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“I Don’t Remember Us Being Poor, We Didn’t Know We Were” – Dolly Parton’s 1987 Special Is A Must-Watch On Thanksgiving
The perfect Thanksgiving show.
Personally, I haven't watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in years, even when it's been on in the background of a Thanksgiving gathering, and if you're in the same boat and want something different to watch this year, Dolly Parton has you covered.
Back in November of 1987, she released A Tennessee Mountain Thanksgiving as a holiday special, which was filmed in and around her hometown near Sevierville, Tennessee.
Dolly gathered her family to sing standards like “In The Pines,” “Daddy Was an Old Time Preacher Man,” “On Top of Old Smokey,” “In the Sweet By and By” and more, and of course, the entire Parton family is incredibly talented so each performance is spectacular.
In addition to performances from Dolly and her family and some funny comedic bits, she takes you back to her old one-bedroom homestead in the east Tennessee mountains to see the magic that exists there, which also features some precious conversation with her late parents.
They talk about the “hard times” they had living up in the holler, and also how much they loved it the simpler times, and Dolly also reminds viewers that Smoky Mountain girls don’t play games, which was honestly my favorite part of the special:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cz6kexKuopo/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=fcf75579-becf-4ae9-9312-400383d59f52
Dolly talks about her cherished childhood and growing up "poor," noting that she didn't even know she was until someone told her that... her family had a simple life, where they worked hard, grew everything they ate, and didn't worry about the things that people with money did.
They were rich in the ways that matter, and had a magical place to live in the Smoky Mountains of east Tennessee:
"You know, these are the fields where I used to walk as a kid. And I not only walked these fields, but we used to work the fields. We used to grow just about everything we ate, and of course, I don't remember us being poor, and we didn't know we was poor until some smart Alec up and told us that.
But anyway, I remember that we had a lot of good times, we had a lot of music, and I certainly had a lot of dreams. and my mama always told me that I could have anything if I could dream big enough, and I believed her. And of course, I remember many things, lots of kids, lots of babies crying, but you know, there was something magical about these mountains, and I never will forget it.
You know, these are the kinds of memories that keep me sane, even roaming around out in Hollywood and other places I go, I think of mama and daddy, and my brothers and sisters and the good life we had here."
She's always been so connected to where she comes from, and it serves as a beautiful reminder for all of us on a holiday like Thanksgiving, that's meant to be reflective and introspective.
It's a nostalgic look back on the simple things, and something I think many of us who either grew up similarly, who have a connection to home like she does, can very much appreciate.
You can watch the full special here, and I can't recommend it highly enough... happy Thanksgiving, y'all:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DYbQoEWO80&t=3s