The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982 Musical Comedy)

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_Little_Whorehouse_in_Texas_(film)


The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a 1982 film adaptation of the musical of the same name released by Universal Pictures, which was co-written and directed by Colin Higgins. The film starred Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds and also featured Noah Beery, Jr., Jim Nabors, Charles Durning, Dom DeLuise, Robert Mandan, Lois Nettleton, Theresa Merritt, Barry Corbin, Mary Jo Catlett, and Mary Louise Wilson.

Durning was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Texas governor. Golden Globe nominations went to the film for Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) and Parton for Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical).


Plot

The plot is basically the same as that of the stage production, with one significant difference. In the original, Ed Earl and Miss Mona had had a one-night stand fifteen years earlier, but in the film they maintain an ongoing affair.

The relationship in the film brings about not only the accusatory scene, when the sheriff—disappointed that Mona has broken her promise to close the Chicken Ranch down long enough for things to cool off—calls her a whore, but also the happy ending, when he proposes marriage to Mona, even though that might endanger his chances to be elected as a state legislator. (The epilogue comments state that he is elected anyway.)

The house used in the film is located at Universal Studios in Hollywood and can be viewed as part of the backlot tram tour. (It was also seen in the Ghost Whisperer television series episode "The Lost Boys.") The inspiration for the set came from a real ranchhouse located outside Austin, Texas, which is featured in scenes from the movie.

The role of Melvin P. Thorpe (portrayed by Dom DeLuise) is based on Marvin Zindler, an eccentric consumer reporter for Houston's KTRK-TV.

Cast

Burt Reynolds as Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd
Dolly Parton as Mona Stangley
Dom DeLuise as Melvin P. Thorpe
Charles Durning as The Governor
Theresa Merritt as Jewel
Jim Nabors as Deputy Fred
Lois Nettleton as Dulcie Mae
Robert Mandan as Sen. Charles Wingwood
Barry Corbin as C.J.
Mary Jo Catlett as Rita Crowell
Mary Louise Wilson as Miss Modene
Howard K. Smith as Himself
Harvey Christiansen as Old Farmer
Donald F. Colson as Jeff Gerald
Helen Kleeb as Dora
Mickey Jones as Henry
Bobby Fite as Dulcie Mae's Son
Paula Shaw as Wulla Jean
Kenneth White as Sheriff Jack Roy
Ted Gehring as Sheriff Chapman
Wayne Heffley as TV Station Manager
Verne Lundquist as Football Announcer
Lee Grosscup as Football Color Man
Lee Ritchey as Governor's Aide
Alice Drummond as Governor's Secretary
Thomas Myers as Senator's Aide
Victoria Wells as Washing Girl
Karyn Harrison as Chicken Girl
Randy Bennett as Privates Boy

Musical score

Much of Carol Hall's original Broadway score was performed in the movie version. Two additional Parton compositions appear in the film: "Sneakin' Around", performed as a duet with Parton and Reynolds, and a two-stanza version Parton's 1973 composition "I Will Always Love You". The film version of "I Will Always Love You" -- the original recording having been a U.S. country chart topper for Parton in the spring of 1974 -- was released as a single in July 1982, and again reached number one on the U.S. country singles chart. (It also was a mid-level hit on Billboard pop and adult contemporary charts.) An altered version of Hall's "Hard Candy Christmas", in which Parton sings both the chorus and the verses of the song (as opposed to the film version, which is partially sung by some of the other female cast members), was also released as a single, reaching the top-ten on the country singles chart in late 1982.

Parton wrote several additional new songs for the film which were ultimately not used, including "Down At The Chicken Ranch" and "Where Stallions Run" -the latter was filmed (performed by Reynolds), but cut prior to the film's release. It was restored for the network television broadcast of the film, as the film was too short for its time slot after the censors finished their broadcast edits and additional material was needed. Parton recorded two of the deleted songs, "A Gamble Either Way", and "A Cowboy's Ways" (a reworking of "Where Stallions Run"), and included them on her 1983 album Burlap & Satin.

Film censorship

The film version presented some difficulties for Universal, particularly with advertising for the film. In 1982, the word whorehouse was considered obscene in parts of the United States, resulting in the film being renamed The Best Little Cathouse in Texas in some print ads, while television ads were either banned outright in some areas, or the offending word was censored. During interviews, Parton sometimes referred to the film as The Best Little Chicken House in Texas.

The film is sometimes accused of bowing to then-current racial attitudes by showing the sole black football player dancing with Ruby Rae, the sole black prostitute, although the latter also appears in a later scene in a tryst with a different, white, football player.

Trivia

Other people that were up for Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton's roles in the film included Willie Nelson for the role of Ed Earl Dodd and Barbara Mandrell and Crystal Gayle for the role of Miss Mona Stangley.

The exterior of the Chicken Ranch was built on the Universal lot where the Bates house from Psycho originally stood. The Bates house was moved to a more permanent location when filming began on Psycho II.

In terms of box-office, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas was the most successful movie-musical of the 1980s.

The film went over budget because of the various production problems. Several directors came and went, the script was always being rewritten and Dolly Parton wrote several more songs than were eventually included.

The Chicken Ranch house went on to be the Firefly residence in House of 1000 Corpses.

The courthouse scene was not filmed in La Grange but in the near by town of Hallettsville, Texas.