Happy New Year to everyone. We start the new year off around EYG with our second annual Genre-ary DailyView. This year, the genre we are watching will be musicals, and we are starting off the month with The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, starring Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton. The movie was an adaptation of the stage play that came before it.

The Chicken Ranch was a legendary place in the county of Lanville, in Texas. It had been open for decades with nary a problem. When its iconic madam passed away, Miss Mona Stangley (Dolly Parton) took over. She had been in a side relationship with Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd (Burt Reynolds) for years. He would protect the Chicken Ranch and make sure things went well for Miss Mona.

When consumer advocate and television personality Melvin P. Thorpe (Dom DeLuise) started to investigate the Chicken Ranch, things got more troublesome for the ladies of the night. 

There is an overall silliness to this movie that, I think at times, overwhelms the film as a whole. Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds are no doubt charismatic figures and carry a heavy load of the film. When they are on screen, everything is working. 

Dom DeLuise added an antagonist that you can really root against without being a true villain. He seemed to be doing what he believed was right, even if some of the things he did would not be considered right. Charles Durning had a memorable turn as the Texas Governor and provides one of the best, most ingenious songs of the film.

I did enjoy the duet between Dolly and Burt, “Sneakin’ Around” even if Reynolds’ voice could not necessarily match that of Parton. 

Jim Nabors was the narrator, Deputy Fred Wilkins, speaking directly to the camera as the film would go on. Nabors played the basic character he did in his other TV appearances.

While there is nothing amazing about the film, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas does have some fun scenes and some decent music and dance routines. It may not be a standout of teh Genre-ary, but it was a fun way to start the month off.