With both the 1980 movie “9 to 5” and her hit song of the same name, Dolly Parton sparked female empowerment for generations to come.
When Dolly Parton got her legendary hands on it, “9 to 5” wasn’t just a movie title, a song or even a work shift. For women, it was a bombastic, electrifying call to arms.
Parton, who died Aug. 25 at age 80, starred in the comedy “9 to 5” alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as employees who battled back against gender inequality and sexism in the workplace, taking the fight to their imperious, extremely handsy boss (Dabney Coleman). Parton also sang the hit song that the movie spawned, yet both tune and movie have become something more over the years – and we’re not talking about the ’80s sitcom or the 2009 Broadway musical.
When an actress is discussing female-led comedies – such as comedian Michelle Buteau giving an interview about her new movie “Spa Weekend” – “9 to 5” comes up in conversation.
“I don’t know what it’s like being a secretary getting my boob grabbed, you know what I mean? But I’m like, I want to watch that, and I still go back to it, you know?” Buteau told USA TODAY recently.
The film marked Parton’s Hollywood debut – the country star would also star in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” “Rhinestone” and “Steel Magnolias,” all in the same decade – though the premise was actually Fonda’s idea. The movie centered on new employee Judy (Fonda), veteran staffer Violet (Tomlin) – who’s long been ready for a promotion – and secretary Doralee (Parton).
They all have reasons to hate their boss Frank (Coleman), Doralee especially since she bears the brunt of his sexual-harassment shenanigans, and in the movie they fantasize about getting their revenge. Doralee hogties and puts him on a spit, ready to cook him. Judy fires at him with a hunting rifle. Violet poisons his coffee.
The latter accidentally does happen, which leads to power struggles between the bigoted jerk and our trio of heroines. But Parton gets the best scene in the movie, as Doralee confronts Frank and puts him in his place: “If you say another word about me or make another indecent proposal, I’m going to get that gun of mine and I’m going to change you from a rooster to a hen in one shot.”
The movie is based on the lives and experiences of women office workers in the 9to5 organization, founded in 1973, points out Ileen DeVault, Cornell University professor of labor history. “Parton’s role in ‘9 to 5’ and the success of the iconic theme song of the same name, which she wrote and performed, helped turn a grassroots campaign against workplace sexism into a national conversation,” DeVault says.
Ultimately, “9 to 5” proved inspirational to women in the workforce who wanted something better for themselves and their families, and they passed that ethos on to younger generations who’ve strived for equal pay and rights, the #MeToo movement, and modern women embracing “9 to 5” as a war cry against sexism and harassment in the world.
“In that movie, we refused to be controlled by a sexist, egotistical, lying hypocritical bigot,” Fonda said during a reunion of the three stars at the Emmy Awards. “And in 2017, we still refused to be controlled by a sexist, egotistical, lying hypocritical bigot,” Tomlin added, getting a rousing cheer from the crowd for what seemed to be a jab at President Donald Trump.
Generations to come will not only have the movie but also Parton’s song as a forever empowerment anthem, which oozed “grrrl power” way before that was a thing.
In effect, the song is very much a companion to the film: While Parton’s lyrics for “9 to 5” are realistic in their perspective, the song is also a catchy dose of wish fulfillment: “They just use your mind and they never give you credit / It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it.”
Just think about that the next time you pour yourself a cup of ambition.