Musical Mondays Week 20 The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

[EvRobert 1684]

 

Here in the Northeast, I grew up listening to Whitney and wasn't exposed to artists like Dolly Parton very much. I blame the evil liberal media, of course. Seriously, I thought Jolene was a White Stripes song! At least this movie has inspired me to look into Dolly Parton's discography.

 

I can understand that. Dolly Parton is a god damn national treasure. Read into her history with Porter Wagnor. It's beautiful and tragic and I'm surpised hasn't been turned into a musical or play or movie yet.

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

I can understand that. Dolly Parton is a god damn national treasure. Read into her history with Porter Wagnor. It's beautiful and tragic and I'm surpised hasn't been turned into a musical or play or movie yet.

 

It was a Drunk History segment if that counts.

 

I both love and hate "Jolene." You're too good for him, Dolly!

[EvRobert 1684]

It was a Drunk History segment if that counts.

 

I both love and hate "Jolene." You're to good for him, Dolly!

 

And a very good segment on DH but I would love to see a really well done, serious version of their story

[tomspanks 9039]

I can understand that. Dolly Parton is a god damn national treasure. Read into her history with Porter Wagnor. It's beautiful and tragic and I'm surpised hasn't been turned into a musical or play or movie yet.

 

Oh, I will.

 

SUBSCRIBE TO DOLLY PARTON FACTS

[grudlian. 4725]

 

Here in the Northeast, I grew up listening to Whitney and wasn't exposed to artists like Dolly Parton very much. I blame the evil liberal media, of course. Seriously, I thought Jolene was a White Stripes song! At least this movie has inspired me to look into Dolly Parton's discography.

You could have thought Jolene was a Miley Cyrus song. So, you could be doing worse. I think her version is prettygood but it's not Dolly by a country mile and The White Stripes at least totally changed it up.

[grudlian. 4725]

 

Ugh! Don't get him started. If I have to sit here and listen to Cam B talk about and post pictures of licorice again, I'm going to fucking puke. "Look at me! I live in Japan, I'm super nice, and I love candy that tastes like Satan's butthole...."

You might be taking things a bit far. Satan's butthole isn't that bad.

[EvRobert 1684]

You could have thought Jolene was a Miley Cyrus song. So, you could be doing worse. I think her version is prettygood but it's not Dolly by a country mile and The White Stripes at least totally changed it up.

https://youtu.be/wOwblaKmyVw

 

I dig Miley's version a lot. I don't think I've heard the White Stripes version

[The_Triple_Lindy 2482]

I don't know why this sprung to mind, but whenever the Time/Life "Best of Johnny Carson" infomercial comes on, I always watch until I see this moment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw2W8ZC7pkM

 

Goddamn, you gotta love Dolly. Legend, ally, sweetie.

 

Anyone here ever been to Dollywood?

[PollyDarton 1807]

 

You convinced me I need to watch 9 to 5. And I had no idea there was a musical version of it.

 

Re: "I Will Always Love You," I had no idea it was a song in TBLWHIT and when she started singing it in the movie, it was really cool. But today, I kept humming Whitney's version. Dolly's version was so sweet and intimate, but I prefer Whitney's powerful r&b version, especially the part where there's a 4 count (?) silence with a single bass drum kick at the end and then she belts out "And I......"

 

There isn't a film version of 9 to 5 the musical, but I'm sure it's going to happen soon.

 

Re: Whitney - Any Whitney fans need to get a free month of Showtime and watch "Whitney: Can I be me." It's a DEVASTATING documentary about her life and of course "I Will Always Love You" is quite featured. If anyone watches it and wants to discuss I AM GAME.

[PollyDarton 1807]

I don't know why this sprung to mind, but whenever the Time/Life "Best of Johnny Carson" infomercial comes on, I always watch until I see this moment:

 

This is some SHITTY quality video but I always think of this too... and she's live from Dollywood!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3GJwDSgO30

[Cam Bert 8145]

I thank you for your kind words Mr. H, but I will not hear the good name of licorice all sorts besmirched like that. There are far worse candies out there more deserving to be called Satan's butthole. Like that gum that tastes like soap or candy corn. I think you need to try it again with an adult eye and you might appreciate it a little more. I know I have some converts out there.

