Patrick Swayze had the time of his life but it ended too soon; his greatest scene on film

SEPTEMBER 15, 2009

My buddy Steve Spears ably covered the highlights of Patrick Swayze's career on his Stuck in the 80's -- except for not listing Dirty Dancing among his five favorite Swayze films.

YouTube and Lionsgate disabled embedding for most of the DD clips but I found this one that escaped.

Here's most of the climactic dance with pre-nose job Jennifer Grey, including Swayze's touchstone line: "Nobody puts baby in a corner," that lives on in real-life conversations (mine, at least). The final lift (that unfortunately Lionsgate doesn't allow online) is one of modern cinema's instantly recognizable images, a triumphant move that seems like the right way to remember the man who never forgot his fans or what he was put on Earth to do.

So, I found a clip from earlier in Dirty Dancing when Johnny starts coaching Baby in the lift.

R.I.P.

Posted by at 6:37:02 am on September 15, 2009 in

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For new movie reviews and movie news, this blog's for you. Steve Persall, movie critic for the St. Petersburg Times, weighs in on blockbuster movies, small-budget movies, the best movies, the worst movies ever and everything in between. Steve was conceived behind a drive-in movie theater his father operated and raised in projection booths and concession stands. He doesn't care how you did it up north.

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