HeidiTown favorites – Patrick Swayze

Patrick Swayze passed away yesterday from pancreatic cancer. He was 57. This is sad news. Swayze was one of those celebrities I really, truly liked. He seemed genuine and had been married to the same woman for over thirty years, an amazing and commendable feat in Hollywood. He was gifted in so many areas – singing, dancing, writing, acting, and the eighties and nineties wouldn’t have been the same without him.

Here are a few of my favorite Swayze flicks.

point_break“Point Break” (1991) – I’ve watched this movie more than a few times. If it’s on TV, I watch it. It doesn’t matter if it’s just starting, halfway through, or just ending. I watch it. Some of the best movie quotes of all time come from this movie as well as the greatest movie never ever   – Johnny Utah (Bodhi is right up there too). Keanu Reeves and Swayze were the perfect combo for this surfer/bank robber caper.

dirty-dancing1“Dirty Dancing” (1987) – I was 12 when this movie hit theaters and I was not allowed to see it, so I don’t have a nostalgic connection to it like many other women my age. I was probably in college before I actually managed to see it, and it quickly became a favorite Swayze flick. By today’s standards this movie hardly qualifies as “dirty,” but watching Johnny Castle (another great movie name) and Frances “Baby” Houseman, slide across the dance floor, still sends shivers down my spine.

ghost-movie“Ghost” (1990) – This is another movie I can watch over and over. This one was made back when Whoopi was funny and not just another talking head on The View. This movie captivated the audience with what is constantly ranked as one of the sexiest movie scenes ever made – who knew pottery could be so sexy.  

A few of my husband’s favorite Swayze films:

FILM OUTSIDERS“The Outsiders” (1983) – Set in the fifties, this movie stars a slew of young actors who would later make names for themselves, including Swayze. The Greasers fight the The Socials in this coming of age flick, based on the novel by the same name.

Red Dawn“Red Dawn” (1984) – A couple years ago, when my husband found out I’d never seen this movie, he bought it. Set in a world where WWIII is raging, this apocalyptic tale stars a young Swayze as part of a group of high school students who organize into a guerilla force to fight against the invading Soviets. Not one of my favorites, this was probably a much more exciting movie for a 12-year-old watching it in 1984.

For an entire list of Patrick Swayze’s work, visit IMDB.com.

5 Comments


  1. Did you know that S.E. Hinton the author of the outsiders and tex is a women? She did not want her sex made public in fears that know one wanted to here rough guy stories from a women.

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  2. Ghost is still one of my all time favorite movies. I can still remember seeing if for the first time and being mezmerized by it. It has just about everything you’d want in a movie. Wasn’t he a nice looking man???
    Do they say Mack Daddy anymore?

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  3. Kenney, I didn’t know that. It’s interesting because “Point Break” was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who directs a lot of manly-type movies. For instance, she also directed “The Hurt Locker.” Have you seen that one yet?
    As a writer, I’m always fascinated by authors who write from the perspective of the opposite sex. I think it’s quite difficult.
    And Carm, yes, he was a nice looking man!!! Very. Especially as Bohdi in “Point Break.” 🙂

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  4. I too was very sad when I heard the news about Patrick. I still stop flipping channels when I see a rerun of “Dirty Dancing”, a flick I couldn’t stop watching and dancing to as a kid (even when my mom constantly said “don’t mimic THOSE moves”). 🙂 I was talking to a friend today about Patrick Swayze and he said he watched a recent interview where Patrick stated it didn’t matter to him the length he continued to lived, but rather how he lived his final days. Because of this, he refused a lot of additional medical treatment which wouldn’t let him really “live”. A good reminder to all of us to live each day to our fullest.

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