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Butt Out, Baby!

Scene-by-scene study of Dirty Dancing: A film that gets a lot of love — but not enough respect.

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20 episodes
Avg 56 min
English

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#22
August 21 · 1 hr 45 min
10 - Bungalow Bunnies & Bad Dates
Enter Vivian Pressman. Baby and Lisa withstand some uncomfortable dates. + More on the sexual politics of Catskills resorts + Heroines and romantic heroes + The subtleties of everyday sexual harassment Eileen Pollack's website Eileen Pollack's Mary Taylor Moore podcast episode Samantha Ellis' website Samantha Ellis' article about Wuthering Heights Ashwini Vasanthakumar Other resources mentioned: Straight White Men Can't Dance: American Masculinity in Film and Popular Culture A Walk On The Moon 1971 Man-On-The-Street Interviews On Sexual Romantic Affairs Crossing Delancey Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right by Laura K. Field Men Explain Things To Me essay Amy Poehler's memoir For your scene 10 thoughts: ellie@buttoutbaby.com Buy me a pot of tea Follow the show on Instagram Fashion commentary by visual artist, Christy Kunitzky Music by Claire Whitehead aka Claire Maeve aka Midswim
#21
March 28 · 49 min
Bonus, Baby! My pitch for a Dirty Dancing sequel
It really, probably shouldn't get made. But, that doesn't mean I haven't thought about it... Sources mentioned: Into the Heart of Africa by Lana Lovell Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert How this 1989 ROM exhibit on Africa became a cautionary tale for museums This song and this song Buy Me A Coffe(Teapot) i.e. small donations Follow the podcast on Instagram Friend Val's insta (she's a comedian and illustrator) ellie@buttoutbaby.com
#20
Oct 13, 2025 · 23 min
Dirty Debrief Scenes 7 - 9
Debrief episodes are for listener feedback on the previous scene and the hows and whys of making a podcast like this. In this episode: Land acknowledgments Fact-checking the Savoy Club and Cotton Club More about the song Hound Dog The difference between sexualizing and objectifying men and women That echoey recording Sources used: Indigenous land acknowledgements, their purpose, and how to make them meaningful | CBC Kids News National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Native-Land.ca Emotions, Remembering and Feeling Better: Dealing with the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement in Canada by Anne-Marie Reynaud What's wrong with land acknowledgments, and how to make them better I’m tired of explaining Indigenous culture by Drew Hayden Taylor King Charles' land acknowledgement The Cotton Club by James Haskins Cover Me: The stories behind the greatest cover songs of all time by Ray Padgett Three things that need to happen before I defend men from Olympic sexism by Lindy West Buy Me A Coffe(Teapot) i.e. small donations Follow the podcast on Instagram ellie@buttoutbaby.com plus Thelma: A Country Opera
#19
Aug 24, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
9 - I Envy You
Baby tries on a wig and puts her foot in her mouth. + Robbie the creep + The problem with Baby putting Penny on a pedestal + Penny's rebuff as the beginning of another kind of awakening Andrea Warner wrote a book on Dirty Dancing! Andrea Warner's pop culture podcast, Pop This! Andrea's website Andrea's Instagram For your scene thoughts: ellie@buttoutbaby.com Buy me a pot of tea (i.e. small donations) here Follow the show on Instagram Music by Claire Whitehead aka Claire Maeve aka Midswim
#18
Jul 17, 2025 · 1 hr 17 min
8 - The Staff Dance Party
Baby crosses the threshold. + filming a dance scene + the craft of acting in such a scene + the evolution of dirty dancing from West Africa to the South into the grand amalgamation displayed in this scene + low brow vs high brow dance + cultural voyeurism in low brow dance Anita Abbasi website Anita Abbasi Instagram Sarah Kolasky website Sarah Kolasky Instagram Short film Sarah and I worked on called It's Never The Drifter! Katrina Thompson Moore website For your scene 7 & 8 thoughts: ellie@buttoutbaby.com Buy me a pot of tea (i.e. small donations) here Follow the show on Instagram Fashion commentary by visual artist, Christy Kunitzky Music by Claire Whitehead aka Claire Maeve aka Midswim
#17
Dec 20, 2024 · 2 hr
