'Dirty Dancing' Returns to Theaters

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MADELEINE BRAND, host:

Sounds like good theme music for a love story. Stories of forbidden love are as old as time. Think "Romeo and Juliet," "Anna Karenina," "Wuthering Heights" and this.

(Soundbite of song, "I've Had the Time of My Life")

Mr. BILL MEDLEY (Singer): (Singing) I've had the time of my life.

BRAND: "Dirty Dancing," the 1987 movie with Patrick Swayze as Johnny Castle and Jennifer Grey as Baby. Like "Grease" or "Saturday Night Fever" before it, there was illicit love, tight pants, and cheesy music.

(Soundbite of song, "I've Had the Time of My Life")

Mr. MEDLEY: (Singing) I've been waiting for so long...

BRAND: And obsessive fans.

Ms. ROBIN WILPERT(ph) (Movie Fan): I was in high school, and I've seen it about 400 times since then.

BRAND: Robin Wilpert can now see it 400 more times because "Dirty Dancing" is back in theaters for the first time in 20 years. Last night, it was sold out at a theater here in Los Angeles.

(Soundbite of music)

Mr. RENEE GOITIER (Movie Fan): I'm not going to lie, like I love that movie. I was a little kid when it came out. My aunt used to, you know, she loved Patrick Swayze. It was Patrick Swanzie(ph), as she called him.

(Soundbite of song, "Big Girls Don't Cry")

Ms. FRANKIE VALLI (Vocalist, Four Seasons): (Singing) Big girls don't cry.

Unidentified Woman #1: Actually, when I saw it for the first time I was five. And I went to one of those family camps that summer that I saw it. So I would pretend I was Baby. And it was an obssession of mine, so...

(Soundbite of song)

Unidentified Woman #2: I had one friend who was like, she was much taller than me. So she always had the - we learned the dance routine and she always had to be Patrick, and I was obviously (unintelligible)...

(Soundbite of movie, "Dirty Dancing")

Mr. PATRICK SWAYZE (Actor): (As Johnny Castle) Bend your knees and go. Good. Good. Now hold the position. Hold it. Good. Don't break. Don't break.

(Soundbite of water splashing)

Mr. ERIC MERINHO(ph) (Movie Fan): I really enjoyed all the dancing, to tell you the truth. It seemed very taboo, you know, the leg on the shoulder and everything, you know.

Mr. MATTHEW NORIEL(ph) (Movie Fan): You know, it's very hot. The dance...

Mr. MERINHO: Hot?

Mr. LAUREN MARTIN (Movie Fan): That's why it's called "Dirty Dancing."

Mr. MERINHO: Well, it was...

Mr. MERINHO: I liked the "Dirty Dancing."

Mr. MARTIN: You know, dirty was taboo.

(Soundbite of music)

BRAND: That was Renee Goitier, Eric Merinho, Matthew Noriel and Lauren Martin, reliving their past last night at the re-release of "Dirty Dancing."

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