On April 3,1978, Dolly appeared on a one-time television special titled, 'Cher... Special.' The show was a variety/musical featuring Cher with special guests including Rod Stewart, The Tubes and Dolly. Each guest performed musical numbers as well as rehearsed comedic sketches. Dolly earned an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Variety or Musical Special.
The popular television series starred Gavin MacLeod and often featured celebrity guests. The comedic show was set on a cruise ship and revolved around the ship’s captain, a handful of its crew, and several passengers. Each episode typically featured different guest stars who had romantic and humorous adventures with those aboard the cruise ship.
In the mid-1970s, president of Show Biz, Bill Graham approached Dolly to host a syndicated variety show of her own after she ended a seven-year run on "The Porter Wagoner Show."
With a nearly six-figure budget per episode, the show had the highest production costs of any show produced outside of Nashville at the time. Guest stars included a variety of stars from Nashville and Hollywood, including Captain Kangaroo, Ronnie Milsap, Kenny Rogers, Anne Murray, The Fifth Dimension, and KC & The Sunshine Band. The show marked the first time Dolly and Kenny ever worked together.
In 1975, Dolly appeared on the musical variety television program "Hee Haw" for the last time performing her popular hits "Love is Like A Butterfly" and "I Will Always Love You."
Throughout Dolly’s seven-year stint on "The Porter Wagoner Show," she and Porter reigned supreme as one of country music’s most popular duos. However, the little blonde with the powerhouse voice had set her sights on a solo career. As she set forth on her path to make her dreams come true, it would mean leaving the show--and her duet partner. Tension mounted behind the scenes, leading Dolly to ask to leave the show. Her decision came two years later than she initially agreed to stay.
In 1974, Dolly wrote, "I Will Always Love You," as her own unique way of saying goodbye to Porter as their professional relationship came to an end. When Dolly first played the song for Porter, he began crying and uttered,
"That’s the prettiest song I ever heard. And you can go, providing I get to produce that record."
Wagoner followed through on his promise, and the album consequently went to No. 1 on the country charts.
