50 Fun Facts About Footloose

Who plays Ren McCormack, the dancing newcomer, in the 1984 Footloose?

Cruise was busy with All the Right Moves and Lowe was injured; Bacon turned down Stephen King's Christine to screen-test.

From which city does Ren move to the small town of Bomont?

In the 2011 remake he comes from Boston instead.

Which actor plays the strict Reverend Shaw Moore in the original film?

He is moved by Ren's Bible speech but the town council still votes the ban down.

What tragedy led Reverend Moore to push the town's ban through?

Ariel tells Ren the story on the drive back from the bar across the state line.

Who directed the 1984 film?

Ron Howard turned it down for Splash and Michael Cimino was fired after a month of extravagant demands.

Which director was hired and then fired from Footloose after a month, having demanded an extra $250,000?

It would have been his first film since the disaster of Heaven's Gate.

Which real town's dance ban, lifted for a 1980 prom, loosely inspired Footloose?

The town had banned dancing since 1898 to curb heavy drinking and had never held a prom.

Since what year had Elmore City banned dancing?

The junior class made national news in February 1980 when the school board split 2-2 and the president cast the deciding vote for the prom.

In which US state was Footloose filmed, and where is the fictional Bomont set?

Payson High School hosted the school and tractor scenes; the bar was Provo's Silver Spur.

Where was the mill in which Ren works, and does his famous angry dance?

Bacon briefly worked at the mill as research; Geneva Steel was the steel mill location.

How many doubles did Ren's actor say he had for the warehouse dance scene?

A stunt double, a dance double named Peter Tramm and two gymnastics doubles.

Which of these actresses did NOT audition for or get considered for the role of Ariel?

Lori Singer got the part; Haviland Morris also auditioned.

Who plays Ariel in the 1984 film?

Sarah Jessica Parker plays her friend Rusty; Dianne Wiest is Vi, the reverend's wife.

Which future Sex and the City star plays Rusty, Ariel's best friend?

It was one of her first major film roles, the same year as Firstborn.

Chris Penn plays Willard, Ren's best friend. What can Willard famously not do?

Ren teaches him in a montage; Penn was Sean Penn's younger brother.

What kind of vehicle is used in the game of chicken between Ren and Chuck?

Ren only wins because his shoelace snags and he cannot jump off.

Where do the students finally hold their prom?

Reverend Moore and Vi listen from outside; Chuck's gang tries to crash it.

What does Ren use to argue his case for dancing before the town council?

He cites the scriptural significance of dancing to rejoice and celebrate; Ariel helps him find the passages.

What is written on the brick thrown through Ren's window?

His mother Ethel tells him to stand up for what he believes, even though it cost her job.

What does Reverend Moore stop members of his congregation from doing late in the film?

It is the moment he finally turns; he chastises them and sends them home.

How much did Footloose gross in North America, making it 1984's seventh-biggest film?

Reviews were mixed but the soundtrack was a phenomenon.

Which studio released Footloose in February 1984?

Fox had put the project into turnaround in 1981 before Paramount made a pay-or-play deal.

Who wrote the Footloose screenplay and most of the soundtrack's lyrics?

He had already won an Oscar for the song 'Fame'; this was his first screenplay.

Which two tracks from the 1984 soundtrack were nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar?

Both also went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Who sings the film's title song, his only solo number one?

It was his only solo number one and earned him the nickname King of the Movie Soundtrack.

How many weeks did the title song spend at number one on the Hot 100?

Billboard ranked it the fourth-biggest song of 1984.

Who sang 'Let's Hear It for the Boy', the film's second number-one hit?

Country singer Jana Kramer covered it for the 2011 remake.

Which Welsh singer recorded 'Holding Out for a Hero' for the soundtrack?

Jim Steinman produced and co-wrote it; it later appeared on her album Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire.

The title-song singer earned what nickname for hits from Caddyshack, Footloose and Top Gun?

'Danger Zone' from Top Gun followed 'Footloose' and 'I'm Alright'.

What 1980 news story inspired the screenwriter to write Footloose?

He teamed up with Daniel Melnick's IndieProd and set the film up at Fox in 1981.

The 1984 film's director had first made his name in what role?

He choreographed Broadway shows for Barbra Streisand and Stephen Sondheim before directing films like The Goodbye Girl and Steel Magnolias.

Who directed the 2011 Footloose remake?

The Hustle & Flow director co-wrote the script with the original's Dean Pitchford.

Who plays Ren in the 2011 remake?

Zac Efron was cast first and left; Chace Crawford replaced him and then dropped out too.

Which Dancing with the Stars professional plays Ariel in the 2011 remake?

Amanda Bynes, Miley Cyrus and Hayden Panettiere were considered first.

Who plays Reverend Moore in the 2011 version?

Andie MacDowell plays his wife Vi.

Which future Whiplash star plays Willard in the remake?

He took the role Chris Penn had played in 1984.

Where is Bomont located in the 2011 remake?

It was shot around metro Atlanta on a $24 million budget.

Why did the original Ren decline a cameo in the 2011 remake?

He told Howard Stern the story but gave the remake's director his blessing.

How much did the 2011 remake gross worldwide?

It opened to $15.5 million and mixed-to-positive reviews, 68% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Which two songs did the remake's leads perform on Dancing with the Stars to promote it?

Hough had been a champion on the show before turning to acting.

In which year did the stage musical Footloose open on Broadway?

It ran for 709 performances at the Richard Rodgers Theatre until July 2000.

Who directed the Broadway musical and co-wrote its book with the screenwriter?

AC Ciulla choreographed; the music is mostly by Tom Snow.

Footloose was its star's breakthrough. What was his feature-film debut?

He followed it with Diner in 1982; Herbert Ross saw Diner and pushed for him.

What is the parlour game named after the film's star?

Bacon launched the charity SixDegrees.org in 2007 and a podcast, The Last Degree of Kevin Bacon, in 2020.

For which HBO film did the original Ren win a Golden Globe and a SAG Award?

He played Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl escorting a fallen Marine home.

Which company set the film up first, in 1981, before putting it into turnaround?

Paramount picked it up in 1982 with a pay-or-play deal.

Which director turned down Footloose to make Splash instead?

He was approached when talks with Herbert Ross stalled; Paramount then hired Michael Cimino before firing him a month later.

Which Stephen King film role did Kevin Bacon pass up to take the Footloose screen test?

Herbert Ross persuaded the producers to cast Bacon after watching his earlier film Diner.

Which pop star auditioned unsuccessfully for the role of Ariel?

Haviland Morris also auditioned, and Valerie Bertinelli and Jennifer Jason Leigh were considered before Lori Singer won the part.

Which two singers duet on the soundtrack's romantic theme 'Almost Paradise'?

Reno of Loverboy and Wilson of Heart sang the Eric Carmen co-write; the soundtrack sold more than 10 million copies in the US.