In 1991, Dolly starred as country singer Thiola Rayfield alongside Gary Busey as her abusive manager in the 1991 made-for-television film "Wild Texas Wind." The film tells the story of Thiola’s country music band’s rise to fame as a murder mystery unravels.
Dolly co-wrote the film as well as several of its songs. Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson appears along with Willie Nelson who makes a cameo.
The program launched in 1991 as an effort to decrease the dropout rate in Sevier County. In the early 1990s, there was a dropout problem in Sevier County schools. Over 30% of all students never graduated a decision which not only crippled their own lives but made it increasingly difficult for Sevier County to prosper.
Research conducted by The Dollywood Foundation identified seventh and eighth grades as the two key years when children made conscious decisions about finishing school. The Dollywood Foundation started exploring ways to address this problem. After a few months of discussion, Dolly proposed the Buddy Program.
In 1991, seventh and eighth grade students were invited to a special assembly in the newly built Dolly Parton Celebrity Theatre at Dollywood. A very special guest would lead the assembly, none other than Dolly Parton herself. Dolly told the students that day she wanted each of them to choose a Buddy and if they didn’t have a Buddy she would find one for them. She went on make a very special announcement: she offered to personally give $500 to each and every student in the seventh and eighth grades if they graduated from high school. However, there was one additional requirement: each student’s Buddy must graduate as well and they had to sign a contract to pledge to do everything they could to make sure both graduated.
The program was a great success and ultimately the dropout rate for those classes plummeted to 6%. More importantly, it served as a catalyst for the community to rally around a number of initiatives to keep children in school. These children are now the new generation of leaders in Sevier County and all proudly recall that special moment when they graduated from high school and Dolly Parton handed them a check for $500!
Dolly and Dollywood partnered with the American Eagle Foundation to bring the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary to Dollywood. The 1.5 million-cubic-foot naturally landscaped outdoor aviary provides a home to the world’s largest presentation of “non-releasable” bald eagles.
Also included in this expansion was the Wings of America theatre built next door to the sanctuary. It featured the Birds of Prey Show. Dolly and Dollywood are both proud to host the sanctuary and these amazing birds.
The 400-seat Valley Theatre also opened new in 1991. Located in Craftsman’s Valley, it provided yet another stage to showcase the incredible entertainment available to Dollywood guests.
Dolly appeared on the Feb. 7, 1991, episode (titled 'Hello Dolly') of the Fox television show "Babes." "Babes" was a sitcom about three plus-sized sisters who shared the same apartment in New York City. On the "Hello Dolly" episode, one of the sisters finds herself working for Dolly as a makeup artist while Dolly faces some ugly rumors published in a tabloid. Dolly was also a producer on the show. "Babes" followed Fox’s hit "The Simpsons" during the 1990-1991 television season.
In 1990, ABC aired Dolly’s holiday special "Home For Christmas," occasionally referred to as "Dolly Parton: Christmas at Home." The movie accompanied the release of Dolly’s Christmas album of the same name and features Dolly singing Christmas classics. In the movie, Dolly returns to Sevierville, TN, and visits many people and places she loves.
“I used my mom and dad, my brothers and sisters, my aunts and uncles, and my nieces and nephews. We have things like cookie baking, and a hayride, and we just have some wonderful times that I really think people are going to enjoy.”
Dolly takes viewers to her family home, her church, a home for the elderly and Dollywood.
