7 Hollywood Dolly

Chapter 7 Hollywood Dolly Dolly never thought of herself as a movie star, but she was offered a role she couldn't refuse... playing someone very much like herself! The famous actress Jane Fonda sent her a script for a movie that would be called Nine to Five. It was a comedy about three women who work for a terrible boss and how they get even with him. Dolly played a secretary, Doralee, who, at the end of the movie, becomes a country-western singer! On the first day, Dolly arrived at the film studio in Los Angeles with the entire script memorized... not just her own part. Everybody else's, too! Dolly thought movie-making was fun, and she threw herself into it. Every day, she came to work at 4:00 a.m. in full makeup and wig. Then a studio makeup artist would completely redo her makeup for the cameras. Dolly wrote a

theme song for the movie on the back of her script. The song was also called "Nine to Five." When the movie came out in 1980, the song became number one on the pop and country charts. The movie was a box-office hit, too. The next big movie Dolly made was not as much fun. Some of the other actors and the director were hard to work with. But for Dolly the biggest problem with making movies was all the waiting around. She had too much energy for that. Even so, Dolly kept on the lookout for other movie roles. In 1989, she starred in another film

with top actresses such as Shirley MacLaine and Julia Roberts. Steel Magnolias was about a close group of friends who gather in a beauty shop in Louisiana. The women stick together through ups and downs. It's a funny movie but a tearjerker. Dolly actually learned to cut hair to prepare for her role as a hairdresser. Dolly said the part was exactly who she would have been if she had stayed home and had no singing career. Other movies Dolly starred in include Rhinestone (1984), Straight Talk (1992), and Joyful Noise (2012) with the singer and actress Queen Latifah.

In 1980, Dolly signed a big contract to do shows for six weeks a year in Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas hotels host flashy shows with major stars. Dolly's shows were spectacular in spite of voice trouble and weight problems.

Unfortunately, Dolly was trying to do too much. Her health was suffering, and she felt really low. She didn't even feel like playing her guitar or writing songs for months. She needed a vacation! Someplace quiet and far away... maybe Australia!

However, when she arrived in quiet, faraway Australia, Dolly was mobbed by screaming fans. To escape, she rented a little houseboat off a remote island. That sounded peaceful. However, her boat was caught in a huge storm. Dolly's high heels were washed overboard, and Dolly almost went with them! The vacation was not a vacation at all. Dolly returned to the United States to do a thirty-five-show tour. She was overtired and often sick.