The Forgotten Dolly Parton Movie That Turned Sylvester Stallone Into a Country Singer

What’s the most unlikely link-up of all time? Well, it looks like we might finally have our answer: Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton.

Back in the ‘80s, Sly Stallone was best known as hard-faced boxer Rocky Balboa. But in 1984, he was dripping in silver rhinestones and crooning like a morning crow on-stage in the movie Rhinestone.

What Is Rhinestone About?

In Rhinestone, Stallone plays arrogant cab driver Nick Martinelli. As part of a bet, flailing country singer Jake Farris (Parton) commits herself to turning him into a country music singer in just two weeks. 

For Farris, the stakes are pretty high — if she wins, she will be freed from her obligations at The Rhinestone, the dodgy nightclub she is trapped in a contract with. If she loses, not only will her contract be extended, but her boss will be able to sleep with her. 

So, in order to get Nick in touch with his country side, Jake takes him to the motherland of country music: Tennessee. What follows is a journey to country greatness and an unlikely yet predictable romance.

How Did Sly and Dolly Feel About The Film?

Rhinestone was critically panned, a commercial failure, and was nominated for eight Razzies. But, the important thing is that, by all accounts, both Sly and Dolly have fond memories making it (although Sly also said he regretted it from a career perspective).

Back in June, Dolly marked the anniversary of the movie with an Instagram post, in which she said: “It was one of the best times I’ve had making a movie."

Meanwhile, following Dolly’s passing earlier this week, Sly posted a video on Instagram where he shared some treasured memories of filming with the star.

“She would come onto the set and say, ‘Hi, y’all’ to every one of the crew members,” he said. “Everyone loved her, and I don’t think people realise what a brilliant mind she had. She was just incredible. I used to call her ‘the Pioneer Woman’, in that she could do everything to survive. And she did."

Horsing Around

Sly then went on to share a “crazy story” that happened as they were on location in Tennessee.

“We were down in Tennessee filming, and when we had a little time off, they took us to a horse farm,” he said. “And down there, they bred these Tennessee Walking Horses, that high-stepping, very, very difficult horse to ride if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

The owner let Sly ride his favourite horse with Parton on the back. The Rambo star explained that, despite his experience in riding horses, he was very much out of his depth. “This thing was gigantic. It’s like riding a building,” he recounted. “So I said, ‘Dolly, you okay?’ [to which Dolly replied] ‘Sure am, honey. Go ahead.’ So I kicked the horse, and it starts moving. Prancing.”

"They’re not like regular horse hooves,” he added. “It’s like being on stilts.” Still, he described everything as going smoothly initially — but then disaster struck.

“We look glamorous up there, and then the horse stubs its toe. It trips, and then we start to roll forward. Oh, no. It’s like everything’s going in slow motion and Dolly’s goes, ‘Are we falling?’ I go, ‘We are falling.’”

“This horse rolled all the way down, and we cascaded off of it and landed in the grass,” he recounted. “And the horse rolled beside us. Oh my God, we would have been a couple of pancakes.”

Still, the fall didn’t dampen Dolly’s spirit. “She got up laughing and goes, ‘Let’s do that again,’” Stallone revealed. “So being macho I said, ‘Of course… I was just waiting for you to ask.’”