From iconic dance sequences to its catchy soundtrack, the original Footloose remains one of the most memorable films from the ‘80s.
Released in 1984, Footloose follows Kevin Bacon’s Ren McCormack, a Chicago teen who moves to a small town where dancing has been banned by the local minister, Reverend Shaw Moore (John Lithgow). In his efforts to challenge the dance ban so the high school can hold a senior prom, Ren ends up falling in love with the Reverend’s daughter Ariel (Lori Singer).
To celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary, Bacon made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in March 2014, embodying the same rebellious attitude as his character when Fallon announced to the audience that “dancing has been outlawed here on The Tonight Show.” Bacon went on to recreate the movie’s infamous warehouse dance scene, starting in his dressing room and gradually making his way to Fallon on stage.
Another decade later, Singer reflected on shooting the movie while celebrating its 40th anniversary.
“I believed in what I was doing, whether standing between a train, jumping between a car and a truck, or getting into a fight with a boyfriend played by the stunning Jim Youngs. The atmosphere on the set felt real,” Singer told Forbes in February 2024. “The fact that would transcend to an audience who would feel what we felt was astounding to me.”
Bacon took his own trip down memory lane two months later and visited the campus where Footloose was filmed — right in time for the students’ prom.
“It’s been a long time — 40 years — that just blows my mind, you know. Things look a little different around here. I’d say the thing that looks the most different is me,” Bacon said when he took the stage on the football field in April 2024.
Footloose spawned a 1998 Broadway adaptation and a 2011 remake of the same name starring Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough and Miles Teller. Keep scrolling to see where the OG cast is now:
