The 1982 Movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"

In 1956, the Motion Picture Production Code established the following rules about the treatment of abortion issues in cinema.

The subject of abortion shall be discouraged, shall never be more than suggested, and when referred to shall be condemned. It must never be treated lightly, or made the subject of comedy. Abortion shall never be shown explicitly or by inference, and a story must not indicate that an abortion has been performed, the word “abortion” shall not be used.

After that rule was established, the first movie to make an abortion an important element of the plot was the 1967 movie In the Heat of the Night. The movie is primarily about racial relations, about a White sheriff and a Black detective investigate a murder. The investigation reveals that the murder's motive was to get the necessary money to pay for an illegal abortion.

The second movie was the 1972 movie Cabaret. The movie takes place in Germany in the 1931, but the female protagonist is an American woman working in Berlin. She becomes pregnant but does not know from which of her several lovers. An English student offers to marry her and help raise the baby. She considers his proposal but then, without consulting with him further, gets an abortion.

The third movie was the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and the fourth movie was the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing.

Whereas the 1963 abortion in Dirty Dancing is financially and physically traumatic, the 1982 abortion in Fast Times is rather inconsequential.

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The above information is from a thesis written by Julia Ann Ferguson and titled No More Wire Hangers: Analyzing Abortion, Onscreen Representation of Reproductive Rights, and The Leonine Archetype in Pro-Choice Cinema. In the last part of my article I will discuss her thesis.

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The Wikipedia article about Fast Times at Ridgemont High summarizes the abortion element as follows:

Stacy [Hamilton] is a 15-year-old sophomore and also a virgin. She works at a pizza parlor at the Ridgemont Mall alongside her outspoken friend, the popular and sexually active Linda Barrett.

One night at work, Stacy takes an order from Ron Johnson, a 26-year-old stereo salesman who asks her out after she tells him she's 19 years old. She later sneaks out of her house to meet him and they have sex in a dugout at a softball field. Stacy never hears from Ron again, revealing the loss of her virginity to Linda.

Mike Damone ... fancies himself a sagacious and worldly ladies' man. Mike's shy but amiable friend Mark Ratner works at the movie theater across from the pizza parlor at the mall. When Mark proclaims his love for Stacy to him, Mike lets Mark in on his five secrets for picking up girls. Mike later convinces Mark to ask Stacy out on a date to a German restaurant.

Afterwards, at her home, Stacy invites Mark into her bedroom, where they look at Stacy's photo album together. They begin to kiss, but Mark abruptly leaves after Stacy attempts to seduce him. Stacy mistakenly interprets Mark's shyness as disinterest.

Eventually Stacy becomes interested in Damone and she invites him to have a swim in her pool, which leads to them having sex in the pool house. Stacy later informs Damone that she is pregnant, and tells him she's scheduled an abortion and wants him to pay half of the bill.

On the day of her appointment, embarrassed at being unable to raise the money for his half of the bill, Damone begins to ignore Stacy. Stacy asks Brad to drive her to a bowling alley to meet friends, but Brad sees Stacy enter the abortion clinic across the street. Brad waits for Stacy and he confronts her about the abortion. Stacy has Brad promise not to tell their parents. When Stacy tells Linda, Linda becomes angry at Damone ....

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Left photo: Penny Johnson in "Dirty Dancing"
Right photo: Stacy Hamilton in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"

The two main female characters Stacy Hamilton and Linda Barrett
in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"

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The website Bitch Flicks has published an article, written by Tessa Racked and titled Historical vs. Modern Abortion Narratives in Dirty Dancing and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Comparing the two movies, Racked points out the following differences:

* Stacy was able to choose to get an abortion without trauma or punishment.

* Stacy's situation was portrayed with a relatively light tone.

* The sexuality of the Fast Times characters is portrayed in a blatant manner.

* Stacy's access to abortion is simple and affordable.

* Stacy's abortion is done in a medical facility.

* Stacy's abortion leads to her personal growth.

The article is well written, and you can read it there.

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I return now to the thesis written by Ferguson titled No More Wire Hangers: Analyzing Abortion, Onscreen Representation of Reproductive Rights, and The Leonine Archetype in Pro-Choice Cinema. Ferguson wrote it as an honors student at the University of Colorado. The thesis explains and justifies her plan to make a movie with the working title Sugar Daddy, in which an abortion is a major element of the plot. Ferguson argues that her movie will fill a blank spot among the various movies that already have been made about abortion.

