“Nobody puts Baby in the corner”

RORY: At one point Miss Patty thought Dean was gonna get hurt, she made me sit in the corner and watch.
LORELAI: Hey! Nobody puts Baby in the corner.

A reference to the 1987 dance film, Dirty Dancing, starring Jennifer Grey as Frances “Baby” Houseman, a girl who falls in love with her dance instructor Johnny Castle, played by Patrick Swayze, while on vacation with her parents at a resort. (Faithful reader lujza0317 has reminded me that Baby’s mother is played by none other than Kelly Bishop, aka Emily Gilmore!).

At one point, Johnny stands up for Frances when her parents stop her from dancing by forcing her to sit at a table in a corner, saying, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner”. He then pulls out her out of the corner so they can perform together on the dance floor. He lets Frances know that she doesn’t deserve to be hidden away, but should be in the spotlight so that her talents can shine. It’s commonly misquoted as “Nobody puts Baby in the corner”, as Lorelai does.

Although reviews were mixed and the studio had serious doubts about releasing the film, it became one of the highest-grossing of 1987, and the #1 film in the US, with many audience members going back to see it again and again. That re-watch value made it a hit on home video and DVD, and it still sells over a million DVDs a year. It is the #1 on the list of films watched by women, earning it the title, “Star Wars for girls”.

“Glittery glove and a really freaky face”

LORELAI: So how’s it going?
RORY: Actually, I’m not very good [at dancing].
DEAN: Yeah, which is really holding me back, because I’m a natural.
LORELAI: Well, maybe you just need a glittery glove and a really freaky face.

A reference to pop singer Michael Jackson (1958-2009), known for being an extraordinary dancer.

He famously wore a “glitter glove” on one hand for the first time he did the “Moonwalk” while performing Billie Jean in 1983. This leather glove studded with diamantes became an iconic look for him.

Jackson was also known for the amount of cosmetic surgery he had on his face – perhaps as many as ten operations by the early 1990s on his nose, cheekbones, chin, forehead, and lips. Over time, his face became more and more unrecognisable.

“Lonely seaman, hello sailor”

MISS PATTY: Now remember, one of the most important things in ballroom dancing is to remember to spot, otherwise you’re gonna get dizzy. So, what you wanna do is you wanna pick out something to focus on. I usually like to find a lonely seaman. Then when turning, whip your head around and find your spot again. [spins around] Hello sailor, hello sailor, hello sailor.

One of the show’s more groan-worthy sexual jokes. Note the reference to “hello sailor”, used again.

The Way You Look Tonight

The song that is playing at Miss Patty’s while Rory and Dean, then Lorelai and Christopher, dance together.

The Way You Look Tonight was written by Jerome Kern, with lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and first sung by Fred Astaire in the 1936 musical film, Swing Time. The song went to #1 in 1936, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

The song has often been successfully covered. The version Miss Patty plays is the best known and most popular – the 1964 version by Frank Sinatra, with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. It’s on the album Sinatra Sings Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River, and Other Academy Award Winners.

Dancing Lessons

Rory and Dean are given a quick dancing lesson by Miss Patty at her dancing school – the Miss Patty’s Place that’s been such a feature of Rory and Dean’s relationship. Could their nerves over being in a place that got them into trouble be one reason their dancing is so poor? (Mind you, Rory is said to be physically uncoordinated which makes her bad at sport, and Dean hates dancing).

The other debutantes will have had weeks of dancing classes. Rory apparently just had this one lesson. It seems unbelievable that Emily would send her granddaughter to make her debut while so ill-prepared.

“He seems a little less jolly than usual”

LORELAI: Hey Mom, I might be reading too much into this, but um, is something going on between you and Dad?
EMILY: What are you talking about?
LORELAI: I don’t know, he just seems a little less jolly than usual.

Even the self-centred Lorelai has picked up that her parents are not getting along, and that her father isn’t happy. While Emily is seemingly obsessed with Rory’s debutante ball, Richard appears quite uninterested, even refusing to pick up his own tuxedo from the dry cleaners as he has too much work to do. Yet he is home early, not in work clothes, and drinking alcohol … hmm.

Emily declares that everything is fine, and Lorelai uncharacteristically backs down, saying that she must have been mistaken.

Ju-jitsu

LORELAI: Mom, there’d have to be a 12k run and a jujitsu demonstration for her to go through twelve pairs of pantyhose.

Ju-jitsu (or jujutsu) is a Japanese martial art. Its name translates to “yielding art”, because it is based on using your opponent’s force against them, rather than providing an opposing force.

There are often references to sports and games of conflict in conversations between Lorelai and Emily.

Presentation, Circle, Curtsy, Fan Dance

EMILY: There’s the presentation, the circle, the curtsy, the fan dance.

Presentation

Debutantes are presented to a guest of honour during their debut, as a sign that they are being welcomed into good society. Originally, debutantes were presented to a reigning monarch at the English court. These days, it’s usually to someone prominent in the community.

Circle

All the debutantes and their escorts form a large circle, and take a slow, leisurely walk around it together. It’s designed to show off the girls, much like models on a catwalk, and is probably the part Lorelai was thinking of when she said it was like a “county fair”. Once upon a time, the idea was to let eligible bachelors get a good long look at some marital prospects, but these days it’s mostly so parents can see their little girl all dressed up and take pictures for Facebook etc.

Curtsy

The debutantes receive many lessons on how to perform the perfect deep curtsy at the ball. Sometimes the curtsy is during the presentation, while at other balls, the curtsy will be part of a complicated dance or performance. Rory seems to be missing out on all those weeks of curtsy practice, but presumably is getting intensive training from her parents and grandmother that we don’t see onscreen.

Fan Dance

Often at debutante balls, the debutantes perform some kind of highly choreographed dance routine. Amusingly, at Rory’s ball, the debutantes are preparing a “fan dance”, which is literally an erotic dance, usually performed in the nude or a skimpy costume as part of a burlesque show. Of course this would never happen at a real debutante ball, and the girls will all be wearing formal dresses anyway. (Picture shows burlesque dancer Michelle L’Amour performing).

Du Hast

The song playing in car Christopher’s car when he turns the sound system up. It’s a song by German electro-industrial metal band Rammstein, from their 1997 album Sehnsucht. The song was a #5 hit in Germany, and went to #20 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in the US.

The song’s title translates to “You have” in English, but in German is a play on words with the homophone Du hasst, meaning, “You hate”. Possibly a slightly threatening song to arrive with, although it’s another reminder that Lorelai and Chris are both heavy metal fans.