Bonus, Baby! It's Carol (2015) season with Whoa!mance
Ellie invites Morgan and Isabeau of Whoa!mance into a cozy 1950s booth for a close examination of Carol. Carol stars Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara (plus Sarah Paulson being an icon) Directed by Todd Haynes Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy (based on the romance novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith)
#16
Dec 2, 2024 · 1 hr 19 min
7 - The Borscht Belt
History of the Catskills and Borscht Belt comedy. + Last of the Mohicans + Growing up in Liberty, NY + The difference between Borscht Belt humour and observational comedy + The gendered implications of telling a dirty joke Works used and mentioned: Red Nation podcast episode about Last of the Mohicans The Catskills; from wilderness to Woodstock by Alf Evers The Catskills: its history and how it changed America by Stephen Silverman and Raphael D. Silver In the Catskills: a century of Jewish experience in the mountains edited by Phil Brown It happened in the Catskills: an oral history in the words of busboys, bellhops, guests, proprietors, comedians, agents, and other who lived it edited by Myrna Frommer and Harvey Frommer When comedy went to school directed by Ron Frank & Mevlut Akkaya Bible of Dirty Jokes by Eileen Pollack EILEEN'S WEBSITE EILEEN'S PODCAST For your scene 7 thoughts: ellie@buttoutbaby.com Buy me a pot of tea (i.e. small donations) here Follow the show on Instagram Fashion commentary by visual artist, Christy Kunitzky Music by Claire Whitehead aka Claire Maeve aka Midswim
#15
Jun 5, 2024 · 48 min
Dirty Debrief Scene 6
Debrief episodes are for listener feedback on the previous scene and the hows and whys of making a podcast like this. In this episode: Extra stuff from scene 6: changes from screenplay, my experience in Guyana & light peace corps gossip, pronouncing miscegenation, cakewalks (!!), learning new dances Craft notes: how Eric Etheridge found the quotes for his Freedom Rider book, using outdated terms, plagiarism and AI Sources used: Moon River in Sex and the City SNCC button Doris Kearns Goodwin NY Times by the book Dresden Story NFB Idaho miscegenation news report Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 2: The Pillars of Civilization CTV: Ontario's African Lion Safari named worst place for elephants in North America 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality by Bob Joseph What You Can Do for Your Country: An Oral History of the Peace Corps by Karen Schwarz Babylon Girls: Black Women Performers and the Shaping of the Modern by Jayna Brown Cake Walk in 1903 They All Played Ragtime: The true story of an American music by Rudi Blesh Silly Games by Janet Kay (as featured in Lovers Rock) Breach of Peace: Portraits of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders by Eric Etheridge A Note on Historical Language: 'Negro,' 'Colored,' 'Black,' and 'African American' By AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY (1870-1928): A DIGITAL ANTHOLOGY James Baldwin doc from 1968 Plagiarism and You(Tube) by hbomberguy “every youtuber after that hbomberguy video dropped:” by Man Carrying Thing Yale Strategies for Paraphrase Robin Williams on Marc Maron’s WTF Time of My Life: Dirty Dancing by Andrea Warner Check out instagram account dirtydancing_movie_nerd Buy Me A Coffe(Teapot) i.e. small donations Follow the podcast on Instagram ellie@buttoutbaby.com Music by Claire Whitehead aka Midswim
#14
Mar 26, 2024 · 1 hr 15 min
6 - Showing Off With Each Other (Part 2)
Tito tap dances while Johnny and Penny do the mambo. + Famous tap dancer, Honi Coles + The history of tap and minstrelsy + Shirley Temple (drink and person) + Why some dance is authorized at Kellerman's and some is not + The history of Latin American dance in American movies + Is Dirty Dancing kinda gay? Works used and mentioned: How to Make a Shirley Temple Blackface: The Birth of An American Stereotype PBS: Blackface Minstrelsy Blacking Up: The Minstrel Show in Nineteenth-Century America by Robert C. Toll What the Eye Hears: A History of Tap Dancing by Brian Seibert NY Times: HONI COLES: RECALLING 50 YEARS OF TAP Honi Coles does Bill Robinson, 1979 Honi Coles with Chuck Green and Will Gaines 1983 It Happened in the Catskills: An Oral History in the Words of Busboys, Bellhops, Guests, Proprietors, Comedians, Agents, and