During the height of Rambo and Rocky, Sylvester Stallone switched out of the fatigues and boxing gloves for a cowboy hat and some fringe alongside Dolly Parton in the 1984 musical comedy Rhinestone. Directed by Bob Clark (Black Christmas, Porky’s, A Christmas Story) the story follows performer Jake Farris (Parton), who tries to break out of her contract with a Western nightclub in New York City, Rhinestone. When she makes a bet with the owner that she can turn any guy off the street into a country star, the owner chooses the loud-mouthed cab driver Nick Martinelli, played by Stallone, and Parton has her hands full.
Parton, who wrote all the songs on the soundtrack for the film recorded four with her co-star. She also sang four on her own (“Tennessee Homesick Blues,” “One Emotion After Another,” “What a Heartache,” “God Won’t Get You,” and “Butterflies”), while Stallone sang “Drinkin’stein” solo. Parton’s younger brothers Floyd and Randy and sister Stella also appear on the soundtrack on lead and backing vocals.
“I wanted the music at that time to be written by people who would give it sort of a bizarre edge,” added Stallone, who co-wrote the screenplay based on Glen Campbell‘s 1975 hit “Rhinestone Cowboy.” At one point, Stallone contacted the Whitesnake’s management to see if the band would come up with some music for the film, alongside Parton’s.
For the film, Parton and Stallone recorded “Stay Out of My Bedroom,” “Woke Up in Love,” “Sweet Lovin’ Friends,” and “Be There,” together.
Stallone and Parton
In a 2006 interview, Stallone said Rhinestone was ‘the most fun” he ever had working on a movie. “I must tell everyone right now that originally the director was supposed to be Mike Nichols,” said Stallone. “That was the intention and it was supposed to be shot in New York, down and dirty with Dolly, and I with gutsy mannerisms performed like two antagonists brought together by fate.”
Stallone ultimately wished the film had gone in a slightly different direction.
“I certainly would’ve steered clear of comedy unless it was dark—Belgian chocolate dark,” said Stallone. “Silly comedy didn’t work for me. Would anybody pay to see John Wayne in a whimsical farce? Not likely. I would stay more true to who I am and what the audience would prefer rather than trying to stretch out and waste a lot of time and people’s patience.”
Dolly with a Meat Cleaver
Some of the comedic antics still made the experience a memorable one for Stallone. “I’ll never forget, the first time I came in the door she was dressed all in black and had a meat cleaver,” recalled Stallone in a 1984 interview. “If you look around, there is so much absurdity, there’s so much fun, that we try to pull it out.”
For Parton, the feelings were mutual. “When I met him, I loved him instantly,” said Parton. “I think we just struck up a wonderful lasting friendship. I loved his energy and his personality. I loved his energy and his personality. He was very protective of me.”
Parton admitted that she questioned whether Stallone could pull off a comedic role. “I wondered myself, because of the role he played, if he would be funny, if he really could do comedy,” said Parton. “And he had me laughing, I couldn’t even do my scenes. They just left my laughing in, because I was laughing in places were I wasn’t supposed to. I was supposed to be acting. He had me laughing, I couldn’t even do my scenes. He absolutely tickles me to death. He’s a crazy person.”