Kelly Bishop Was Not Supposed to be Marjorie Houseman in ‘Dirty Dancing’

Kelly Bishop has had numerous iconic roles over the years, but her most famous wasn't a role she was initially slated to play. Bishop stepped into the role of Marjorie Houseman when another actor became sick on the set of 'Dirty Dancing'

Most people associate Kelly Bishop with her more recent work in

and Halston. She had an illustrious career long before that, including several important stage and movie credits. Her most famous movie role came in 1987 when she appeared as Marjorie Houseman in Dirty Dancing. While Bishop was signed on to the movie when it began filming, she was not set to play Marjorie Houseman.

Kelly Bishop was not originally cast as Marjorie Houseman in ‘Dirty Dancing’

Long before she was Emily Gilmore, Kelly Bishop was known for her part in Dirty Dancing. She played the mother of Frances “Baby” Houseman in the cult classic. Kelly Bishop happened into the role of Marjorie Houseman somewhat by accident. While she was hired to appear in Dirty Dancing, she was originally set to play Vivian Pressman, a resort guest who tries to seduce Johnny. While the part was a memorable one, it was a much smaller role than the one Bishop ended up taking on.

During an interview with The Canadian Press, Bishop revealed that she was asked to play Marjorie after the actor who was set to take on the part became sick and had to head home. Lynne Lipton was the actor originally cast in the role. Bishop happily stepped into the part, and a new actor filled in as Vivian Pressman. Miranda Garrison stepped into the role of Vivian.

Where was Dirty Dancing filmed?

Dirty Dancing might have been set in the Catskill Mountains in New York. That’s not where the movie was filmed, though. Instead, Bishop and her castmates traveled to a resort in Virginia for the duration of filming. Most specifically, the film was shot at Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, Virginia. Pembroke is a small town in Giles County. It is the permanent home of just 1200 people. The resort is still open and often hosts Dirty Dancing-themed events.

Bishop and the film’s cast and crew descended on the lodge in October after its busy season. Filming in the off-season might have worked best for the lodge. Still, it did create some filming difficulties for the cast. While the flick is set in the warmest days of summer, the weather had already turned rather cool in Virginia by the time filming began. According to the Daily News, the waters were so frigid that Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze’s lips turned blue while they filmed water scenes.