A partial list of things Dalton smiles at during the “Roadhouse Blues” scene in Road House:
- The parking lot
- The crowd waiting in line to get in
- The guy counting attendance
- Jack the bouncer
- The crowd to his left
- The crowd to his right
- The Jeff Healey Band
- The pool table area
- The dining area
- The crowd at the bar
- Ernie the bartender
- His coffee
- The crowd on the dancefloor
- Frank Tilghman
- The prospect of taking care of Frank Tilghman’s problems
And the night is still young for him, too! By the time it’s over he’ll also have smiled at Dr. Elizabeth Clay in his parking lot, Dr. Elizabeth Clay in his apartment, Dr. Elizabeth Clay in her car which he’s driving, Otis Redding on the radio, Dr. Elizabeth Clay on his erect penis, and Dr. Elizabeth Clay nude on his roof. (Otis seems like the odd man out there until you consider his vital role in that particular progression.) None of these smiles are sardonic or wry. None are directed at stop signs torn from the ground and speared through his car windows, or at people who have or soon will have tried to stab him to death. These are genuine smiles of happiness, from a man who finds himself surrounded with the best things in life: happy crowds, good drinks, admiring proteges, soul music (blue- and brown-eyed varieties), Kevin Tighe, open-roofed motor vehicles, public nudity, the welcoming sex organs of a beautiful woman with a doctorate degree. The Dalton Path leads to a far green country.
Tags: dalton, dr. elizabeth clay, road house, roadhouse blues, the double deuce, tilghman