Dolly Parton is widely regarded as one of the leading legends in country music. Now 79, she also is a highly successful businessperson, author, generous philanthropist, and acclaimed actress in films like 9 to 5. But it was not always smooth sailing for the "Jolene" singer. One of her early career gigs was being part of The Porter Wagoner Show. That popular TV program aired from 1960 to 1981. Parton and Wagoner often performed together and became a very well-liked country music duo. Yet there was an aspect of her fledgling stardom that understandably irked her. What was it? Parton went into detail in her book, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business.
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Dolly Parton Felt Somewhat Eclipsed By Another Regular On The Show
Parton seems to have felt like she routinely came in second to another Wagoner show mainstay named Norma Jean. The staff and on-air talent evidently gravitated to her, according to Parton, who was apparently miffed. She wrote, "For the first year or so that I appeared with Porter, the words I heard most often were 'Where's Norma Jean?'"
Doing Live Commercials For Certain Products Bothered Her Too
Way back when, commercials were done live as part of TV shows. They were quite different than what we are used to today. Nowhere near a slick and glitzy as what we think of as product promotions now. Parton often found herself pushing items to the audience at home like "the flowery towels in boxes of Breeze" or handy cold remedies.
But there were more personally intimate products that she balked at talking about on television. Like one that supposedly relieved "'menstrual cramps' and 'water bloat.'" She admitted that going before a camera and suggesting people try those types of things really made her squirm. Actually, Parton wrote in her book that such necessary duties "used to almost kill me with humiliation." She added, "My face must have turned colors, even in black and white."
One Product Made Parton Cringe With Uneasiness When She Had To Sing About It
The product was a laxative called Black Draught. She and Wagoner teamed up to sing about it! Its slogan was that it made you "smile from the inside out." Poor Dolly! I'm sure she carried it off with aplomb anyway!
As she wrote, the saving grace was that she made pretty decent money.
