There will doubtless be tributes to Dolly Parton on many upcoming awards shows – the CMA Awards, the ACM Awards, the Grammys and the Oscars, to name a few. But the Primetime Emmys, airing on Monday (Sept. 14) — just three weeks after Parton died of cancer at age 80 — were the first.
Sally Field, who co-starred with Parton in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias, presented the tribute, which featured a performance by Parton’s longtime friend, Reba McEntire.
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The spot was extremely well-produced, though it didn’t mention that Parton first rose to prominence in 1967 on a TV program, The Porter Wagoner Show, or that she soared to stardom in the late 1970s with winning appearances on such programs as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, or that she won a Primetime Emmy five years ago.
“If there are truly angels on Earth, then we just lost one, Dolly Parton,” Field said. “It was my great good fortune to have worked with Dolly in a film called Steel Magnolias, and over the years, I never stopped loving her. Though we lived very far apart, I adored her from day one. How could you not? She was genuine and humble, supportive, and blisteringly funny, with a bawdy sense of humor that would send any rude guy looking for a place to hide. I couldn’t see then what a real giant Dolly was – not just as an artist, but as a human. She was a humanitarian whose contributions had made a profound difference in the lives of so many in her home state of Tennessee and across our country. God bless you, Dolly Parton, my friend. I am not the only one on earth that will love you forever and ever.”
The show then aired a clip of Parton performing in 1983. “I’m very very proud of the fact that I had the kind of parents that I did and grew up in the Smoky Mountains, the Appalachian Mountains, and I’ve written a song that touches me very deep, and I’m sure that in your own way, that you certainly will relate to this. This song, like I say, is very important to me, and I hope you like it. And if you don’t like it, well, if you don’t mind, I would rather not hear about it later. OK? It’s a song that I call ‘Appalachian Memories.’”
Parton included the song on her 1983 album Burlap & Satin. The song wasn’t a hit, even on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart, but it was a great choice here because it meant a lot to Parton. And it showed the depth of her catalog.
McEntire performed it live, with her characteristic class and warmth. “I love you, Dolly, so much,” she said at the end of her performance.
Parton won a Primetime Emmy five years ago as executive producer of Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square, which was voted outstanding television movie. She received her first Primetime Emmy nod 48 years ago as a guest on Cher’s ABC special, Cher … Special. She received three more nominations as executive producer of the specials Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love (2017), Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones (2020) and Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas (2023), all of which were nominated for outstanding television movie.
The segment saluting Parton aired prior to the annual In Memoriam segment, which included a Noah Kahan performance.
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