AMC Theatres is running a limited retrospective of two Dolly Parton films this week following the country icon's death Tuesday from a brief battle with cancer. The screenings cover the 1982 comedy The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and the 1989 dramedy Steel Magnolias, playing at roughly 200 locations across the United States through September 2.
According to Deadline, theaters throughout Parton's home state of Tennessee are among the participating locations. Tickets are available at AMC's Fan Faves value pricing, with two matinee screenings daily where possible.
In The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Parton played Miss Mona, the proprietor of a brothel called the Chicken Ranch that becomes the target of a moral crusade by a television personality played by Dom DeLuise. Burt Reynolds played the town sheriff caught between defending the Chicken Ranch and protecting his own reputation. The film grossed close to 70 million dollars at the domestic box office. It was also the film in which Parton performed her hit single "I Will Always Love You," which was later covered by Whitney Houston for The Bodyguard.
Steel Magnolias featured Parton as Truvy Jones, the owner of a hair salon in Louisiana where a group of women form close bonds. The ensemble included Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Daryl Hannah, and a then up-and-coming Julia Roberts, who received a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role. The film grossed 86.4 million dollars domestically and nearly 97 million dollars worldwide.
Parton received two Oscar nominations for Best Original Song during her career, one in 1981 for "9 to 5" and another in 2006 for "Travelin' Thru" from the film Transamerica. She was also a two-time Oscar nominee and an 11-time Grammy winner.
CNN's coverage of Parton's death drew attention for a separate reason this week. The network apologized after mistakenly airing a photo of Las Vegas tribute artist Kelly Vohnn during a montage on Laura Coates Live, roughly 12 hours after Parton's death was announced. The New York Post first reported the error, and CNN issued a brief statement: "We regret the error and apologize to the Parton family."
Vohnn, 58, spoke to the Post about the incident. "I started getting all these texts in from friends saying that I was on CNN, and I couldn't believe it," she said. She was direct about the mistake. "Somebody at CNN really messed up and didn't do their research," Vohnn said. "I felt so sorry and apologetic for Dolly, because over her career there are so many wonderful images and moments that they could have chosen from — and CNN just picked something not appropriate."
Vohnn also posted a statement and video to Instagram clarifying that she had not consented to the use of her image. "I want everyone at @dollyfoundationdonation to know that I did not give anyone my likeness to be used in anyway to fool people into thinking I am the real Dolly Parton," she wrote. "My goal is to carry on her giving, loving legacy in the world."
The Hollywood Reporter noted that the photo was taken at a red carpet screening of the Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson film Song Sung Blue in Las Vegas in December.
