Dolly Parton and 9 to 5

I went to see the movie 9 to 5 by myself when it came out in late 1980. Although I knew no one in the theater, it was like being with a giant group of friends, all hooting and cheering each time the stars stood up to the boss, that “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.” 

I knew Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin would be fabulous. But I had no idea that Dolly Parton, starring in a movie for the very first time, would show up as such a fierce and hilarious co-conspirator. 

First there was the theme song. Catchy, yes, Instantly a hit. But it also helped shape an important message. As Karen Nussbaum, co-founder of the organization 9to5, pointed out years ago, the song “starts with pride: ‘Pour myself a cup of ambition.’ It goes to grievances: ‘Barely getting by.’ It then goes to class conflict: ‘You’re just a step on the bossman’s ladder.’ And then it ends in collective power: ‘In the same boat with a lot of your friends.’”

According to Jane Fonda, Dolly brought the song to her co-stars three or four weeks into production. Using her nails as percussion instruments, she sat down and sang it for them. “Lily and I looked at each other, we both had the biggest goosebumps we’d ever had,” Jane said. “This is it – at least the song is going to be a hit. This is the anthem of the secretaries’ movement.”

Working women around the country loved the song and a lot more. For the first time, they saw women like themselves on the screen fighting all-too familiar realities: sexual harassment and sex discrimination, pay inequity and the undervaluation of women’s work, lack of child care and lying, sexist men leaping to the top after some woman taught them how to do their job. Audience members who hustled every day to feed their families weren’t surprised to hear Franklin Hart defend his promotion of a man because he “has a family to support” over the super-smart Violet, a widow with four children. We got to our feet when Violet gave Hart a piece of her mind: “Don’t you ever refer to me as your girl again. I am your employee and as such I expect to be treated equally, with a little dignity and a little respect.”

But the real show-stopper was the speech by Doralee (Dolly) after she learns Hart has spread the lie that they’re having an affair. “Get your scummy hands off me!” she yells, chasing him around the desk. She’s put up with his “pinching and staring” because she needs the job, but no more. “I’ve got a gun out there in my purse,” she tells him. “If you ever say another word about me or make another indecent proposal, I’m gonna get that gun of mine and I’m going to change you from a rooster to a hen with one shot.” 

At the time I saw the film, I already knew about the organization 9to5 that inspired it. They’d moved their headquarters to Cleveland, where I was from, and on a visit I read a newspaper article about a protest where they gave some boss a broom to clean up his act. Wow, I thought, here’s a multi-racial working women’s group who fight bad bosses and have a sense of humor – I want to be part of a group like that! Not long after I saw the film, my family moved to Milwaukee. We needed health insurance and I type really fast, so I got a job in the word processing department of the phone company. The person who hired me informed me that I couldn’t get sick for five years – try meeting that requirement with two little kids. As soon as my husband got a job with health benefits, I quit and started a chapter of 9to5. 

That’s when I learned the story behind the movie. Jane Fonda knew Karen Nussbaum from the anti-Vietnam war movement and wanted to make a film about the clerical workers she was helping  organize. Jane and the movie’s writers met with dozens of 9to5 members and listened to their stories, including their fantasies of what they’d like to do to their boss, and what they were fighting for.

In the movie, after Hart is kidnapped and out of the picture, the three office workers make a host of changes, starting with pay equity. They get rid of the time clock, introduce flexible hours, part-time work and job sharing options, start a day-care center and bring back a co-worker fired after the office spy overheard her reveal her salary. (This same spy made a point of looking out for “any hint of unionization.”) After seeing a twenty percent rise in productivity in just six weeks, the Chairman of the Board comes to praise Hart – all the changes were made under his signature, carefully penned by Doralee. The Chairman has just one quibble: “That equal pay thing, that’s got to go,” he whispers to Hart. That’s how we knew the movie was a comedy, not a fantasy.

A few years ago, people interested in making an updated version of the movie asked Karen Nussbaum and me to hold some focus groups to see what parts were relevant and what would need to change. All the participants watched the movie.

“We’re working more like 24/7, but I had to stand up and shout 10 minutes into this film - I couldn’t believe how many of the problems are still with us!” is how one woman put it.  The others agreed. “That boss-speak could be copied straight from today.” 

They also agreed on changes needed for any update. It should feature diverse stars and a focus on fighting racism. Surveillance today is more than someone perched on top of a toilet seat; the boss has automated eyes everywhere. Needing time to care would have to be a central issue, as would mandatory overtime, lack of health insurance, and problems of debt, including student loans.

But the fifty women we talked to still loved the original movie. And all those years later, they knew Dolly’s song. Not surprisingly, it played in many news stories about her death. Its message was integral to the life of a woman who supported fairness and inclusion of all kinds. 

The album featuring this song is titled 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs. It includes Dolly’s powerful rendition of  Deportee.

Ellen Bravo, a long-time activist and author, is a former director of 9to5 and co-founder of the Family Values @ Work Network.