13. Because Stark insisted they film on location, the actors traveled to Louisiana by truck. “It helped that Natchitoches is beautiful,” Harling said. “Anywhere you point the camera, you’ll get a good photo.”
But bringing in the necessary equipment and finding rental accommodation for the big stars turned the production into an extravaganza. As Harling puts it: “The circus had come to town.”
14. Every night, Parton and her team (an assistant, a bodyguard, and a hairstylist) dined at the same place, “a restaurant called Mariner’s on Lake Sibley,” resident Tom Whitehead reminded to Garden and gun. As a result, the seafood restaurant remained full for the duration of filming, as “people filled it to see Dolly Parton eating in the back corner.”
15. In the summer, Louisiana presented some challenges. But even though MacLaine admitted that most of the actors were “always complaining” about the heat, Parton never had a word.
“There was Dolly with a waist cincher no more than 16 inches, heels about 2 feet high and a wig that must have weighed 23 pounds,” the star said. “And she’s the only one who doesn’t sweat.”
Even when a Christmas scene required him to suffocate in a cashmere sweater. “Julia said, ‘Dolly, we’re dying and you never say a word. Why don’t you let go?'” Harling said. “Dolly smiled very serenely and said, ‘When I was young and had nothing, I wanted to be rich and famous and now I am. So I’m not going to complain about anything.’
