Original artwork, not a still
Nobody puts Baby in a corner.
— Dirty Dancing · 1987
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Johnny is the one who treats Baby as an equal in a world that sees her as a sheltered child, a view he finally says out loud in front of her family and the entire resort. It is the film's love story and class story in one line. Fans use it to defend anyone being sidelined at a party, a meeting or a school play, and it is among the film's most quoted lines, with the final lift.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Dirty DancingShow the scene
It is the end-of-season talent show at Kellerman's, a Catskills resort, in the summer of 1963. Johnny Castle, the dance instructor who has just been fired for his romance with the doctor's daughter Frances "Baby" Houseman, arrives and interrupts the final song. He announces that Baby has made him a better person, brings her up on stage, and the two perform the dance they have practised all summer, ending in the lift they could not manage before. Dr. Houseman admits he was wrong about Johnny. The line is ranked 98th on AFI's list of film quotes.
Sources (2)
- Wikipedia: Dirty DancingPlot, final paragraphs; Reception (AFI)Reference checked
- Wikiquote: Dirty DancingJohnny Castle quotesReference checked
Context reviewed