 

As far as soft candy Christmas goes, maybe it's a commonwealth thing but you can have Christmas without Quality Street chocolates and to me that is the soft candy Christmas.

[Cam Bert 8145]

I just realized that I love pineapple on pizza, licorice, and coconut which makes me the resident food weirdo. At least I'm not that crazy person who had raisins in coleslaw... right... that's just... weird... *sigh*

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

Don't forget to mention the real star of this film, Charles Durning, who got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor!

I was expecting him to be the Ted Neeley Handsome figure in this movie.

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

 

I always assumed that the girls knew that their job at the Chicken Ranch had a limited shelf life and Miss Mona wasn't grooming any of them to take over anytime soon, so while it's bad, I would guess it's something that they all knew would come eventually.

I always liked the lyrics from Another Suitcase in Another Hall, a song from Evita where Juan Peron's latest mistress was kicked out.

1st verse:

"I don't expect my love affairs to last for long.

Never fool myself that my dreams will come true

Being used to travel I anticipate it

But all the same, I hate it. Wouldn't you?"

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

 

Honestly, the thought of a "soft candy Christmas" turns my stomach...

I always liked these.

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

This was the most troubling part of the movie for me! All these women losing their jobs, losing their homes, having to leave town and go ... where, exactly? And how are they going to explain the giant gap in their employment histories on their job applications?

You just reminded me that Dulcie Mae's story was upended as well, AND she had a little boy! I would have liked to see a scene where she gave Burt an ultimatum like Dolly did.

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

Here is a photo of a gigger using a gigger to gig a frog:

 

 

Hope that helps clear things up

That absolutely does! Thanks! Guess A&M's main rival is the Horned Frogs at Texas Christian University.

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

 

You convinced me I need to watch 9 to 5. And I had no idea there was a musical version of it.

 

Re: "I Will Always Love You," I had no idea it was a song in TBLWHIT and when she started singing it in the movie, it was really cool. But today, I kept humming Whitney's version. Dolly's version was so sweet and intimate, but I prefer Whitney's powerful r&b version, especially the part where there's a 4 count (?) silence with a single bass drum kick at the end and then she belts out "And I......"

Was "I Will Always Love You" in the Broadway show? Dolly wrote the song so maybe she had a part in creating the show?

[kateacola 2440]

@Cams, have fun going down the Wiki black hole for the Chicken Ranch. So much of the story is true. I read that there was a tradition of A&M freshmen visiting the Chicken Ranch as an "initiation," so the whole football team story isn't so farfetched.

 

Ok so I was reading the wiki about the Chicken Ranch and I thought this was interesting:

It was located in Fayette County about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of downtown La Grange... and was the basis for the 1973 ZZ Top song, "La Grange"

 

I never knew what that song was about. But honestly.. I didn't totally know the lyrics to the song, since it's not really lyric heavy.

And I always mainly liked the song for the guitar part (as well as the haw haw/ hmm hmms , lol)

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vppbdf-qtGU

 

But here are the lyrics:

 

Rumour spreadin' a-'round in that Texas town

'bout that shack outside La Grange

and you know what I'm talkin' about.

Just let me know if you wanna go

to that home out on the range.

They gotta lotta nice girls.

 

Have mercy.

A haw, haw, haw, haw, a haw.

A haw, haw, haw.

 

Well, I hear it's fine if you got the time

and the ten to get yourself in.

A hmm, hmm.

And I hear it's tight most ev'ry night,

but now I might be mistaken.

hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm.

 

Have mercy.

[tomspanks 9039]

You just reminded me that Dulcie Mae's story was upended as well, AND she had a little boy! I would have liked to see a scene where she gave Burt an ultimatum like Dolly did.

 

I took the moment they had outside the diner as their goodbyes. They both probably knew they were not right for each other. It made me sad that a little kid was involved though.

 

Was "I Will Always Love You" in the Broadway show? Dolly wrote the song so maybe she had a part in creating the show?

 

No, according to wiki it wasn't in the Broadway show. Music and lyrics for the stage show were written by Carol Hall.

 

Ok so I was reading the wiki about the Chicken Ranch and I thought this was interesting:

 

I never knew what that song was about. But honestly.. I didn't totally know the lyrics to the song, since it's not really lyric heavy.

And I always mainly liked the song for the guitar part (as well as the haw haw/ hmm hmms , lol)

 

But here are the lyrics:

 

MIND = BLOWN

[tomspanks 9039]

Two things that reminded me of other things.

