Entertainment · 10 Geeky
When Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds Took on a Texas Legend
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas brought a Broadway hit, a real Texas story and Dolly Parton's music to the screen.
After the success of 9 to 5, Dolly Parton's next major movie put her opposite Burt Reynolds in a musical comedy rooted in a famous Texas story. Released in 1982, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas adapted a Broadway production inspired by the real Chicken Ranch.
A small-town controversy becomes a musical
Parton plays Miss Mona, the proprietor of an establishment threatened by a television personality's public campaign. Reynolds plays Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd, whose relationship with Mona gives the satire its emotional center. Dom DeLuise appears as the publicity-seeking Melvin P. Thorpe.
The movie combines political spectacle, romance and large musical numbers. Beneath the broad comedy is a question about who gets to decide what a community tolerates—and how quickly a media crusade can change that calculation.
The song with a life of its own
Parton's “I Will Always Love You,” originally released in 1974, appears in the film. Its emotional impact contrasts with the movie's often rowdy tone. Years later, Whitney Houston's recording would introduce the song to an even larger audience.
You Won’t Believe the Rest of the Story
The film was only Parton's second major theatrical release, yet it brought together her musical identity and a big Hollywood production. Behind that outrageous title was a real Texas establishment, the Chicken Ranch. The movie turns its story into a spectacle of songs, politics and small-town gossip.
Read next: Dolly Parton and Stallone's unusual country-music comedy.
Sources and further reading
Dolly Parton's official website · Universal Pictures film information