On This Day in 1982, Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds Starred in a Controversial Musical Adaptation the Country Icon Later Regretted

Dolly Parton has been in so many iconic films; she’s considered just as much of an actress as she is a singer. Though she has long expressed appreciation for her acting career, there was one movie that she regretted. On this day in 1982, Parton’s most controversial film was released. Learn more about this pitfall-filled production below.

Dolly Parton’s Most Controversial Music Adaptation

Parton starred alongside Burt Reynolds in The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, a film adaptation of a Broadway hit. Parton plays a madam at a decades-old brothel, which Reynolds’ character falls in love with. The pair try to keep the establishment safe from a TV evangelist who wants to shut it down.

The film was a massive success, but it struggled to get released in some parts of the U.S. where “whorehouse” was unacceptable. In some markets, it had to be called a “Cathouse” to soften the edginess of the title.

Parton’s Experience on ‘The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas’

The movie’s troubles weren’t just in the marketing. It was famously a nightmare to get the film made during production as well. The film team got rid of pretty much everyone involved with the original Broadway production team. They replaced them with surefire Hollywood stars and executives with more experience.

“People were being fired right and left,” Parton once said of this production. “In fact, at one point there was a bumper sticker circulating around Hollywood that read, ‘HONK IF YOU’VE BEEN FIRED FROM BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE.’”

Dolly Parton Didn’t Mince Words

This shrouded the movie in controversy before it was even finalized. But even those who actually made it into the production struggled with the film. Parton famously hated working on this movie. She initially felt guilty for getting music supervisor Richard Baskin fired. They replaced him with Parton’s bandleader after she signed onto the project.

Both Parton and Reynolds were suffering in their personal lives at the time, making matters worse. Parton was struggling with health issues, and Reynolds was combating industry stress. All in all, it was an experience that Parton regretted deeply. She had harsh words for that time in her life.

“The wonderful time I had on Nine To Five had whetted my appetite for another movie,” Parton once said. “Whorehouse was a completely opposite experience. It was as if Nine To Five had been my first lover, sweetly seductive before and gentle and caring during our lovemaking. Whorehouse, then, was a rapist.”

[RELATED: Dolly Parton Is Celebrating Her 81st Birthday With a Huge Career Milestone]

From an audience perspective, this is just another stellar (if a little scandalous) Parton movie, but for those who made it, it was a nightmarish experience that wasn’t worth the success. Revisit a scene from the movie above.

(Photo by Ken Vaughan/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images)

The post On This Day in 1982, Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds Starred in a Controversial Musical Adaptation the Country Icon Later Regretted appeared first on American Songwriter.