 

Ed Earl: "I can tell when somebody's peeing on my boots and telling me it's a rainstorm."

 

 

The football players song: "We're gonna whomp and stomp, and a-whoop it up tonight"

 

[Cam Bert 8145]

Two things. One I did end up going down the wiki wormhole about the chicken ranch and even watch horrible quality VHS footage of the original news reports on Youtube and it was shocking how many things lined up. Towards the end of the movie Dom DeLuise is holding up a folder and claiming that the Chicken Ranch has a connection to organized crime. Well, in the movie we know that's not true and just him being a phony, but in real life one of Marvin Zindler's claims against the Chicken Ranch was its link to organized crime. There was an uncooperative DA that refused to speak to him but a more than willing state senator that was. The local sheriff was not as charming but needed subtitles because his accent was so thick.

 

Another thing I got thinking about when thinking about the Hard Candy Christmas number was when the women are talking about what they will do. You have one woman who claims "maybe I'll dye my hair." This makes sense. She's working in a brothel and maybe her hair colour makes her more desirable but she doesn't like the colour. Fine. Another is "maybe I'll sleep in late" Okay, that's not as clear but maybe they have to stay in shape or have duties around the chicken ranch which require them to get up early despite their late hours. Okay.... then the Asian one says "maybe I'll lose some weight." One could say she was talking about the stress of it all or lack of money causing her to speculatively lose weight, but I originally heard it as she was not allowed to lose weight while working at the chicken ranch. Which is really weird because she was not overly large in anyway nor was she skinny. She seemed to be an average weight, and it seemed very odd that they would have guidelines on their women getting too skinny.

[tomspanks 9039]

^ Everything's bigger in Texas?

[The_Triple_Lindy 2482]

Okay.... then the Asian one says "maybe I'll lose some weight." One could say she was talking about the stress of it all or lack of money causing her to speculatively lose weight, but I originally heard it as she was not allowed to lose weight while working at the chicken ranch. Which is really weird because she was not overly large in anyway nor was she skinny. She seemed to be an average weight, and it seemed very odd that they would have guidelines on their women getting too skinny.

Two possibilities: 1) With their late-night work schedules and early morning chicken-related chores, maybe she didn't have the time or energy to lose weight before, or 2) Dolly was trying to prevent the girls from becoming too body conscious and getting caught up in beauty culture -- she wanted real women who focus their attention on hot, steamy, tattoo-less, vanilla sex.

[PollyDarton 1807]

Another thing I got thinking about when thinking about the Hard Candy Christmas number was when the women are talking about what they will do. You have one woman who claims "maybe I'll dye my hair." This makes sense. She's working in a brothel and maybe her hair colour makes her more desirable but she doesn't like the colour. Fine. Another is "maybe I'll sleep in late" Okay, that's not as clear but maybe they have to stay in shape or have duties around the chicken ranch which require them to get up early despite their late hours. Okay.... then the Asian one says "maybe I'll lose some weight." One could say she was talking about the stress of it all or lack of money causing her to speculatively lose weight, but I originally heard it as she was not allowed to lose weight while working at the chicken ranch. Which is really weird because she was not overly large in anyway nor was she skinny. She seemed to be an average weight, and it seemed very odd that they would have guidelines on their women getting too skinny.

 

I've known this song (Dolly's version) for a long time and I didn't realize it was from the stage show. I thought it was put in the movie as some Dolly filler similar to I will always love you, but alas it was indeed written by Carol Hall for Whorehouse. Dolly's version plays a lot around here during Christmas so I've also mostly known it in that context.. that it's a Christmas song. Because of this I have always thought the song was about being alone on Christmas - possibly heartbroken or just away from home and family. "I'm barely getting through tomorrow" - tomorrow being Christmas day. Because of this (mis)conception I also took all the lines about dyeing hair and sleeping late to be ways to cope with being by yourself on Christmas. Dolly is a country girl with a BIG FUCKING COUNTRY FAMILY so in my mind I always pictured Dolly, a sweet southern soul without the ones she loves on the biggest family holiday of the year. Hard-mother-fucking-candy Christmas.

 

But then I saw The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and I realized that it is just about whores not getting to whore-it in the whorehouse anymore.