I co-wrote and directed a coming-of-age narrative about a twenty-something-year-old girl named Evelyn, who solicits cocaine in order to pay for her overpriced abortion. .... Not only does Evelyn’s decision underscore a sociological correlation between criminal depravity and a dearth of resources, but also beyond her white privilege, her logic duly begs an even more pressing question to the audience — does a girl who doles out drugs for money possess the moral fiber for motherhood — or at least at this stage of her nascent life?

... Most pro-choice films tend to address abortion with a morally benevolent and relatable person; but in particular, the archetypal pattern conveys a leonine lady bearing blonde locks and a cherubic countenance that began with the iconic character Stacy Hamilton from Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1986). ....

In my own words, most movies portray the pregnant woman as a positive character who might become a good mother, whereas Ferguson's proposed Sugar Daddy will portray the pregnant woman as so unlikable and immoral that she is blatantly unfit to become a mother.

Most of Ferguson's thesis is about movies made after 1987 and about her own proposed Sugar Daddy. I will not discuss those movies here.

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Ferguson writes that Fast Time portrays the pregnant woman as an attractive and admirable character who is pregnant too young now but ultimately will become a good mother.

The birth of the leonine archetype begins with the baby-faced, fifteen-year-old Stacy Hamilton   from ... Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). ... Stacy exemplifies the paradigm of a sexually inchoate teenage girl; she may be initiating intercourse with older men and holding a server job at the mall, yet she lacks the matronly maturity for motherhood at this stage in her life.

She captivates audiences as cherubic and cute, but certainly not chaste in curiosity ... Furthermore, when Stacy becomes impregnated after initiating a fling .... she knows that in order for her carry on with her youth and budding independence — she will need to procure an abortion; and she does not change her mind about it either.

Ferguson criticizes the producers for removing a scene showing the actual abortion.

The studio executives omitted the on-screen operation scene — now readily available on YouTube. Shamefully, the coerced absence consequently renders a rather awkward gap of a before-and-after abortion transition in the film’s final cut.

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Ferguson describes Penny of Dirty Dancing as a likable character who (similar to Stacy Hamilton of Fast Times) has "blonde locks and a cherubic countenance".

Penny Johnson is ... a fierce, blonde she-lions aiming for a desired on-screen abortion. .... [and] plays the lofty cool girl; and prior to instigating their compassionate friendship, Penny Houseman ices Baby with a blasé, classist burn — “Go back to your playpen, Baby.”

Baby too is an admirable character.

... Through her unabridged audacity and inspiring magnanimity, Baby bends her filial sphere of influence for Penny by clandestinely securing the abortion funds from her father. .... Audiences sympathize with Baby’s moral relativism — a clear sign of her burgeoning ascension to adulthood. ....

Penny takes notice of Baby’s benevolent bravery, appreciates her assistance, and wants her to know that she “doesn’t sleep around.” ....

Although Dirty Dancing approves Penny's abortion decision, many in the audience might perceive that the abortion crisis caused  Johnny to prefer Baby as his romantic partner.

Penny reveals the news that she can still conceive children to Johnny .... As a lionlike lady of outstanding merit, Penny resiliently convalesces from her bed-rest and resumes her daily activities — for the most part.

Whereas Baby relishes her steamy romance with Johnny, the concluding scene refuses to allott Penny the same conclusion. As a result of her corrosive abortion, her character needs to be rebuffed for the sake of churning out the virginal viewers’ apologetic forgiveness. In short, Penny cannot sleep around for awhile; so while everyone else is getting hot, she needs to dance with the geriatric Butler to preserve whatever purity she has left before she finds real love. ....

Penny’s nearly lethal abortion lingers as the sole disturbance [at the movie's end]. After all, “the guy had a dirty knife and a folding table” leaves cringe-inducing imagery and cautionary information about the deleterious dangers of illegal, limited, and desolate abortion access.

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Despite Ferguson's portrayal of Penny as a "cherubic" character, Penny has a troubled past. She was kicked out of her home by her mother when she was only 16 years old. Having dropped out of high school, she immediately went to work as a Rockette dancer.

To the limited extent that Penny was based significantly on Lisa Swayze, Penny might have a personal history of paranoia, hallucinations and depression.

Also, Lisa Swayze never gave birth and became a mother, for some private reason. A possible reason is that Lisa Swayze simply preferred to pursue her potential career as a dancer and actress. So, although Penny expresses relief that she "can still conceive children", perhaps Penny does not really want to conceive again and eventually become a mother.