August 21, 1987 –
The low-budget film, directed by Emile Ardolino, Dirty Dancing, starring Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Cynthia Rhodes, and Jerry Orbach, premiered in the US on this date.
Relations between the two main stars varied throughout production. They had already had trouble getting along in their previous project, Red Dawn, and worked things out enough to have an extremely positive screen-test. Still, that initial cooperation soon faded, and they were quickly “facing off” before every scene. There was concern among the production staff that the animosity between the two stars would endanger the filming of the love scenes. To address this, Eleanor Bergstein and Emile Ardolino forced the stars to re-watch their initial screen-tests, the ones with the “breathtaking” chemistry. This had the desired effect, and Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey were able to return to the film with renewed energy and enthusiasm.
The Haus of Dcaligari 