now Penny began to grapple seriously with the idea that she should get an abortion. She might do so, but she did not want Johnny to pay for it. That would not be fair to Johnny.

Penny Johnson
Forget it, Johnny. I'm not taking what's left of your salary.

Johnny Castle
Penny, that's my business.

Penny Johnson
Besides, it wouldn't be enough.

Oh, God, it's hopeless!

Penny crying that now she is hopeless

Sure, coming up with $250 to pay for an illegal abortion in only a couple of weeks seemed to Penny to be hopeless.

However, most the most hopeless aspect for Penny was that she realized now that she never would be able to reconcile with Robbie. Penny could not compete with one of the Houseman girls -- with that rich bitch Lisa.

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This series of articles will conclude with Penny's and Robbie's Prospects in a Reconciliation.

The 1963 Alfa Romeo

The Houseman family arrived at the Kellerman resort hotel on Saturday, August 10, 1963. That evening, the family was introduced to Robbie Gould the waiter. After Robbie's shift ended, he danced with Lisa Houseman in the hotel's ballroom. Penny Johnson surely saw Robbie dancing with Lisa when Penny performed a rumba dance with Johnny Castle that night in the ballroom.

During the mid-day of the following Monday, Penny was demonstrating wigs to a group of hotel guests -- including Lisa and Baby Houseman -- on a yard near the lake. As Penny watched, Robbie approached Lisa and talked softly into her ear. This dialogue ensued (beginning at 0:40 in the video):

Robbie Gould
[Imitating President Kennedy's accent] So I say, "Ask not what your waiter can do for you, but what you can do for your waiter."

If tips keep up, I'll have enough for my Alfa Romeo.

Lisa Houseman
That's my favorite car.

Johnny Castle
[Having approached and stood behind Penny:] Ladies, you look very lovely.

Lisa Houseman
[To Baby:] Baby, would you cover for me tonight? Tell Mom and Dad I went to lie down.

Baby Houseman
Where are you going?

Lisa Houseman
To the golf course. There's a pretty view from the first tee.

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Below are a couple of photographs of the 1963 model of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta -- a convertible sport car.

The excellent reputation of the Alfa Romeo car-manufacturing company, located in Italy, is summarized at the ConceptCarz website as follows:

Prior to World War II, Alfa Romeo was blessed with a mystique that few companies have ever been able to duplicate. Perhaps the easiest way to describe prewar Alfa Romeo is to compare it with postwar Ferrari, a company whose relentless dominance on the racetrack and in the garages of millionaires has become a familiar fact of life. ...

While Alfa Romeo was involved [in auto racing] from nearly the start of the sport. Alfa Romeo built its reputation with some of the finest drivers, finest engineers, and finest automobiles known to the world. An Alfa won every Mille Miglia from 1928 to 1938 .... Alfa Romeos raced in the most grueling, dangerous, frightening, and exciting events that car racing has ever known.

The company's road cars, too, used phenomenal engines and chassis, many of which were initially developed for race use and then later detuned and clothed in stunning bodies by Italy's famed carrozzerie. Alfa built supercars before supercars existed. Alfa was, put simply, one of the absolutely superlative prewar marques, a rarefied combination of lust, precision, sophistication, and aesthetic excellence. ...

After World War II ... the carmaker's characteristically excellent engineering and styling were translated into smaller, more affordable packages. ...

The real success story of Alfa Romeo's early postwar years, though, was ... the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the first sports sedan. ... Even the four-door Giuliettas were equipped with mechanicals that made many contemporary sports cars jealous. The brakes were excellent finned Alfin drums, the rear axle with its aluminum differential housing was suspended by coils instead of leaves, and the car's compact size and weight of just one ton ensured delightful road manners.

Alfa Romeo produced some fancier, quite expensive models, such as the Giulia TZ, the 1963 model of which is shown in the below photograph.

If Robbie could afford a car like that, he wouldn't be working as a waiter. Therefore I assume he had his sights on the affordable Giulietta shown in the first two photographs.

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The following screenshot from the classified advertisements in an October 1963 issue of the Los Angeles Times shows a variety of prices for used Alfa Romero Giulietta cars.

A used 1956 model cost about $1,050, and a "near new" 1963 model cost $2,350. I looked around in some other old newspapers and found that the prices ranged -- as in the above advertisements -- mostly from $1,000 to $2,500.

In 1963, the average cost of a new car in the USA was $3,233. Keep in mind, however, that the average US car was much larger than an Alfa Romeo Giulietta. For example, the most popular car in 1963 was the Oldsmobile Cutlass, and the convertible model looked like this:

1963 Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible

That's a much larger car than the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

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Robbie wanted a car that was unusual and had a sporty design. Robbie's taste in automobiles pleased Lisa, who exclaimed that the Alfa Romeo is "my favorite car". The mention of such a car made Lisa ready to meet secretly with Robbie in a secluded location that very night.

If Robbie was willing to buy a used car, he could have bought a Giulietta for as little as $1,000 -- about the cost of four illegal abortions.

Working as a Rockette in 1964 (Part 2)

Continued from Part 1.

