Musical Monday: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) – Musical #855

Studio:
Universal Pictures

Director:
Colin Higgins

Starring:
Burt Reynolds, Dolly Parton, Dom DeLuise, Charles Durning, Jim Nabors, Robert Mandan, Lois Nettleton, Noah Beery Jr., Theresa Merritt, Mary Jo Catlett

Plot:
The Chicken Ranch brothel has a long history and has been open for decades and is now under the proprietress of Miss Mona (Parton). The establishment has always been protected by the law, but Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd (Reynolds) and the town face scrutiny when investigative and sensationalist reporter Melvin P. Thorpe (DeLuise) airs on the news that there is a house of ill repute in Texas. Thorpe makes it his mission to get the Chicken Ranch shut down.

Trivia:
• Based on the 1978 stage show by Larry L. King, Peter Masterson, and Carol Hall. The story was based off a 1973 story in Playboy written by Larry L. King about the real life Chicken Ranch in LaGrange, Texas, closing.
• The final film directed by director, writer Colin Higgins.
• Jim Nabors’s first credited feature film role.
• The original choice for casting of the sheriff was Willie Nelson
• Dolly Parton was originally uncertain about taking the role, thinking it could harm her reputation.
• Peter Masterson and Tommy Tune were originally set to direct, as they had on Broadway, but were replaced by Colin Higgins, due to their lack of Hollywood experience.
• Burt Reynolds spent 10 weeks with a singing coach to prepare for the film
• Dolly Parton wrote additional songs for the film.
• They originally wanted Mickey Rooney to be cast as the governor, but Burt Reynolds recommended Charles Durning because no one knew he could sing or dance.

Highlights:
• Jim Nabors
• Dom DeLuise’s wig
• Subtle nod to Rita Hayworth’s pin up pose during the World War II flashback in the introduction.
• Burt Reynolds singing
• Dolly Parton’s Mae West-like costumes

Notable Songs:
• “A Lil’ Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place” performed by Dolly Parton and the cast
• “Watchdog Report/Texas Has a Whorehouse in It” performed by Dom DeLuise
• “Sneakin’ Around” performed by Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds
• “The Sidestep” performed by Charles Durning
• “Hard Candy Christmas” performed by Dolly Parton and the Chicken Ranch girls
• “I Will Always Love You” performed by Dolly Parton

My review:
With the passing of singer, actress Dolly Parton at age 80 on Aug. 25, 2026, it only felt right to highlight one of her films in this week’s Musical Monday.

As a kid, I remember growing up and seeing the VHS tape of THE BEST LITTLE WHORE HOUSE IN TEXAS (1982) on my grandmother’s shelf. It took until this week for me to finally watch it.

In only her second feature film, Dolly Parton stars as a madame, Miss Mona, of a brothel, known as the Chicken Ranch. The Chicken Ranch has a long history dating back to 1910 and has been open for decades. The establishment has always been protected by the law, but Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd (Burt Reynolds) and the town face scrutiny when investigative and sensationalist reporter Melvin P. Thorpe (DeLuise) airs on the news that there is a house of ill repute in Texas. Thorpe makes it his mission to get the Chicken Ranch shut down.

Though the film is now iconic to Parton’s film legacy, she initially worried that the role of playing the madame of a brothel would hurt her reputation and offend her family.

“I was afraid it may offend my people: my granddaddy is a preacher,” Parton said. “I read the script to my granddaddy and my mom and they both laughed alot. My granddaddy said: If God can forgive you, so can I.”

While the film seems jovial and lively, behind the scenes, it couldn’t be more different. It was apparently quite difficult to make.

For starters, several of the performers originally considered for the film, like Willie Nelson, were axed. And so were the original directors, Peter Masterson and Tommy Tune, who directed the show on the stage were replaced by Colin Higgins.

“I was still relatively green in the movie business and didn’t know that by the time I got involved, there was already what they call ‘a lot of blood on the project,’” Parton wrote in her memoir. “The people who created the original Broadway show had been weeded out of the mix by the movie studio, and other principles had been fired.”

Parton said in her memoir that so many people were hired and fired from the film that a joke bumper sticker circulated in Hollywood that said: “HONK IF YOU’VE BEEN FIRED FROM BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE.”

Though Parton continued to act in films and TV movies throughout her career, in a 1981 Boston Globe interview with Bob Thomas, she said she didn’t like films as much, because she didn’t get the artistic freedom she experienced with music.

Regardless of the behind-the-scenes struggles, Dolly Parton shines in THE BEST LITTLE WHORE HOUSE IN TEXAS (1982). Truly, Parton – and maybe Jim Nabors – are what make this movie worth watching.

Parton glitters in Theodora Van Runkle-designed costumes, wearing a different outfit in every scene. The appearance and the character of Miss Mona reminded me of 1930s actress, Mae West, with the over-the-top sequined gowns that made her look larger than her short stature.

Though Parton’s character runs a sordid business, Miss Mona is largely as fresh and clean as mint toothpaste, with strict rules for “her girls.” She’s hilarious and brings a warmth to this character, who could’ve just only been comprised of dirty jokes.

The rest of the starring cast is great too. Burt Reynolds is funny, Dom DeLuise is over the top and his wig needs its own credit, and Charles Durning is the real highlight with his funny and catchy song and dance as the governor.

But outside of Parton, I loved seeing Jim Nabors in this. But I’m just a Jim Nabors fan. It’s a shame we don’t get to hear him sing, since Nabors also has a great singing voice!

While the movie is lively and humorous, I’ll admit that most of the songs and dances did little for me. It’s always a highlight to hear Parton sing, and it was a treat to hear Reynolds sing a bit. But none of the songs will stick with my long after this viewing, other than “I Will Always Love You,” a song that everyone knows.

I’ll also admit, that I feel this movie could have been a tight 90 minutes, rather than a 110 minutes. I’m not against long movies, but in parts it felt a tad long.

Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film a lukewarm review, noting that he thought it would be more scandalous and that Parton would be allowed to be more sexy. He also felt the songs were forgettable.

“There are a few funny jokes, some raunchy one-liners, some mostly forgettable songs set to completely forgettable choreography,” Ebert wrote in his Jan. 1, 1982, review where he gave the film 2 out of 4 stars.

It’s also interesting that all of this is based on a true story, which is frankly wild. Though the film may not be the best exhibit of Parton’s talents, it’s still fun to look back at her career and marvel at all of her accomplishments.

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