Others Who Lived It edited by Myrna Katz Frommer and Harvey Frommer Ballroom, Boogie, Shimmy Sham, Shake: A Social and Popular Dance Reader edited by Julie Malnig Cuban Pete from The Mask Cuban Pete by Louis Armstrong Blog post about Joseph Norman El Manisero performed by Machin Stop-motion creepy (or charming??) monkey Time Magazine: Sugar-Bowl Migrants Readings on West Side story Carina's NY Times article on West Side Story ------------------------------------------------ CARINA DEL VALLE SCHORSKE - website ADDIE TSAI - website SONJA THOMAS - Colby College faculty page For your scene 6 pt 2 thoughts: ellie@buttoutbaby.com Buy me a pot of tea (i.e. small donations) here Follow the show on Instagram Fashion commentary by visual artist, Christy Kunitzky Music by Claire Whitehead aka Claire Maeve aka Midswim
#13
Jan 27, 2024 · 1 hr 3 min
6 - Showing Off With Each Other (Part 1)
At the evening dance in the Kellerman's "playhouse," Baby and Neil show off their politics. + High status US colleges + Peace Corps in the 60s + More on Bull Conner in Birmingham + The white Freedom Riders Works used and mentioned: Breach of Peace: Portraits of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders by Eric Etheridge Behind the Magic Curtain: Secrets, Spies and Unsung White Allies of Birmingham’s Civil Rights Days by TK Thorne What You Can Do for Your Country: An Oral History of the Peace Corps by Karen Schwarz All You Need Is Love: The Peace Corps and the Spirit of the 1960s by Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps directed by Alana DeJoseph The Poison and the Tomb: One family's journey to their contaminated home by Kim Wall, Coleen Jose, and Jan Hendrik Hinzel BEING BETTER AMERICANS AND DOING IT FOR THEM: THE PEACE CORPS IN MICRONESIA by Craig J. Severance LA Times: How the U.S. betrayed the Marshall Islands, kindling the next nuclear disaster by Susanne Rust FBI Knew Policeman Was Leak to Klan on Freedom Riders by Paul Magnusson 1946 Bikini Atoll MGM film 1967 Peace Corps ad For your scene 6 pt 1 thoughts: ellie@buttoutbaby.com Follow the show on Instagram Music by Claire Whitehead aka Claire Maeve aka Midswim
#12
Oct 1, 2023 · 36 min
Bonus, Baby! A conversation about notes on creative work
Over a year ago my friend Andrew interviewed me for his top-notch podcast, Goodest Notes. For various reasons it got lost to the sands of time until now! Listen for: + The story of my use of fanfic in a dark time + Tips I heard on a writing podcast years ago and have never forgot + Writing stereotypes and unpacking the note "you don't need to show your work" + Hear me fumble through questions I hadn't prepared answers for! Goodest Notes podcast Goodest Notes was created by Andrew Shenkman and Drew Thomas. This episode was edited by moi. ellie@buttoutbaby.com Follow the podcast on Instagram
#11
Sep 4, 2023 · 17 min
Dirty Debrief Scene 5
Debrief episodes are for listener feedback on the previous scene and the hows and whys of making a podcast like this. In this episode: Finding Nice Jewish Boy media icons in strange places How to deal with plosives in your recordings A novel recommendation Follow the podcast on Instagram ellie@buttoutbaby.com Music by Claire Whitehead
#10
Jul 27, 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
5 - Jewish Matchmaking
At dinnertime, Lisa and Baby are presented with Bachelor number 1 and 2. Featuring Mari Cohen of Jewish Currents. + Learning about the terms Jewish American Princess and Nice Jewish Boy + The politics of "Jewish continuity" + The parental scolding line, "There are starving children in..." + My dislike of white tablecloths Mari and Jewish Currents works mentioned: One the Nose podcast, "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Jewish Matchmaking" Mari's review of the Lox Club dating app For your scene 5 thoughts: ellie@buttoutbaby.com Follow the show on Instagram Fashion commentary (usually) by visual artist, Christy Kunitzky Music by Claire Whitehead aka Claire Maeve aka Midswim
#9
May 11, 2023 · 25 min
Dirty Debrief Scene 4
Debrief episodes are for listener feedback on the previous scene and the hows and whys of making a podcast like this. In this episode: BAD BOYS like Johnny, Han Solo, John Bender from Breakfast Club, Derek from Save the Last Dance What "college boy" means. How to promote (or not) an indie podcast Podcast The Newsletter Follow the podcast on Instagram ellie@buttoutbaby.com Music by Claire Whitehead