Click on images to enlarge them.

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A Rowdy, Pinchpenny Home Life

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After their exhausting first day at the Music Hall the five roommates find energy for a yelping pillow fight -- to help them unwind.

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Taking supper at home, they wolf down franks, beans and low-calorie soda pop. Their work schedule leaves little time for dating.

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In mock protest, Jane cringes as Mary Ann tries to give her roommate a hairdo. But do-it-yourself coiffures are a low-budget must.

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Below are other photographs that were not included in the published article.

Working as a Rockette in 1964 (Part 1)

This article follow up my previous article, titled Joining the Rockettes at Age 17.

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The December 11, 1964, issue of Life magazine featured an article titled The Rockettes Go On and On: World's Most Famous Kick, with illustrated with photographs taken by Arthur Rickerry.

Although by August 1963 Penny Johnson already "used to be a Rockette", the article is close enough in time to portray her life and work as a Rockette. Below are all the article's text, photographs and captions. Click on images to enlarge them.

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The Rockettes

Spectacle of Their Dancing

How Five of Them Work and Live

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In triple exposure taken at 

New York City's Radio Music Hall, 

the Rockettes display the precision 

that has made them world famous.

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The place is the great state of New York's Radio City Music Hall. The moment is that epitome of precision, the high-kicking finale of the most famous dance routine in all entertainment, when the Rockettes advance upon the footlights like an infinity of mirror images. This month the 36-member team marks its 32nd year of four-times-a-day, seven-days-a-week performances. Though the girls themselves are anonymous, they have become a world landmark, a tourist "must" like the Statue of Liberty, and thus far nearly 200 million person have paid to see them. Twelve times a year the Music Hall completely restages its stage extravagana, with lavish new production numbers. The girls change too: over the years some 1,500 have performed with the team, each inevitably giving way to a younger replacement. But as an institution, the incomparable Rockettes, whose routines are shown on these pages, are a changeless feast for the eyes.

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The Fast Four-Minute Routine That Never Changes 

Whatever their costumes, the Rockettes' four minutes on stage never vary. Above, they execute the step called "opening the gate". At left below they dance the "open formation". At center they lock hands in a "chain step" and at right they regroup for a miltary-style drill that precedes the finale.

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How Five Young Hopefuls

Found Glorious Anonymity

Little girls who grow up to be Rockettes are born and raised in places like Milford, Mass., and Niles, Ohio, and Erie, Pa., and they get thrust into dancing classes by their mamas when they are scarcely more than toddlers. As they grow older they hear about hte great dance spectacle at Radio City Music Hall and start to wonder IF ....

The more enterprising ones write letters asking how one goes about becoming a Rockette. They get police form replies listing the requirements: they must be high school graduates, between 5-feet 5-inches tall, have good figures and be excellent performers in tap, ballet, modern jazz dance and high kicks.

Auditions are held periodically as vacancies occur. At a recent one, 66 girls showed up and clicked through their paces in a Music Hall rehearsal room. The five talented and pretty winners are shown at right -- Karen Galvin, 18, of Milford; Mary Ann de Mare, 19, of Niles; Jane Simpson, 18, of Bangor, Maine; Susan Borin, 21, also of Niles, who did not know Mary Ann well at home but became a good friend after they were selected Rockettes; and Geraldine Ann Przyszewski, 21, of Erie (who changed her name to Gerry Presky so directors could pronounce it.)

Each more frightened than the other, they decided to join forces in a city that turned out to be even more perilous than they imagined. They paid $300 a month for a shabby two-room apartment in a run-down hotel -- an nobody told them they were being over-charged. They were snapped at by waitresses and cabbies and pushed and shoved about in a subway. But four times a day they changed into spangles and feathers and make-up and danced before 6,200 patrons who had paid to see them.

In her first show, newcomer May Ann de Mare (second from left) looks as assured as the veterans around her.

With big crepe roses in their hair the five newcomers wait backstage for the big number -- as anonymous Rockettes.

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Sitting in absorbed concentration at a reheasal, Jane (arms on knees) and Mary Ann take pointers from Markert. "I've never felt more frightened, awkward and alone," said Jane after her first session withthe director. But eventually she and her four fellow neophytes went through their first performance without a bobble.

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Mary Ann winces in pain as she stetches during strenuous warm-up exercises with Sue prior to rehearsal. Even though they arrived as trained dancers in excellent condition, Markert's routines give them sore muscles.

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Learning the Drill 

from Their Topkick

"Watch this, girls," commanded the spry little man as the leotard-clad dancers hung on every word. This was Russell Markert, the 65-year-old founder of the Rockettes and their only director for 32 years.

"Lean back as if you were saying, 'Halleluja!' Got it? You over there, put some blood in those arms. They look like weak fish. And you, the blonde, don't be afraid to stick out your butt and never mnd twisting the backside -- it throws you off. Don't you hear the beat? Here, I'll hum it for you!"

Markert is a brisk and stern taskmaster, first demonstrating a new routine to his girls, then letting them try it, then throwing up his arms in dismay and flinging himself into the group to dance with them.

