''Dance 'til Dawn'' is a 1988 made for television teen movie directed by Paul Schneider.

Plot

It's the day of the senior prom at Herbert Hoover High School. The prom has been organized by one of the most popular girls at the school, the beautiful but obnoxious Patrice Johnson (

Christina Applegate Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American actress. With a career spanning five decades, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, along with nominations for four Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. After appearing in se ...

). When Shelley Sheridan (

Alyssa Milano Alyssa Jayne Milano ( ; born December 19, 1972) is an American actress and activist. She has played Samantha Micelli in '' Who's the Boss?'' (1984–1992), Jennifer Mancini in '' Melrose Place'' (1997–1998), Phoebe Halliwell in '' Charmed'' ...

) and her jock boyfriend Kevin McCrea (

Brian Bloom Brian Keith Bloom (born June 30, 1970) is an American actor and screenwriter. He co-wrote the screenplay and starred in '' The A-Team'', produced by brothers Tony and Ridley Scott. Bloom is the voice of Captain America in '' The Avengers: Earth ...

) break up just before the prom because she refuses to sleep with him, they are both forced to try to find new dates on short notice. When Shelley can't find a new date, she lies to her friends and tells them that she is going to a college frat party instead. In fact she goes to the town cinema to watch an old horror movie, where she assumes that she will not run into anyone from school. But she bumps into Dan Lefcourt ( Chris Young), one of the school geeks, who has also gone to the cinema to avoid the prom. Dan has lied to his father (

Alan Thicke Alan Willis Thicke (né Jeffrey; 1 March 1947 13 December 2016) was a Canadian-American actor, songwriter, and game/talk show host. He was the father of singer Robin Thicke. Thicke was best known for playing Dr. Jason Seaver on the 1980s sitco ...

), telling him that he was going to the prom because he didn't want his father to find out that he has a low social status at school and couldn't get a date. Dan helps Shelley avoid being seen by another group of students, and she soon discovers that he is a really nice guy. After one of Kevin's friends tells him a false story about an unpopular girl at the school, Angela Strull (

Tracey Gold Tracey Gold (born May 16, 1969) is an American actress and former child star known for her role as Carol Seaver on the 1980s sitcom ''Growing Pains''. Acting career Tracey Gold became an actress at the age of four, first appearing in a Pepsi pr ...

), being "easy", Kevin decides to invite her to the prom. Angela is delighted to be going to the prom with Kevin. Her friend Margaret (

Tempestt Bledsoe Tempestt Bledsoe (born August 1, 1973) is an American actor, actress. She is best known for her childhood role as List of The Cosby Show characters#Vanessa Huxtable, Vanessa Huxtable, the fourth child of Cliff and Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom ...

) is initially supportive, but later becomes sceptical of Kevin's motives. Not only does Kevin have to try hoodwink Margaret into believing that his intentions are honorable, he also has to contend with Angela's overprotective, religious fanatic pharmacist father, Ed (

Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained fame for his role as the psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984–1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993–2004, and again F ...

), who tries to follow the two "lovebirds" all night, eventually getting arrested for his trouble. Meanwhile, Patrice is confident that she'll be named the

prom queen A promenade dance or prom is a formal dance party for graduating high school students at the end of the school year. Students participating in the prom will typically vote for a ''prom king'' and ''prom queen''. Other students may be honored ...

when her only real competition, Shelley, doesn't show up at the prom. To that end, she's arranged for an all-night celebration with her boyfriend Roger (

Matthew Perry Matthew Langford Perry (August 19, 1969 – October 28, 2023) was an American and Canadian actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. He gained international fame for starring as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom ''Friends'' (1994– ...

), who she keeps on a short string. But then Angela appears in Cinderella fashion, and Angela and Kevin are voted prom queen and king. Kevin tries to get Angela into bed, but she resists and confronts him about his real reasons for asking her out. When he explains that he really does like her now, she points out that he should have respected her from the start. By the end of the film, at Hudson's aka Hud's (a popular diner where everyone shows up the morning after the prom) Angela has learned that her parents had to get married because they conceived her while they were high school students; confident after her night as prom queen, she informs them she's going to art school in Italy rather than Bible college. Kevin ends his night without sex and defends Angela's honor when his friend makes a lewd comment. Meanwhile, Shelley and Dan announce that they are now going steady, and kiss much to the shock of every senior in the room.

Cast

; Teens *

as Patrice Johnson *

as Shelley Sheridan *

as Kevin McCrea *

as Angela Strull * Chris Young as Dan Lefcourt *

as Margaret *

as Roger ; Parents *

as Jack Lefcourt *

as Ed Strull *

Edie McClurg Edie McClurg (born July 23, 1945) is an American retired actress and comedian. She has played supporting roles in the films ''Carrie'' (1976), ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), and ''Elvira: Mistress of the Dark'' (1988), and bit parts in ...

as Ruth Strull * Cliff De Young as Larry Johnson *

Mary Frann Mary Frann (born Mary Frances Luecke, February 27, 1943 – September 23, 1998) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She is best known for her role as Joanna Loudon, the wife of Bob Newhart's character on the CBS sitcom ''N ...

as Nancy Johnson ; Others * Lewis Arquette as Pawnshop Owner

Reception

Motion picture-historian

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

gave the picture a mediocre review: "Yet another variation on the 'TV-star-teens Vs. TV-star-parents' theme; most of the good songs and funny moments are borrowed from other, better films (notably '' Murder by Death'', '' Where the Boys Are'', and ''

The Monster Squad ''The Monster Squad'' is a 1987 American horror comedy film directed by Fred Dekker, and written by Dekker and Shane Black. Peter Hyams and Rob Cohen served as executive producers. It was released by Tri-Star Pictures on August 14, 1987. T ...

''). A nice try, but hardly the next ''

American Graffiti ''American Graffiti'' is a 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by George Lucas, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz and Lucas, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat ...

''."Maltin's TV, Movie, & Video Guide

References

External links

* * {{Rotten-tomatoes, id=dance_til_dawn, title=Dance 'til Dawn
‘Dance Til Dawn’ at 30
(Oct 19, 2018) ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' 1988 television films 1988 films 1980s teen drama films American teen drama films NBC original films Films directed by Paul Schneider (director) American drama television films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films