Dolly Parton could turn almost any awkward situation into comedy gold. Over the decades, she’s had interviewers ask her the most inappropriate questions allowed on Late Night TV, yet Dolly rarely took the bait. She defused embarrassing moments with funny one-liners, and left seasoned TV hosts completely speechless.
She knew who she was and stood ten toes down on her convictions and lifestyle choices. And that’s exactly why everyone loved her.
1. Greatest marriage advice ever
What’s the secret to a successful marriage? Is it money? Maybe it’s being a good cook? Sharing your troubles with one another? Well, according to Dolly Parton, it’s none of the above. Those qualities are great to have, but they will only take your marriage so far. What actually works is to “stay gone,” or in other words, don’t spend every waking moment together.
Even though her advice was more of a joke, she’s not wrong. Spending all your time with your boo will eventually make you experience things that you won’t be able to unsee.
2. Dolly shuts down Barbara Walters
This clip from an interview with Barbara Walters may be old, but the things Dolly says here still hold up. And while we’re at it, why was Barbara pressing Dolly about her looks and her upbringing, instead of focusing on her songwriting? Those questions sound remarkably patronizing, but Dolly refused to take the bait, kept calm, and carried on.
3. Dolly the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Dolly went on Late Night with Letterman more times than you can count, unless you can count to ten. But each show she was invited to was filled with glee and whimsy, thanks to Dolly’s quick wit and nonchalant attitude. This time around, she came on stage wearing a reindeer suit and performed “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
4. Dolly and Bette Midler sing “Islands in the Stream”
This is just a short clip of Dolly and Bette Midler singing “Islands in the Stream.” The twist here is that Bette actually plays her fictionalized character and becomes jealous of Dolly during the taping of this TV special, almost destroying the whole set, knocking over a strategically placed fake palm tree.
