Patrick Swayze was one of the first actor’s to offer a new brand of masculinity.
Tough but tender.
Not the ruggedness of Clint Eastwood.
Or the brooding of James Dean or Marlon Brando (the younger years).
Nor hyper bulked up like Arnold Schwarzenegger, or more recently “The Rock”.
He played tough guys that weren’t afraid to show some emotion.
Everyone will remember him from the famous “No one puts Baby in a corner” line from Dirty Dancing.
But my favorite scene in this film is when he laments to Baby how all the rich married women at the resort that “smell so good” are actually using him fox sex- and not the other way around.
As implausible as this might seem at first, you hear real anguish in his voice, and you believe his pain.
Well, it does help that he says the line with her shirt off.
But on a more serious note…a fighter to the end, he bravely fought pancreatic cancer, insisting on working despite tremendous pain and showing up on the set of his new show “The Beast.”
Unfortunately, cancer once again proved to be the ultimate beast, and he lost his battle at the young age of 57.
He was a rare brand of “tough guy”. One that left a tender legacy in films that entertained with action, but also with grace and comedy and that touched many hearts.
That’s my point of view. What’s your twist?
What did Patrick Swayze mean to you?
“Back in the day”, my older brother always got to “select” our movie when my folks used to take us to the Video Store (remember those?!) before they headed out for a Sat nite. One night, it was Roadhouse. Not exactly a classic by any stretch, but a fun romp (even if to watch Ben Gazzara chew up some good scenery). But Swayze’s best scenes were when everyone questioned his size (or lack thereof) for being a Bouncer. “You know, for that line of work I thought you’d be bigger.” Swayze would just drop his head, smile and say, “Gee, I’ve never heard that before.”
Great comment. I think this demonstrates perfectly his vulnerability and ability to not take his “Sex Symbol” status too seriously. The SNL spot where he played a Chippendale with Chris Farley is another great example. I think part of the reason I also loved him was in “Dirty Dancing” he showed that a bookish, klutzy intelligent Jewish girl (with a less than perfect nose) could find true love (and passion). That gave me hope.
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