Nobody puts baby in a corner, but they're putting her in the .
along with another 1980s culture-changer, 鈥淏everly Hills Cop,鈥 are entering the Library of Congress' registry, part of an annual group of 25 announced Wednesday that spans 115 years of filmmaking.
鈥淒irty Dancing鈥 from 1987 used the physicality and chemistry of as Johnny Castle and as Frances 鈥淏aby鈥 Houseman to charm generations of moviegoers, while also taking on issues like abortion, classism and antisemitism. In the climactic moment, Swayze defiantly declares, 鈥淣obody puts baby in a corner鈥 before taking Grey to dance to 鈥(I鈥檝e Had) The Time of My Life.鈥
1984's 鈥淏everly Hills Cop,鈥 the first film in the registry, arguably made him the world's biggest movie star at the time and made action comedies a blockbuster staple for a decade.
Since 1988, the Librarian of Congress has annually selected movies for preservation that are 鈥渃ulturally, historically or aesthetically鈥 significant. The current picks bring the registry to 900 films. Turner Classic Movies will host a TV special on Wednesday, screening a selection of the class of 2024.
The oldest film is from 1895 and brought its own form of dirty dancing: 鈥淎nnabelle Serpentine Dance鈥 is a minute-long short of a shimmying Annabelle Moore that was decried by many as a public indecency for the suggestiveness of her moves. The newest is 鈥淭he Social Network" from 2010.
A look at some of the films entering the registry
鈥淧ride of the Yankees鈥 (1942): The film became the model for the modern sports tear-jerker, with Gary Cooper playing Lou Gehrig and delivering the classic real-life line: 鈥淭oday I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.鈥
鈥淭he Miracle Worker鈥 (1962): Anne Bancroft won an Oscar for best actress for playing title character Anne Sullivan and 16-year-old Patty Duke won best supporting actress for playing her deaf and blind protege Helen Keller in director Arthur Penn's film.
鈥淯p in Smoke鈥 (1978): The first feature to star the duo of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong established a template for the stoner genre and brought weed culture to the mainstream. Marin, who also appears in the inductee 鈥淪py Kids鈥 from 2001, is one of many Latinos with prominent roles this year's crop of films.
鈥淪tar Trek II: Wrath of Khan鈥 (1982): The second movie in the 鈥淪tar Trek鈥 franchise featured one of filmdom's great villains in Ricardo Montalban's Khan, and showed that the world of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock could bring vital thrills to the cinema.
鈥淐ommon Threads: Stories from the Quilt鈥 (1989): The Oscar-winning documentary on the NAMES Project Aids Memorial Quilt was a landmark telling of the devastation wrought by the disease.
鈥淢y Own Private Idaho鈥 (1991): Director Gus Van Sant's film featured perhaps the greatest performance of River Phoenix, a year before the actor's death at age 23.
鈥淎merican Me鈥 (1992): Edward James Olmos starred and made his film directorial debut in this tale of Chicano gang life in Los Angeles and the brutal prison experience of its main character.
鈥淣o Country for Old Men鈥 (2007): Joel and Ethan Coen broke through at the Oscars with their adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel, winning best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay, while Javier Bardem won best supporting actor for playing a relentless killer with an unforgettable haircut.
Full list of 2024 National Film Registry inductees
鈥淎nnabelle Serpentine Dance鈥 (1895)
鈥淜oKo鈥檚 Earth Control鈥 (1928)
鈥淎ngels with Dirty Faces鈥 (1938)
鈥淧ride of the Yankees鈥 (1942)
鈥淚nvaders from Mars鈥 (1953)
鈥淭he Miracle Worker鈥 (1962)
鈥淭he Chelsea Girls鈥 (1966)
鈥淕anja and Hess鈥 (1973)
鈥淭exas Chainsaw Massacre鈥 (1974)
"Uptown Saturday Night" (1974)
Zora Lathan Student Films (1975-76)
鈥淯p in Smoke鈥 (1978)
鈥淲ill鈥 (1981)
鈥淪tar Trek II: Wrath of Khan鈥 (1982)
鈥淏everly Hills Cop鈥 (1984)
鈥淒irty Dancing鈥 (1987)
鈥淐ommon Threads: Stories from the Quilt鈥 (1989)
鈥淧owwow Highway鈥 (1989)
鈥淢y Own Private Idaho鈥 (1991)
鈥淎merican Me鈥 (1992)
鈥淢i Familia鈥 (1995)
鈥淐ompensation鈥 (1999)
鈥淪py Kids鈥 (2001)
鈥淣o Country for Old Men鈥 (2007)
鈥淭he Social Network鈥 (2010)
Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
