This year marks 40 years since Footloose hit theaters and changed dance movies forever. The film starred Kevin Bacon as Ren McCormack, the new kid in a small Midwestern that has made dancing and rock music illegal. It’s become a fan-favorite over the last four decades and even spawned a remake in 2011. In honor of the film’s anniversary, Bacon is heading back to the high school where some of the original film was made.ย
Videos by ComicBook.com
In a new episode of Today, Bacon surprised students at Payson High School in Utah with a video announcing that he will attend their prom next month. The students have been asking Bacon to visit in honor of the fact that this will mark the school’s final prom before they move locations. Over the past year, the school’s students have been trying to get Bacon’s attention by recreating scenes from Footloose while using the hashtag #BaconToPayson online. The students plan to turn their prom into a Footloose-themed event in honor of the movie and donate the proceeds to Bacon’s Six Degrees charity.
In the Today video, the students cheer in excitement while some are dressed in bacon costumes while waving cutouts of the actor’s head.ย
“What’s going on, Payson High School?! How are you guys doing?” Bacon asked the crowd. “I’ve been so impressed with everything that’s been going on there with this crazy idea to get me to come back … I’ve been amazed at the work that all of you have been putting into this, with the musical and the flash mobs and the recreations, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by me … Not to mention the fact that you’ve tied in SixDegrees.org, our foundation, and are trying to figure out ways to give back to your community. It’s really inspirational.”
“So, thank you, thank you, and I’m gonna come. I’ve gotta come,” he added. You can watch the video below:
“It was a great gift to be part of that movie,” Baconย shared with Today back in 2022. “I certainly took it very seriously when I was doing it and I love that people will still come up and say that they just showed it to their kids.”
“I love it,” Bacon added of the movie’s continued popularity. “I think it’s great. It’s like all of those things that you think ‘Oh, my gosh, is it ever going to go away?’ At a certain point, you have to embrace the beast.”
Footloose is currently available to stream on Paramount+.ย
