Sarah Tuttle
Jack and Betsy Rollins
Betty and Jack Rollins at their Hoover home. Dancing has always been a big part of their lives.
The musical “Dirty Dancing” is coming to the BJCC, but for Jack and Betty Rollins, the film the musical is based on holds a special place on their dance floor.
The Hoover couple always lived a life full of dance. But becoming extras in the 1987 classic movie “Dirty Dancing” was something they just happened to stumble upon.
“You couldn’t get into the Miller family, my family, unless you danced,” Betty Rollins said. “We always joked you had to dance if you wanted to be part of my family.”
Jack and Betty Rollins jitterbugged and waltzed whenever and wherever they could. The two of them traveled all over the country ballroom dancing and taking workshops when they were in their prime. They also taught dance, and they continued to teach and take ballroom up until four years ago.
Betty Rollins’ sister, Patt Rocks, contributed to the family dance legacy as she and her husband Tom taught “shag dance” in South Carolina. One day, Patt Rocks saw an advertisement in the paper for dancing extras for a film at Lake Lure, North Carolina. Patt Rocks had no idea what the film was, but she went to Lake Lure and she and her husband were cast as extras.
“I told my sister, ‘You’re gonna be in this picture without me, I can’t believe you’re doing this,’” Betty Rollins said. “Then Patt told them about Jack and I because they needed more dancers. The casting director called me and told me, ‘Come on; we want you.’”
Jack and Betty Rollins went to Lake Lure intending to film for seven days. However, it went on for 10 days. Betty Rollins said it took longer than expected because they ran out of money and had to find backers, so they could finish the film.
“Don’t I wish I had put the 10 or 50 bucks in to help back the film if I knew what it was going to be,” Betty Rollins said.
Betty Rollins said the setup of all of the extras was like a circus tent with long tables. Everyone would go in about 6 a.m. and get their hair and makeup done, then some nights they weren’t finished until almost 11 p.m. The long days were full of horrible, cold and rainy weather.
“The fun thing was the professional dancers that were there would come into the tent. There was always music going, and we were freezing, but they would come in and start soul train lines,” Betty Rollins said. “We would watch all those kids and they were having the time of their lives.”
Throughout filming, Jack and Betty Rollins did not see much except for the group scenes they were in. They never saw the “dirty” dancing scenes being filmed and did not even know that would end up being part of the title. Jack and Betty Rollins also only saw the main actors a few times. Patt Rocks, however, got to know Patrick Swayze.
“My sister was working for television at the time, and she went out to the bar at night and would interview Patrick,” Betty Rollins said. “One night at the bar he looked at her and said, ‘This movie is going to make me.’”
The couple said that no one had ever heard of most of the actors. The cast came from all walks of life.
“The only thing I ever knew about Jennifer Grey was she was Joel Grey’s daughter,” Jack Rollins said.
One of Betty Rollins’ favorite moments from filming was getting to know choreographer Kenny Ortega. She described him as fantastic, cordial and patient.
“Kenny came up and said to me one day, ‘What do you think about Patrick?’ and I said, ‘Forget Patrick, I would pay you before I paid Patrick to dance with me,’” Betty Rollins said. “So Kenny grabbed me, and we danced.”
Jack and Betty Rollins said they both would go back and do “Dirty Dancing” again in a heartbeat. The only thing they regret is not mingling and soaking up all the stories of everyone who was there.
“We were really fortunate to be in the movie as far as people were concerned, but the kinds of teachers and training we got after was the icing on the cake,” Betty Rollins said. “The best part was getting to keep up with some of the other dancers and extras from the film.”
“Dirty Dancing” on stage is coming to the BJCC in January. To learn more, visit birmingham-theater.com/theaters/bjcc-concert-hall/dirty-dancing.
