Sad Week

 

I was shocked to learn that Dolly Parton, who had a big soul, bigger than her voluptuous ta-tas. She was aok with all the comments and laughed with all of us. She helped so many people in need, started an amusement park and was always a ray of sunshine. Her different marriage lasted over 50 years until he passed away last year and, like so many couples in long marriage, she passed away a year after. She was small in stature but was a powerhouse in her singing, writing her own songs, acting, producing and a no- nonsense business woman. She was a huge philanthropist as well. We could all learn from her philosophy in life. Might I add that, in 1987, she started her own variety show. It only lasted a year but it gave my dad, who was dying of brain cancer, so much joy. I was a dumb ass 23 year old who thought she was old news but I will never forget how much happiness she brought to my dad in the last few months of his life. Thank you Dolly!

Before showcasing 3 of her films, I want to let you know who won the Oscar for best song of 1992, who was nominated and which song came up empty-handed. So, " A Whole New World" won the Oscar( it's Disney, big surprise). "Beautiful Maria Of My Soul" was nominated( this is a better song, in my opinion) and "I Will Only Love You" came up with nadda. Yup, this iconic song, written by Dolly and, whom I think, sang it better, was not nominated because it was sung before and shown on screens before. 

Ok, here are my 3 films with Dolly...

1. 9 TO 5-1980

This is a very funny film starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton as 3 women who work in a big firm where their boss is a narcissistic, chauvinist jerk who believes women are subservient to men and him, specifically. Dolly is his personal secretary who is sick and tired that he just thinks her brains are at her chest. Fonda plays the mousy employee and Tomlin is the head of all the gals in the office. They are sick and tired of their jerk of a boss so they drug, kidnap and hog-tie him taking over his job. They make the place much better but they did kidnap this jerk. It's a very funny take on female empowerment and Dolly was a big surprise to critics and everyone with her acting and how funny she was.

2. BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS-1982

I enjoyed this movie when it first came out which starred Burt Reynolds, Dolly Parton, Dom DeLuise and Charles Durning. Dolly plays the Madam of a very popular and famous whorehouse where the sheriff, played by Reynolds, and the rest of the town enjoy its services. Enter a radio and TV personality, decides to take on this business and wants to shut it down. Dom DeLuise is hilarious in the role of the nast TV  guy wanting to shut this down and Dolly is perfect as the madam. This did not make money maybe because it was a musical, but I enjoyed it.

3. STEEL MAGNOLIAS-1989

This is another, mainly female-headed cast, headed by Sally Field with Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Darryl Hannah and Julia Roberts playing Sally's daughter. Dolly plays a hairstylist where everyone goes to get their hair done, gossip and find ways to help one another. Sally's daughter, Julia, gets married but has some bad disease or life issues and shouldn't get pregnant. Guess what? She does and things don't end well but the ladies are strong together and help out Sally when she needs it. I think my favourite character is Dolly and I couldn't take Julia for some reason, who was nominated for an Oscar for this role. This is my least favourite film of these 3 but I will watch it again, if nothing else is on TV. 

PART 2

Dolly passed away on the 25th and Tim Curry died the following day. This was not a surprise because this brilliant actor suffered a severe stroke a few years ago and has dealt with so many health issues but he continued to work lending his voice to many animated shows and movies. He played many villains, butler's and one freaky transvestite. He was in many ensemble casts but always shone over the others just with his mischievous smile. He is good in "Home Alone 2" looking just like the Grinch in one scene, but I don't like MacCauley Caulkin so I chose 3 other films...

1  ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW-1975

I am not a fan of this movie even though it has gained a huge cult following  where one now engages with the film, yelling at it and throwing stuff at the screen. I did not appreciate getting a sandwich in the back of my head. This film stars Curry as well as Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandan as newlyweds who get lost and end up at this freaky mansion. They meet all the ghoulish people there including sweet transvestite Curry. His voice is great for his role and he relishes in it. There are a few great songs that come from this movie which I have danced to many Halloween nights. Curry makes the film.

2. LEGEND-1985

This film stars Tom Cruise, Mia Sara and Tim Curry as the best devil I have ever seen. In this fairy tale, the Devil wants to bring the world into eternal darkness. To do this, he needs the horns of the 2 unicorns and enlists the help of some goblins. Cruise is the young lad who falls for Mia and is THE person to destroy the evil. This bombed at the box office which is a shame because it is a beautiful film. I love the look of this film and the makeup is excellent. It's worth a look.

3. CLUE-1985

This movie is based on the popular board game which I love playing. Tim Curry plays the butler, with Madeline Kahn, Eileen Brennan, Michael McKean, Lesley Ann Warren and Christopher Lloyd playing all the characters who were all told to come to this house. The mystery person is blackmailing them with information that can destroy their careers etc... mayhem ensues with the body count increasing. There are 3 endings to this film and i have only seen 2. This also bombed when it came out, but it has developed a cult following and the critics have since changed their minds and Harald this as a very funny film. It is funny and just a joy to watch despite the dead bodies.

I could jot just choose one or the other so this is a lengthy post, but I hope you enjoyed reading it. May they be happy, healthy and with their loved ones now.