THE FANS' LOVE STORY: How The Movie 'DIRTY DANCING' Captured The Hearts Of Millions! (10 page)

Mr. H. M. “Buzz” Scanland Jr., General Manager at Mountain Lake Hotel, was a very gracious host to me during my visit there in January 2009. This shot was taken in the dining room looking out at the beautiful Mountain Lake property. Buzz was the marketing manager when
Dirty Dancing
was filming there in 1986.

Mr. Mike Porterfield, Executive Chef at Mountain Lake Hotel, is standing in front of the hotel. He gave Patrick Swayze a ride on his motorcycle down the mountain when
Dirty Dancing
was filming there, and was one of the people who hung out with Patrick Swayze, Miranda Garrison, and others in the evenings. Mike’s family used to own the property—beginning in the late 1880s for more than thirty years.

Swayze Mania Ladies on their reunion trip in the dining room at Mountain Lake Hotel with the popular cardboard Patrick Swayze. Per Roberta Teska (first fan standing on left side): “While we were having our first dinner in the dining room (with ‘Patrick’ at the head of the table), we had lots of fun . . . Our Swayze Mania friend and husband arrived and went up to the front desk and asked where they could find us. The clerk said, ‘They’re in the dining room having dinner with Patrick!’

Roberta also shared, “Two of the Swayze Mania ladies were lucky enough to share Room 232, which was Patrick’s room when he was at Mountain Lake Hotel filming
Dirty Dancing
. . . I asked Buzz, the manager, ‘Why don’t you have a plaque up on the door stating this fact?’ He replied, ‘It wouldn’t even last a day.’”

Scenes at this famous Mountain Lake gazebo include: Baby (Jennifer Grey) had her foot stepped on by a male guest during a dance class, Johnny (Patrick Swayze) was dancing with various guests and then alerted that Penny (Cynthia Rhodes) was in need of help, and Dr. Houseman (Jerry Orbach) and Baby had their father/daughter talk here.

Here is another shot of the Mountain Lake dining room where Johnny (Patrick Swayze) told Robbie (Max Cantor), the college boy, where to put the pickle. Also, this is where the Housemans had their first dinner, and the breakfast when Dr. Houseman (Jerry Orbach) talked about leaving early.

Buzz took my picture in this famous kitchen where Penny (Cynthia Rhodes) crouched down crying, and soon Johnny (Patrick Swayze) arrived on the scene to rescue her. Per Mike Porterfield, this is one of the most popular places for fans at Mountain Lake Hotel to have their picture taken.

Buzz is braving the six below zero temperature to show the beautiful wintry Mountain Lake Hotel property.

Rachael Harrell and Maury Denton. Richmond, Virginia. “We visited Mountain Lake to celebrate our love and our love for dancing. Like Johnny and Baby, we met on a dance floor. Thank you to our friends, Warren and Emily Bailey, for helping us recreate the lift that captured the hearts of romantics around the world.”

Emily Bailey lives with her husband, Warren and son in Chesterfield, Virginia. Emily is standing on the porch of the Houseman Cottage (now-a-days known as the Virginia Cottage) looking out at Mountain Lake. “My wife is truly a gift from God that I don’t appreciate near enough. So for our four year anniversary, I was trying to do something really special. While reading
Virginia Wine Lover
magazine, I found out that
Dirty Dancing
, her all-time favorite movie, was filmed at Mountain Lake Hotel in Pembroke, VA. I further found out that our anniversary fell on one of the
Dirty Dancing
weekends. I told her to pack up for a weekend getaway and we drove our motorcycles the 4.5 hour trip. We pulled up in front of the hotel, and when she realized where we were, she was beside herself. It was an anniversary to remember!”