Markert is a kindly man who clucks over his girls, and calls them "my dancing daughters," but he damands a discipline that would do credit to a drill squad of Marines. He strives constantly to make his36 girls perform as one. And if anybondy falters during a performance, even so slightly that the audience would never notice, he sinks into private pits of black despair.

Markert demonstrates the Rockette's "eye-high" kick, a trademark copied by dance lines the world over.

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In a rehearsal lecture, Markert tells the new girls they must suppress their indivdual dancing styes and perform just like all the others.

Below, just like a general inspecting his troops, he passes along the line straightening feet.

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To be continued in Part 2.

Joining the Rockettes at Age 17

At the beginning of Dirty Dancing, when Penny Johnson is in the gazebo and is teaching some dance moves to hotel guests, the loudspeaker announces:

There's a merengue class in the gazebo in the next few minutes. The greatest teacher -- used to be a Rockette.

Later in the movie, when Penny is on an outside yard and demonstrating wigs to hotel guests, she and Baby Houseman say the following dialogue:

Baby Houseman
So you were really a Rockette? I think you're a wonderful dancer.

Penny Johnson
Yeah? Well, my mother kicked me out when I was 16. I've been dancing ever since. It's the only thing I ever wanted to do anyway.

Baby Houseman
I envy you.

So, it seems that Penny stopped attending high school when she was 16 and joined the Rockettes when she was 17 years old.

In a previous article, I argued that Penny was about 24 years old in 1963. Therefore, it seems that she danced in the Rockettes from about 1955 to 1962.

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In the following video Corliss Whitney tells about her own Rockette career, which she began at age 17.

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The following video shows a 17-year-old girl auditioning to join the Rockettes in 2013.

However, the minimum age to actually join the Rockettes is now 18 years old.

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The following video shows a mass audition.

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The following images (click to enlarge) show the Rockettes in the year 1962.

The Rockettes in 1962

The Rockettes in 1962

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Penny's remark that she was kicked out her home when she was 16 years old surely was added to the script by Patrick and Lisa Swayze. Lisa left her own home at age 16 and went to live in the Swayze home. I will address this matter in a later article about the changes I think were made in the script.

Nobody Puts Weingarten In The Corner

This article follows up my previous article Labor Law Lessons from "Dirty Dancing". The same two labor-law lawyers -- Daniel D. Schudroff and Philip B. Rosen -- have written a second article in their series about law issues in the movie.

This new article, titled Weingarten Rights -- Nobody Puts Weingarten in the Corner, argues that the movie would have ended differently if Johnny Castle had exercised his so-called "Weingarten rights" as a union employee. The article includes the following passages:

... As part of its investigation into thefts of guests’ property, the resort owner interviewed staff dance instructor, Johnny Castle (Johnny denies involvement in the burglaries), to determine whether he had an alibi for the evening when Moe Pressman’s wallet was stolen. We now know that Castle responded that he was in his room reading all evening. The resort owner’s grandson, Neil Kellerman, found this explanation implausible as there were no books in Castle’s room.

However, the movie may have ended differently if Johnny had availed himself of rights afforded to him by the Supreme Court’s decision in NLRB v. Weingarten, 420 U.S. 251, 257 (1975), and its progeny.

For purposes of this analysis, assume that: (1) Johnny was a member of a union (he said his uncle was able to secure him an apprenticeship with a painting union); and (2) Weingarten rights existed in 1963 (as noted above, Weingarten was decided in 1975).

The Law

In Weingarten, the Supreme Court held an employee who reasonably believes an investigatory interview will result in disciplinary action against him or her has the right, upon request, to be accompanied at that interview by a union representative, usually a co-worker/steward. See Weingarten, 420 U.S. at 257. The Weingarten right does not prevent an employer from opting not to proceed with the interview and instead simply taking disciplinary action without hearing the employee’s explanation.

The Application

Clearly, Johnny’s explanation that he was reading in his room on the night in question, at best, was dubious and, in reality, false. In fact, Johnny’s lackluster explanation was the prime motivation behind the resort’s decision to terminate his employment (which arguably sets in motion the chain of events that puts Baby in a corner).

In an alternate scene, however, Johnny triggers his Weingarten rights by requesting that a representative be present when he is interviewed by Neil Kellerman. In response, Kellerman’s decides not to conduct an interview and simply takes disciplinary action without hearing Johnny’s explanations. Accordingly, based exclusively on Moe Pressman’s wife’s false account of the incident, Johnny is summarily terminated and escorted off the property.

Baby never has the opportunity to tell the resort’s owner that Johnny was innocent because she was with Johnny the entire night the wallet was stolen. Instead of a final scene where Johnny utters “Nobody puts Baby in the corner..,” the movie fast-forwards to a regional office of the National Labor Relations Board where Johnny is seen filing an unfair labor practice charge ...

I look forward to a sequel movie, titled Dirty Firing, that would retell the story from such a labor-law perspective.

One important lesson from both articles is that employers and employees will make better decisions in firing situations if they consult an expert lawyer.