Fans are only just realising this popular 80s film is based on a true story-Lillie Rohan-Entertainment – Metro

Kevin Bacon shot to stardom in Footloose, the film based on a true story (Picture: Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

It dominated the box office in 1984 and catapulted Kevin Bacon into fame, but it’s a little-known fact that Footloose is actually based on a true story.

The film follows Ren McCormack, played by Kevin, now 66, as he and his family relocate from Chicago to the small town of Bomont, where they face a series of new and unexpected challenges.

The biggest of them all? The town council has banned dancing and rock music, meaning his new high school isn’t able to hold a prom.

After falling for Ariel, played by Lori Singer, 66, Ren is determined to persuade the council to change their minds and challenge their law.

But despite his best efforts, the seemingly odd law remains. Ren isn’t put off, though; if anything, he is more determined than ever, and the group of teenagers decide to throw their prom anyway.

It’s a story with a happy ending, made even happier by the fact that it is based on real events.

Kevin starred as Ren in the film (Picture: Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

Founded by James Elmore in the 1860s, Elmore City, a small town in Oklahoma with a population of just over 700 people, lived through the main events in Footloose.

After their council attempted to control alcohol consumption by outlawing dancing in 1898, the citizens of the town weren’t legally allowed to dance until 1980 when the band was lifted.

But it wasn’t an easy choice, and it would not have been possible without the help of the local high school students, particularly Mary Ann Temple-Lee and the late Leonard Coffee.

Leading the charge, the pair created controversy amongst their neighbours and attracted attention from media all around the country, all in the name of dance.

A group of Elmore City students fought and won the right to dance at their prom (Picture: Facebook/Oklahoma Tourism)

‘It was so volatile in the community. … And we just wanted to dance and to have a real prom,’ Mary, 60 told The Oklahoman recently.

The pair were high school sweethearts at the time and determined to have a real prom. They were sick of raising money, decorating the school cafeteria, having a dinner and then going bowling. They wanted to dance.

‘I asked, “Well, why can’t we have a prom like other schools do?” And it went like wildfire. Right after I asked that question, the rest of the class was, like, ‘Yeah, we want to do that,’ Leonard said in a 2010 interview with the news outlet.

As the event would be taking place at school and thus classed as a private event, the teens would have to convince their school board to ensure it happened, a board of which Mary’s dad was the president of.

Media from all around the US attended the prom (Picture: YouTube/KOCO 5 News)

The board was split 50/50 with her father being the swaying vote for the teens to have their prom, luckily for them, he was on their side.

‘I was so proud of him,’ Mary explained. ‘But we had so much pressure on us. … We had to show that the prom was a good, positive thing. It was showing that kids can have a level head, kids can be calm, kids can do the right thing.’

Due to the significance of the board’s decision, the prom was attended not only by the school’s students and family members but also media.

It quickly caught the attention of songwriter and screenwriter Dean Pitchford, who was so intrigued by the story that he travelled to the town for research purposes before writing the script and soundtrack.

Footloose is still celebrated in the town today (Picture: Everett/Shutterstock)

Becoming an international sensation and grossing $80 million (£61.1m) at the box office, the seventh highest-grossing film in 1984, it was also nominated for two Academy Awards for best original song, five Grammy awards and one Golden Globe.

‘It’s an incredible movie. It just didn’t portray us the way we were. I’ll put it that way,’ Mary said. ‘We were extremely ornery, but no, we were not wild.’

To continue on the legacy of Mary, Leonard and their classmate’s achievements, the school has held a prom every year since 1980 and in 2010, began the Footloose Fest, which takes place every third Sunday in April.

The hit song Footloose is also played at every prom.

‘This was the most exciting thing that’s probably ever happened in this town … so we wanted to do something to celebrate Footloose,’ Mary said.

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