Welcome to Now Streaming in Austin, highlighting locally made titles to watch while self-quarantining.
Two words for you. Dolly. Parton.
OK, four words. Dolly Parton, national treasure.
OK, 24 words. Dolly Parton, national treasure, came to Austin to make The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
One of the all-time great American sex comedies – and Burt Reynolds’ greatest singing performance – it was a smash hit in 1982, the film that knocked E.T. off the number one slot at the box office, and finished out the year in the annual top 10, with $69 million. Officially, nice.
Adapted from the 1978 Broadway smash of the same name, the movie was inspired by the infamous and long-lasting Chicken Ranch in La Grange, which became a cause célèbre when the locals opposed all efforts by the attorney general to have their favorite brothel closed.
Whorehouse stands as quite possibly the most critically lauded and award-season-recognized film made in Austin before the indie explosion of the 1990s. Parton picked up a Golden Globe nomination for her glorious performance as Miss Mona Stangley, owner of Gilbert, Tex.’s notorious house of ill-repute, the Chicken Ranch (the film also picked up a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical), while Charles Durning scored a full-blown Oscar nomination for his role as the governor of Texas.
So, since it’s Thursday, and Thursdays around here are live-tweet nights, we’ll be firing up this Lone Star classic at 8pm, and we’d love you to watch along with us. Follow Screens editor Richard Whittaker on his Twitter account (@YorkshireTX), and follow the hashtag #NowStreamingInAustin. Don’t be late, y’all!
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
• Amazon Prime (Link)• iTunes (Link)
• Vudu (Link
• YouTube (Link)
This article appears in April 24 • 2020.
