Kevin Bacon has accomplished an incredible number of things in his career. He’s toplined very successful and beloved movies, carried infuriating yet strangely addicting TV shows and even developed into the standard by which random actors are linked together. He could and should be remembered in a ton of different ways, but to many, whether he goes on to cure cancer or not, he’ll always be Ren Mccormack, the rebellious kid from Chicago who just needed to dance in 1984’s still loveable Footloose. Actors less sure of themselves would probably have an issue with that, but Bacon himself has no problem playing along, as seen last night when he appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon and filmed a goofy and loveable segment about dancing.
As you can see above, the clip in question is more like a Saturday Night Live sketch than anything else. It features Fallon talking about how dancing has been banned at The Tonight Show, much to the annoyance of the crowd. Rules are rules and they have to be followed, unless you’re Kevin Bacon, of course. He’s shown watching the monitor and getting progressively more annoyed until he can’t take it anymore, strips down to the famous white wifebeater and dances up a storm both alone and with random people working in the office. Not surprisingly, his little scheme works too, just as it did in Footloose.
Here's a look at that loveable warehouse scene from the original that's being loosely taken to task. For my money, it's all about the gymnastics routine, which Fallon and company incorporate perfectly...
The Tonight Show under Jimmy Fallon’s watch is a distinctively different program than it was under Jay Leno. The new host places a huge emphasis on creating funny viral moments and pushing his guests out of their comfort zones. People knew what to expect when they went on with Leno. They don’t know what to expect now, but since the name of the game is publicity, that seems to be a good thing. Plus, with his unrelenting positivity, Fallon seems to be great at convincing people like Kevin Bacon to share a few laughs about their past.
On an unrelated Footloose note, the Craig Brewer-directed remake is way better than you would think it is. If you’re bored this afternoon, I would highly suggest you check it out.
