My Speculations About Eleanor Bergstein's Original Script

In a recent article titled The Re-Writing of Eleanor Bergstein's Script, I argued that the script was rewritten drastically after Patrick Swayze agreed to play the Johnny Castle role. One concession that was granted to him in order to convince him to play the role was that he would enjoy great authority to propose changes. As he began to make changes, other people involved in the movie likewise felt emboldened to propose changes. The re-writing of the script became a group effort, which I called "a feeding frenzy".

Before that article, I wrote an article titled Dirty Dancing is the first in a series of Bergstein stories in which I placed Dirty Dancing in the context of Bergstein's overall body of work, which comprises one novel and three movies. Her series of stories tells about the emotional conflicts that trouble many women throughout their adult lives as they decide between their professional and family aspirations.

Bergstein's original script -- I have in mind the script before Swayze began its re-writing -- is not available to the public. Therefore I can only speculate about the original script and about its changes. In this article here I will display my speculation.

I speculate that the original script could be summarized as follows:

======

Sisters Baby and Lisa Houseman differed significantly.

* Baby is preoccupied with her intellectual, charitable and career aspirations.

* Lisa is preoccupied with appearances and with her marriage aspirations.

The sister-sister rivalry is developed more in the original script than in the movie.

The talent show is introduced early in the original script.

* Lisa is enthusiastic about participating in the talent show as a means to socialize and to shine.

* Baby disdains the talent show and does want to participate.

The magician suggests that Baby can participate in the talent show minimally by serving as a prop in his magic act. Reluctantly she agrees to be "sawed in half" in a magic performance on the first night of the stay. She will consider doing something minimally similar for the magician during the talent show on the last night

Soon, Lisa becomes romantically interested in the waiter Robbie Gould because he is a medical student. Baby is disgusted by Lisa's flirtations to attract Robbie.

In the original script, there is no antagonism between the waiters and the dancers. .

Then the story progresses for a while as in the movie. Bobby Kostecki takes Baby into the "dirty dance" party in the bunkhouse. Baby learns that Penny Johnson is pregnant from Robbie, who has dumped her. Penny wants an illegal abortion, so Baby borrows the necessary money from her father Jake Houseman. Baby agrees to replace Penny and dance with Johnny Castle at the Sheldrake Hotel. Penny becomes sick from the abortion. Jake saves Penny and falsely accuses Johnny.

Then the original script diverges from the movie.

Johnny does not passively accept Jake's accusation. Johnny defends himself, but Jake cuts him off and forbids Johnny and Baby to socialize with each other any further.

Johnny turns his attentions away from Baby and toward Vivian Pressman, a female guest who is an excellent dancer. Baby becomes jealous of Vivian.

Baby goes to Johnny's cabin and seduces him sexually. She persuades Johnny to secretly prepare a dance to perform with her at the talent show. Baby wants to keep Johnny away from Vivian, wants to overshadow Lisa at the talent show and wants to show her father that Johnny is a nice guy after all.

The preparations for the talent show provide occasions to show much more dancing to the movie audience.

In the original script, there is no disagreement between Johnny and Neil Kellerman about the pachanga dance. Johnny is not fired for stealing money.

At the talent show, Baby is sawed in half by the magician. She emerges whole from the box, and then she and Johnny immediately perform their dance, accompanied by Lionel Richie's song Dancing on the Ceiling.

After Baby and Johnny dance, everyone in the ballroom gets up and dances.

Then Baby's father Jake realizes that Johnny is a nice guy and belatedly listens to Johnny's explanation that he did not cause Penny's pregnancy. Jake and Johnny make peace.

The end.

======

Such was the original script -- I speculate -- that was rejected by MGM and other major movie producers until new producer Vestron agreed to make the movie on a small budget.

======

I speculate further that, in the original script, the character Johnny Castle was rather like the character Ben Lewin (played by Michael Douglas) in Bergstein's previous, 1980 movie, It's My Turn. Ben is a professional baseball player whose career ended recently because of a shoulder injury. Now Ben is beginning a new career as an inspirational speaker.

Ben is confident and optimistic. He is domineering and seductive toward women. He is amusing and playful.

Confident, domineering professional athlete Ben Lewin
in Bergstein's first movie, "It's My Turn"

In contrast, the movie's intellectual heroine Kate Gunzinger (played by Jill Clayburgh) is timid and pessimistic. She is seduced sexually by Ben. Although their obvious incompatibility dooms a long-term relationship, she fantasizes for a while that they will continue to be a couple. By the movie's end, however, she accepts the reality that her sexual experience with him was a mere fling.

This relationship between Ben and Kate in Bergstein's 1980 movie was similar to the relationship between Johnny and Baby in Bergstein's original script for her following movie. The man is confident, charming and capable but is not a good marriage match for the intellectual career woman, who must resign herself to her continuing unmarried status.

The following image from Dirty Dancing portrays the confident, domineering Johnny Castle of Bergstein's original script.

Confident, domineering professional dancer Johnny Castle
in Bergstein's second movie, "Dirty Dancing"

======

Bergstein the screenwriter resented men's relatively easy success in life in comparison with women's struggles. Bergstein admired well-adjusted, successful, professional fathers. The daughters with career aspirations wanted to emulate such fathers and marry such men. However, such men marry conventional women who aspire to become mere wives, helpmates and mothers.

And so, women with career aspirations allow themselves be seduced into fun but brief flings by confident, charming, physical men such as Ben and Johnny.

Bergstein's successive scripts retold essentially similar stories. She portrayed Ben and Johnny as essentially similar male characters who coast through their lives easily.

=====

In the following two articles, I will speculate as follows.

1) The script changes made by Patrick and Lisa Swayze turned Johnny Castle and Penny Johnson into intellectually insecure characters.

2) The mutual planning of Baby Houseman and of Johnny Castle to perform in the talent show was removed from the movie. Instead, their performance dance at the talent show seems to be unplanned and spontaneous.