'But there's nothing dirty going on!'
There really wasn't anything too dirty going on in 1982's The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Well, maybe by 'Dolly Parton' standards it was a bit racy, but looking back today, the film pretty much Disneyfies the depiction of a whorehouse, with minimal nudity, and no drinking aloud, because as we're told, they get a nice quiet crowd...
Adapted by the Broadway musical of the same name, The film was actually, 'sort of' a Thanksgiving movie. I didn't pick up the holiday connection the first time I saw the film on television, but most of the main action occurs on Thanksgiving day, and the Thanksgiving weekend. The holiday is certainly mentioned several times in the film, but there's not really many visual nods to the holiday.
As the story goes, the annual game between rivals, the University of Texas Longhorns and the Texas A&M Aggies takes place on Thanksgiving Day. As part of the story, the winners, thanks to alumni association of the winning school, celebrate with a trip to Mona's place, the chicken ranch, to celebrate the win with a sexual release of athlete energy.
If you've seen the film, those athlete's don't really look much football players to me. They're athletic for sure, but the casting director obviously hired dancers, not football players, given their big number is a big song and dance number after the game. Thankfully however, that number also includes a shower scene, which his why the film makes it onto FH's 12 Day's list of Holiday films. I stated in the preceding piece that this scene is one of two Parton projects with male nudity. The other was also a locker room scene in Steel Magnolias, which I previously featured HERE:
It was also noteworthy that given this was 1982, they were still hiring about 1 black actor per every 12 of 15 white actors. There was one black football player on the team, I guess to match the one black woman working at the chicken ranch. There was also one Asian woman working for Mona. (Parton) Looking back at the film, this 'minimal inclusion' casting really bugged me. I know it was common during the time period, but it looks so obvious, and unrealistic and stands out, and not in a good way.
Parton has been quoted as not enjoying her experience on the film. She said she enjoyed working with Burt Reynolds, and the rest of the cast, but shared she was ill at the time. I also think Parton struggled a bit with the role, given she's a made a career of making smart, but usually safe choices when it comes to her image. Although Parton could be a little 'naughty' with her public persona, it was very much in the 'Betty White' school of safe and harmless naughtiness.
Speaking of Reynolds, the 1982 film, although a hit, seemed to kickstart a bit of decline in his career. It was fun seeing him singing with Dolly, and he looked good in his bikini briefs, even if we only saw him them for a split second. Reynolds was really the star of this film though, that was Dolly, and his scenes, despite the talented supporting cast, lacked the energy a musical requires.
The film did mark the film debut of Parton's song 'I Will Always Love You', sung near the end of the film. This song was added to the film, and not part of the original Broadway show. This was exactly 10 years before Whitney Houston belted it out in The Bodyguard. I loved Houston's version when it first came out, and played it over and over. Today however, I really only listen to Parton's. Maybe I just over played Houston's version, or maybe it's because as I get older, Parton's version really has the stripped down heart and emotion without all the musical handstands and theatrics.
My favorite song from the musical however, is Hard Candy Christmas. I remember listening to Dolly's solo version before realizing it was sung by the women of the Chicken ranch in the film. The song is beautiful, and reminds me of my mom listening to it in the kitchen on an old tape recorder when I was s kid. Usually she on Dolly Parton when she was cooking or baking for the holidays.
Got to love a musical number with naked men! Although they didn't look much like a football team, the guys they choose to strip down in the locker room were all hot and fit. The homoerotism in the locker rooms scenes is not exactly subtle. Despite the the fact the film was about a whorehouse, given the way most of the film was film was rather tamely shot, it was a nice surprise to have the shower scene.
We might have to thank director Colin Higgins, who directed Dolly in both this film, as well as her film debut 9 to 5. Higgins was openly gay, something that seems quite rare for a director of main stream films in the 1980's. Higgins was diagnosed with HIV in 1985, and a year later, in 1986, established The Colin Higgins Foundation to provide support for gay and transgender youth.
Y'all Come Back Now, Ya Hear!
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