Dolly Parton is a true American icon. For her 75th birthday, Be Reel revisits the country superstar and EGOT nominee’s three most significant film roles in “9 to 5” (1980), “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” (1982), and “Steel Magnolias” (1989).
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In each, Parton embodies a heightened yet traditional definition of America: she’s outspoken, loyal, gun-toting, capitalist to the core, but with an underdog spirit and a sense of freewheeling entrepreneurship.
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These films, of course, also celebrate Parton as a musician, often anchoring the movie in the feminist themes and rhinestone theater of her songwriting. Whether standing up to a predatory boss, fighting puritanical morality, or searching for meaning in the (then) contemporary South, Parton brings both elation and world-weary savvy to her second career on the big screen.
Also, thank you for helping fund the Moderna vaccine, Dolly; we will alwaaaaaays love you.
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