Inspired to create a new approach to the movie musical, writer and lyricist Dean Pitchford originated the idea for Footloose around 1979, according to production notes in AMPAS library files and a Feb 1984 Esquire article. During the research process, he learned of actual bans on dancing and rock ‘n’ roll music in several U. S. locales, and recognized an ideal context to introduce a story about individual freedom in a repressive community. After Pitchford received an Academy Award in 1980, with Michael Gore, for writing the title song to Fame (1979, see entry), he earned the opportunity to present the concept for Footloose, which marked his feature screenplay debut.
       Pitchford began working on the script after selling the idea to executive producer Daniel Melnick. As reported in a 14 Dec 1982 DV article, Melnick originally developed the project at Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation through his company Indieprod. When the script went into turnaround, Paramount Pictures acquired the property, offering Melnick a “pay-or-play” commitment around mid-1982.
       According to the Esquire article, director Herbert Ross was initially enlisted for the project, but during extended negotiations for his deal, he left Footloose to direct another picture. Paramount and its president Michael Eisner offered the directing job to Michael Cimino, whose reputation was tarnished after helming the $44 million box-office disaster, Heaven’s Gate (1980, see entry). To protect itself, the studio included a “substantial penalty” in Cimino’s contract if he went over-budget, and a sizable bonus for completing the film under the $7.5 million budget, as reported in the 14 Dec 1982 DV. However, the terms of the contract were never realized since Cimino left the project about a month later, according to an announcement in the 18 Jan 1983 DV. Reportedly, he wanted to rewrite the script for an additional $200,000-$250,000, but the studio and Melnick were opposed, due to concerns about meeting a spring 1983 start date and avoiding disruption from a potential Screen Actors Guild (SAG) strike that summer. Producer Craig Zadan added in the Esquire article that Cimino had a much “darker” concept for the story compared to the “entertainment” version envisioned by the producers. Herbert Ross returned to Footloose when his other project was postponed.
       According to a 24 May 1983 HR production charts, principal photography began 9 May 1983 in UT. The fictional town of “Bomont” incorporated the following UT locations: American Fork, Lehi, Payson, and Provo, as stated in production notes.
       To prepare for what the 2 Mar 1984 LAT called his “first major role,” Kevin Bacon went undercover for a few hours as a high school student in Payson. The experience helped convince the twenty-five-year-old actor that he could pass as seventeen-year-old student “Ren MacCormack.” According to a 23 Jan 1984 People magazine item, approximately ten percent of Bacon’s performance required stunt doubles or dancers. Peter Tramm was responsible for filling in during the complicated dance numbers, and gymnastic consultant Chuck Gaylord was used during the horizontal bar scene.
       Pitchford contributed lyrics to the nine original songs in the film. Production notes reveal that all the compositions, except for the title track Footloose, were written after the film’s completion, allowing the music and lyrics to directly refer to the character and action. During shooting, Herbert Ross used “role model” songs, which reflected the type of music the scene required, as explained in the Esquire article. Later, a musician would compose a similar sounding, original song that would be dubbed into the scene and synchronized with the visuals. Pitchford explained in an 11 Feb 1984 Billboard article that he “wanted the songs to be a subtext for the film,” and departed from the conventional method of using existing or leftover tracks to build a soundtrack album. On 20 Jan 1984, HR announced that CBS Records would release three singles from the Footloose album before the film opened in theaters on 17 Feb 1984, which marked a “first” for the record company. Later that year, the 31 Aug 1984 LAT noted that the popular album had produced six singles in the Top 40 charts, and sold approximately 5.3 million copies.
       As reported in the 22 Feb 1984 Var, the picture took in approximately $8.5 million on 1,384 screens during its debut weekend. A 1 Aug 1984 Var article announced that Paramount would re-release the film in theaters on 31 Aug 1984, the same day as the home video launch.
       A 16 Mar 1984 LAHExam article revealed that producer Melnick would be donating two percent of his proceeds from the film to People for the American Way, a non-profit organization that advocates for the First Amendment and protests censorship in the U.S. The group provided research to the production about current prohibitions involving dancing, books, and records.
       The film received two Academy Award nominations in the category of Music (Original Song), for “Footloose” and “Let’s Hear It For The Boy.” The title track from Footloose ranked #96 on AFI’s 2004 list of 100 Years…100 Songs.
       A 28 Mar 2003 DV article reported that Footloose ultimately earned $81 million at the domestic box-office.
       On 22 Oct 1998, the musical Footloose debuted on Broadway and ran for 709 performances, until 2 Jul 2000. The production was based on Pitchford’s original screenplay. He provided the lyrics and co-wrote the stage adaptation with Walter Bobbie. Pitchford was also involved in the 2011 feature film remake, also titled Footloose (see entry), and starring Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough.
       The last name of “Cartoon Music” composer, J. [Jeff] Michael, is misspelled in end credits as “Michale.” J. Michael was a pseudonym for composer Norman Prescott.
       End credits state: “The producers wish to thank The Utah Film Development Office.”