The Patrick Swayze Movie That Made History In The '80s (Spoiler: It Wasn't Dirty Dancing)

Beloved late actor Patrick Swayze had quite the run back in the 1980s. One of his earliest claims to fame was playing Darry Curtis in "The Godfather" director Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 adaptation of "The Outsiders." Just four years later, Swayze starred opposite Jennifer Grey in 1987's "Dirty Dancing," which became one of the most iconic — and heavily-quoted — movies of the entire decade. But while both films are cultural touchstones in their own right, neither "The Outsiders" nor "Dirty Dancing" can quite hold a candle to the foundational industry impact made by a certain other movie Swayze made in between the two of them. 

In 1984, the hunky actor led the cast of the John Milius-directed war film "Red Dawn." Coincidentally, it also starred C. Thomas Howell, Swayze's "Outsiders" co-star; Charlie Sheen, brother of another "Outsiders" actor, Emilio Estevez; and Grey, Swayze's future co-lead in "Dirty Dancing." Beyond the star-studded cast, "Red Dawn" left a legacy that still permeates Hollywood today — and no, we're not talking about the maligned 2012 remake, the amount of fun the internet had with stills of a gruff, gun-toting Josh Peck (of "Drake & Josh" fame) notwithstanding. 

Rather, the original "Red Dawn" is noteworthy for being the very first film to officially be rated PG-13 by the MPA, then known as the MPAA. Prior to 1984, MPA's rating system began with G and PG, then went straight to R. In other words, if you have ever seen a PG-13-rated movie (and considering the fact that they accounted for nearly a third of all North American box office revenue in 2024 alone, we're going to assume you have), you have been touched by "Red Dawn" whether you realized it or not.

While the Patrick Swayze-led "Red Dawn" may have been the first movie to actually receive a PG-13 rating from the MPA, that rating was created in the first place because of an entirely different film. The early 1980s saw an influx of iconic movies that pushed the limits of PG, but didn't exactly cross over into R territory. This led to widespread backlash from parents who took their children to see certain PG-rated movies, only to be shocked by the level of onscreen violence and other frightening imagery. Three films, in particular, emerged as the faces of this controversy: 1982's "Poltergeist," 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," and 1984's "Gremlins," which came out in theaters just two months before "Red Dawn." 

Coincidentally, all three involved legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg to some extent (he co-wrote and produced "Poltergeist," directed "Temple of Doom," and served as an executive producer on "Gremlins"). As such, it was Spielberg who led the charge to lobby the MPA to implement a new rating that would bridge the gap between PG and R. As the iconic filmmaker bragged, in a 2004 interview reflecting on the 20th anniversary of the advent of PG-13, "I created the problem and I also supplied the solution [...] I invented the rating," (via Today).

Indeed, the MPA wasted absolutely no time taking Spielberg's advice. The organization officially christened the new rating on July 1, 1984, at which point "Gremlins" had only been in theaters for about three weeks. A month later, PG-13 had its maiden voyage with the theatrical release of "Red Dawn." The rest, as they say, is history.