B Movies Blog

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping the work of Dolly Parton into the ol’ VCR.

On January 19, 1946, Dolly Rebecca Parton was born in Pittman Center, Tennessee. 

(And yesHello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping the work of Dolly Parton into the ol’ VCR.

On January 19, 1946, Dolly Rebecca Parton was born in Pittman Center, Tennessee. 

(And yes, we’re skipping my usual joke here because it’s Dolly freakin’ Parton, and she deserves better than that) 

Dolly Parton was one of 12 children and has stated numerous times that they grew up in poverty. 

When Dolly Parton was young, her family moved to Locust Ridge and into the infamous cabin recreated at Dollywood. 

Dolly Parton began singing in her grandfather’s church when she was six and began playing guitar at seven. 

After she graduated high school (the day after, in fact), Dolly Parton moved to Nashville, where she quickly signed with Combine Publishing. 

She and her uncle wrote several hit songs, and, a year later, she would go on to sign with Monument Records at only 19 years old. 

In 1967, Dolly Parton’s first country single, “Dumb Blonde” (which is one of my absolute favorites), cracked the top 30 on the country billboard chart, followed by “Something Fishy,” which would crack the top 20. 

Then, in 1967, Porter Wagoner gave her a spot on The Porter Wagoner Show, as well as his traveling road show. 

After a rocky start (she replaced another performer and people were goofy about it), Dolly Parton was accepted by audiences and signed with RCA Records, where she released another one of my absolute favorites, “Just Because I’m a Woman.” 

Surprisingly, though, she actually had yet another rocky start, with her and Porter Wagoner finding more success as a duo than Dolly Parton did as a solo artist (like…what). However, “Jolene” did top the charts. 

In 1974, Dolly Parton decided to leave Porter Wagoner’s show and famously wrote “I Will Always Love You” to commemorate the time they spent together (which was written on the same night as “Jolene”). 

From there, she would go on to release hits like “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” (which kind of flopped at the time, even though it’s another favorite), “Here You Come Again” (my all-time favorite), “Two Doors Down,” and about 1000 other hits, including “9 to 5,” which would become the title song for the movie of the same name and jumpstart her acting career. 

After 9 to 5, Dolly Parton would go on to star in movies like The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Steel Magnolias, while also maintaining one of the most influential musical careers of all time. 

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention all of Dolly Parton’s contributions to pop culture, like helping produce Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the show), as well as her philanthropy, like helping fund Moderna’s Covid vaccine and creating the Imagination Library, which sends free monthly books to children under the age of five to promote literacy.  

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, y’all. 

I know that I usually cut it here, but I’m gonna gush about Dolly Parton for a second. 

Dolly Parton has been one of my heroes for a very, very long time. 

I’ve always admired her writing and lyricism as well as the fact that she’s always unabashedly herself. Not to mention how she also decided to move away from home to follow her dreams. 

I’ve met and/or been around my fair share of celebrities throughout the years, and I’m really good at keeping my cool. However, I can honestly tell you that I would probably start crying if I met Dolly Parton. 

Just freakin’ bawling. 

There’s not much more that I can say about Dolly Parton that hasn’t already been said. 

Dolly, if you ever read this, thank you. 🖤

(I mean this with sincerity every time I say it, but it just really hits different with Dolly) 

Without further ado, here’s some of my favorite Dolly Parton content: 

• 9 to 5
• Unlikely Angel*
• Steel Magnolias 
• Hannah Montana 
• A Smoky Mountain Christmas 
• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas 

*Note: I do want to flag that Allison Mack is in this movie as a teen, and we obviously, in no way, condone any of her actions with NXVIUM.