Editor's note: Times columnist Philip Potempa traveled to Tennessee in March for one on one interview with superstar Dolly Parton.
Pigeon Forge, Tenn. - - On stage, Dolly Parton appears to be a towering image of sparkling magic.
She's made it her entertainment trademark to showcase a down-to-earth persona that somehow appears larger than life, from her high heels and shiny nail polish to her tiny waist, billowing hairstyle and ample brassiere assets.
She is fourth child of a family of 12, born to Robert Lee Parton and Avie Lee Caroline Owens in a tiny one-room cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains near Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
And when meeting her face to face, as I did on a recent trip to Tennessee especially to interview her, one is taken aback to realize this endearing powerhouse is a mere 5 feet tall.
Parton divides her time, along with her low-key husband of 43 years, Carl Dean, among their homes in Los Angeles, Nashville and a small tucked-away retreat in Pigeon Forge.
Of late, she's been in New York a lot, helping with the launch of the new Broadway stage musical version of her popular 1980 film "9 to 5," in which she costarred with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin and which has been in previews all this month. Press opening is April 30.
But on March 27, she was back in Pigeon Forge enjoying time at her 150-acre family theme park "Dollywood," which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2010.
"I'm going back around these parts for some very special celebrations during the next few months," said Parton, who has been named Ambassador of the75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the scenic backdrop of her youth and where Dollywood is nestled.
"I don't think many people realize that the Smoky Mountains has the most-visited park in the U.S., and that's even more visitors than Yosemite and Yellowstone Park combined."
Besides the year and half she spent writing all the songs for "9 to 5 The Musical," she also found time to record eight songs on a new commemorative CD titled "Sha-Kon-O-Hey!" which is taken from the Cherokee Indian word "Shaconage," which means "land of the blue smoke" and available at Dollywood or dollywood.com or smokiesstore.org, with $8 of the $10 price donated to nonprofit Friends of the Smokies organization.
Growing up, Parton remembers enjoying reading and writing but also recalls not having a lot of books in their family home.
"The one book I remember is the Bible always being in our home," she said.
"But Mama didn't want all of us kids bringing a lot of books home or borrowing them, because there wouldn't even be any room to put them any place."
Today, her not-for-profit Dollywood Foundation, founded in 1988, supports a variety of reading and education programs than now reaches even beyond her own Sevier County, Tenn, stretching across the U.S. and into Canada. The Foundation's Imagination Library project, for example, provides participating preschool children with a free book every month from birth until they enter kindergarten and the program currently is active in 850 communities in 46 states, six Canadian provinces and the United Kingdom. Today, the Dollywood Foundation currently mails books to more than 460,000 children each month, with more than 5 million books mailed in 2008.
Parton, whose last performances in the Midwest were two sold-out shows at the Chicago Theatre last May, said she loves new challenges.
And despite her rural charm and "aw, shucks" view of fame and success, there appears to be a smart business mind behind the razzle and dazzle.
She's scaled back some of her plans for additions to Dollywood, emphasizing how she's always had a conservative approach, like her parents, to spending and financing.
"Hey, I know how to raise a garden and chickens when times are tough," said Parton, who is also the author of a popular new cookbook of more than 125 recipes called "Dolly's Dixie Fixins'" (Penguin Group $24.95), in addition to a new children's book "I Am a Rainbow" ($16.99 Penguin Group) released in May.
Someone else who is impressed with Parton's five decades of business and personal success is Charlie Blum, CEO and talent buyer for Star Plaza Theatre and Star Productions, and one of the financial backers of Parton's new Broadway venture.
"Star Plaza and Star Productions is always looking for diverse investments, and Parton's proven success over and over again makes this a very promising Broadway project," said Blum, who last booked Parton for two sold-out shows on the Star Plaza Theatre stage in April 1993.
"Our audiences probably don't realize it, but investing in an array of entertainment opportunities, including Broadway shows, is one of the ways it helps us to connect with producers for a variety of other shows. And who doesn't want to be attached to Dolly Parton?"
Blum will travel to New York Thursday to attend both the "9 to 5 The Musical" opening and the cast party with Parton, who also has invited Fonda and Tomlin.
"I'm positive this show is going to do very well and when that happens, you can expect a national tour and a Chicago stop," Blum said.
