Dolly Parton Smashed It in Her Screen Debut
Updated: Sep 3
The film 9-5 (1980) was Dolly's first time acting on the screen and she hit it out of the park. Starring Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, the comedy follows three women who get revenge on their sexist, tyrannical boss.
Five fun facts about Dolly Parton and 9 to 5 :
1. The film was Dolly Parton’s first foray into acting. At 34, she was already a big name in country music. But the closest she had come to a movie set (by her own admission) was taking a Universal Studios tour.
2. When she got the script for the film, she assumed she had to memorize all the parts: “I memorized it,” said Parton. “I just assumed that you had to. My part and [Lily’s] part and [Jane’s] part and Dabney’s part. But I just knew the script back and forth and every week I would read it … I would practice.”
3. Ever the business savvy queen, she agreed to be in the film only if she could write the theme song as well.
4. The comedy earned more than $100 million at the box office which made it the second most successful film of 1980 after The Empire Strikes Back.
5. The screenwriter of the film, Patricia Resnick, told Rollingstone magazine that she actually had the three leading stars in mind when she wrote the script (even though Dolly Parton had never acted on screen before). It rarely happens that all three would then sign on to do the film.
R.I.P. Dolly Parton (1946 – 2026). What an absolute legend 🤍
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