Banned from dancing for 80 years? The true story behind this iconic film available on Netflix

In the early 1980s, a wave of dance movies hit Hollywood. The success of Saturday Night Fever inspired the studios and produced several classics such as Flashdance and Dirty Dancing. One of them, Footloose – one of the least known – has a special inspiration from a true story that happened four years ago.

religious principles

Directed by Herbert Ross, the film follows the arrival of Ren, played by a young Kevin Bacon, in the small town of Beaumont, Texas. A young high school student discovers that the residents are under the rule of Reverend Shaw Moore, played by John Lithgow. Accused of corrupting the youth, rock and roll, magazines, certain novels and poetry are simply banned. And watch out for anyone who decides to dance.

Under the guise of light comedy typical of the period, Footloose is a wonderful film about freedom of body and soul, which conveys a clear message against obscurantism. If at first glance, the plot of the feature film seems far-fetched, it is still very real.

Back in 1898, 653 residents of the farming town of Elmore City, Oklahoma were banned from dancing. This practice encourages the abuse of alcohol and sexual practices. Pastor FR Johnson, who inspired the character in the film, intends to uphold this principle.

The lines are moving – or nearly so – when a group of students organizes a campaign for the 1980 end-of-year prom. The pastor strongly opposes this. “There is never anything good about dancing (…) When boys and girls approach each other, they become sexually aroused. Believe what you want, but one thing leads to another“, would announce.

Revolution

Some residents even go so far as to believe that having a prom will significantly increase teenage pregnancy. The subject went to the school board with the help of class representative Rex Kennedy and narrowly won authorization by a vote of 3 to 2.

Two thousand dollars have been collected for the organization of the evening. Students take care of decoration and restoration. So, 82 years after Prohibition began, the residents of Elmore were allowed to dance again.

In An article published in connection with the 40th anniversary For this event, News9 – Oklahoma State Media – found some of the students at the time. Some of them even inspired the characters of the film. Mary Ann Temple recalls the first dance: “No one knew how to do it.”

Footloose is available on Netflix.