DOLLY PARTON (photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
As the world mourns the passing of Dolly Parton, we’re hearing from a Natchitoches woman who served as her local stand-in when she was in that city filming “Steel Magnolias” in the summer of 1988. Jacque Horton says Dolly may have been one of the biggest celebrities on the planet back then, but you wouldn’t have known it by spending time with her.
“She was absolutely the kindest and sweetest woman, and she was the most beautiful woman,” Horton recalled.
Horton says Dolly made everyone around her feel important, including learning people’s names.
“She had her own bodyguard; she had her own makeup artist, and she also had her own hairdresser. But she hung around and visited with lots of us,” Horton said.
During the filming of “Steel Magnolias” in Natchitoches, each cast member had his or her own RV. Horton remembers that those responsible for locating the cast members probably could have done a better job with Dolly’s initial location.
“She originally was in the middle of town, right on the river. And the first night or two, I think they had some hecklers that were riding by in their boat, so they moved her someplace that was a little bit more recluse,” Horton noted.
But Dolly thoroughly enjoyed her time in Natchitoches, so much so that she joined the Northwestern State marching band in a rendition of her hit song “9 to 5” to the delight of the Demons crowd.
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