#8
Apr 14, 2023 · 50 min
4 - Peeping Johnny
Baby gets her first glimpse into the class structure at Kellerman's ft. Morgan & Isabeau of Whoa!mance + Johnny being attractive and gracefully insolent + The female gaze + The strange all-inclusive guest experience of Kellerman's + How bad boy romance leads are introduced and whether Dirty Dancing qualifies as a romance at all! Whoa!mance: a weekly podcast about Romance Novels and Ourselves For your scene 4 thoughts: ellie@buttoutbaby.com Follow the show on Instagram Fashion commentary by visual artist, Christy Kunitzky Music by Claire Whitehead
#7
Mar 23, 2023 · 19 min
Dirty Debrief Scene 3
Debrief episodes are for listener feedback on the previous scene and the hows and whys of making a podcast like this. In this episode: The harms of misusing science in persuasive arguments Lots of craft talk about interviews! Including a cringey clip from my past Resources mentioned: Ira Glass on pulling out big ideas in an interview All My Relations podcast episode, "Telling True Stories in a Good Way" Follow the podcast on Instagram ellie@buttoutbaby.com Music by Claire Whitehead
#6
Mar 1, 2023 · 59 min
3 - Dancing in the Gazebo
The Houseman's participate in a merengue dance class led by a vibrant and confident dance instructor named Penny. Featuring an interview with a real life dancer and dance instructor. + Western culture's relationship to dance + Baby's awkwardness pt. 1 + Mrs. Schumacher being a deviant + The Rockettes and the gender pay gap + Ingénue (not the k.d. lang album, tho it's mentioned) Marea is not just a dancer/dance instructor, she's also a writer and actor. Check her out if you're in New Zealand! For your scene 3 thoughts: ellie@buttoutbaby.com Follow the show on Instagram Music by Claire Whitehead
#5
Jan 25, 2023 · 45 min
Dirty Debrief Scene 2
Debrief episodes are for listener feedback on the previous scene and the hows and whys of making a podcast like this. In this episode: Three stories about the Jim Crow era that felt special enough to share but had to be cut from the last episode The ethics of paying documentary subjects Why I hate the phrase "kill your darlings" Plus I go on a journey with some tea biscuits Resources mentioned (and others that were used): Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-1963 by Taylor Branch Law, Society, Identity and the Making of the Jim Crow South: Travel and Segregation on Tennessee Railroads, 1875-1905 by Kenneth W. Mack Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Tonya Bolden Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells by Michelle Duster The Up Series Paris is Burning Instagram ellie@buttoutbaby.com Music by Claire Whitehead
#4
Jan 2, 2023 · 1 hr 17 min
2 - A Real Tragedy
Jake and Baby school Lisa on what defines a "real" tragedy which led me on a long journey into the history of Jim Crow. Featuring an interview on the Southern Jewish experience with author TK Thorne. + Walk Like A Hieroglyph + With what to wear with coral shoes? + A very mysterious joke + The moral authority of Jake Housman TK's book: Behind the Magic Curtain: Secrets, Spies and Unsung White Allies of Birmingham’s Civil Rights Days by TK Thorne tkthorne.com Other resources: Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-1963 by Taylor Branch The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam by Max Boot Close-Up on War: The Story of Photojournalist Catherine Leroy in Vietnam by Mary Cronk Farrell Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama: The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution by Diane McWhorter For your scene 2 thoughts: ellie@buttoutbaby.com Instagram Music by Claire Whitehead
#3
Nov 14, 2022 · 20 min
Dirty Debrief Scene 1
Debrief episodes will be the place to discuss listener feedback on each scene and the hows and whys of making a podcast like this. This is for the craft nerds! Also, discussed was my struggle to define liberalism and you'll hear me learn the definition of "equivocate" in real time! Articles I reference about witch trails: Interview with Rivka Galchen Spectral Evidence And History Chicks episode where I learned about Sojourner Truth Instagram ellie@buttoutbaby.com

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