The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

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The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Film poster for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Directed by	Colin Higgins
Produced by	Robert L. Boyett Colin Higgins Edward K. Milkis
Written by	Larry L. King Peter Masterson
Starring	Burt Reynolds Dolly Parton Dom DeLuise Charles Durning Jim Nabors Robert Mandan
Music by	Carol Hall Dolly Parton
Cinematography	William A. Fraker
Editing by	David Bretherton
Distributed by	Universal
Release date(s)	July 23 1982
Running time	114 min
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a stage and film musical, based on a story by Larry L. King. Drawing from the true-life Chicken Ranch in La Grange, Texas, the original play addresses the issue of private behavior in conflict with public law. The real events adapted for the musical involved a zealous reporter (Marvin Zindler), whose coverage led to the closing of the Chicken Ranch.

Contents 1 Production background 2 Plot 2.1 Adjustments in later productions 3 Censorship 4 Music 4.1 Numbers as they appear in the stage version (by Carol Hall) 4.2 Added songs in the film (by Dolly Parton) 5 Trivia 6 Bibliography 7 Discography 8 External links

[edit] Production background

The stage musical, co-directed by Peter Masterson and Tommy Tune and co-choreographed by Tune and Thommie Walsh, opened on Broadway in 1978, with songs by Carol Hall; the original cast starred Carlin Glynn and Henderson Forsythe. Released in 1982, the movie version—which starred Dolly Parton, Burt Reynolds, Jim Nabors, Charles Durning, and Dom DeLuise—retained many of Hall's songs and also added two others by Parton herself, most notably a two-stanza version of the immensely popular number "I Will Always Love You".

A touring revival of the play (with one new song by Hall), opened in 2001, starring Ann-Margret.

A sequel entitled The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, by the same authors, opened and closed on Broadway in 1994.[1]

[edit] Plot

The story, set in Gilbert, Texas, concerns a brothel a little outside of town that has been operating for more than a century. In the late 1970s it is under the proprietorship of Miss Mona Stangley, who, while taking care of her girls, is also on good terms with the local sheriff, Ed Earl Dodd. When a crusading television reporter, Melvin P. Thorpe, "uncovers" the illegal activity (that is, makes an issue out of something that is common, but quiet, knowledge in Texas), political ramifications cause the place to be closed down.

[edit] Adjustments in later productions

• Although this basic plot-line remains the same between the original play and the film version, there is at least one significant difference in the characterization. In the film, Ed Earl and Miss Mona maintain an ongoing affair, while in the play they once merely had a night together some 15 years earlier (which the sheriff himself has forgotten). Their relationship in the film brings about not only the (added) accusatory scene, when the sheriff—disappointed that Mona has broken her promise (likewise added) to close the Chicken Ranch down long enough for things to cool off—calls her a whore, but also the "happy ending" at the very end, when he proposes marriage to Mona (which she accepts), even though that might endanger his chances to be elected as a state Senator. The denouement of the play, however, has them simply parting their ways.
• Some other character changes in the film include the addition of the sheriff's deputy, who serves as narrator (a service provided in the play by the Bandleader), and the somewhat more congenial social relationship between Ed Earl and the waitress in town named Doatsy Mae ("Dulcie Mae" in the film). In contrast, the initial plot element in the play involving Angel and Shy (newly arriving workers at the Chicken Ranch) is lacking in the film.
• In the 2001 touring production with Ann-Margret, the song "The Bus from Amarillo," which ended the original show, was moved to the end of Act I, so as to accommodate a new closing song for Mona, "A Friend to Me."

[edit] Censorship

The film version of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas presented some difficulties for its film company, Universal Studios, particularly with regards to advertising the film. In parts of the United States in 1982, the word "whorehouse" was considered somewhat obscene, resulting in the film being renamed The Best Little Cathouse in Texas in some advertisements, while television advertisements for the film were either banned outright in some areas, or the offending word was censored. During interviews, Parton sometimes referred to the film as "The Best Little 'Chicken House' in Texas".

[edit] Music

[edit] Numbers as they appear in the stage version (by Carol Hall)

(Note: those titles in bold-face type were included in the film.)

[edit] Added songs in the film (by Dolly Parton)

• "Sneakin' Around"
• "I Will Always Love You"

[edit] Trivia

• The episode "Bart after Dark" (1996) from the animated television series The Simpsons parodies this story and includes a song of its own ("We Put the Spring in Springfield") sung as a production number in favor of the brothel.
• In the episode of the animated series The Venture Bros. entitled "Victor. Echo. November.", Dr. Venture mistakenly assumes that the film is a work of pornography. Characters from the show perform the song "Hard Candy Christmas" sung for fans of the show as a Christmas present, released on the internet, in 2005.

[edit] Bibliography

• Hall, Carol. Vocal selections from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Melville, N.Y.: MCA Music, 1979.
• King, Larry L. and Masterson, Peter. The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Music and lyrics by Carol Hall. French's Musical Library. New York, N.Y.: S. French, 1978. ISBN 0-573-68111-2
• King, Larry L. The Whorehouse Papers. New York: Viking Press, 1982. ISBN 0-670-15919-0

[edit] Discography

• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas: original cast. Audio CD. MCA, 1997. MCAD-11683; MCA-3049.
• The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas: Music from the original motion picture soundtrack. Audio CD. MCA, 1987. MCAD-31007
• Best Little Whorehouse in Texas: New cast recording. Audio CD. Fynsworth Alley/Varèse Sarabande, 2001. 302 062 117 2.

[edit] External links

• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at the Internet Movie Database
• The Chicken Ranch set at Universal Studios Hollywood