Booze On Film, Vol. 2: Frangelico, 9 to 5, Dolly Parton and the passing of a legend

Oddly enough, after all these years, I’ve never sat through the 1980 classic 9 to 5 in its entirety.  It wasn’t until Dolly Parton’s passing that I decided to celebrate it and give the film a well-deserved whirl.

It should not surprise you that, like so many 1980s movies of its kind, the dialogue and plotline of 9 to 5 still hold up to this day, a vital societal message wrapped in an iconic comedy.

9 to 5 is a story as old as time.  Rooted in the 1970s women’s liberation movement, which the film references, 9 to 5 stars three giants: Academy Award winner Jane Fonda, trailblazing comedienne Lily Tomlin and the incomparable Dolly Parton.  In said comedy, the three portray underappreciated women in your average bloated American workplace.  The three ultimately bond to teach their lecherous and chauvinistic boss, played brilliantly by Dabney Coleman, a lesson that ass-grabbing and boob-ogling is no way to run a business.

And they do just that, all the while playing strong women in three distinctly unforgettable roles.  I read Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man in high school.  It wasn’t until writing the book report later that I realized Ellison never mentioned the protagonist by name.  That was kind of his point.  In watching, 9 to 5 (yes, I just compared 9 to 5 to one of the great American novels, for it is its own work of art), we never find out exactly what kind of company Fonda, Tomlin and Parton work for.  That is kind of the point.  Coleman’s behavior can take place anytime, anywhere and in any workplace.  The unspecific purpose of the company further serves as a metaphor for Coleman’s uselessness.

This is a corporation, named Consolidated Companies, in which an unqualified male climbs the hierarchy (see: Coleman) strictly because of his gender and can get away with any sort of sexual exploitation he desires, until Fonda, Tomlin and Parton decide they will no longer tolerate it.

Jane Fonda, whose idea it was to make the film, took an on-screen backseat to Tomlin and Parton, allowing them to cook.  Fonda decided that instead of a “preachy” drama, 9 to 5 worked better as a comedy to get its theme across, cleverly displaying its message, like Anchorman after it, inside an environment of chauvinism and hard-hitting one-liners designed to combat it.

The song for the film, which will ring in your head for hours after you watch it, was written and obviously performed by Dolly Parton.  It won her two Grammys and a nomination for Song of the Year.  9 to 5 was the second highest grossing film of 1980 only behind The Empire Strikes Back.

As with any good movie, there’s a bar scene.

Once Fonda and Tomlin first find out that Dolly Parton is not screwing her boss, rumors that Dabney Coleman himself had spread, the three sit down at their bar around the corner, Parton with a mug of beer in front of her, Tomlin with a half empty margarita glass and wet behind the ears Fonda with a frothy beverage of some sort.

But before we pan to the three of them sitting at a relatively empty bar, we see a bottle sitting on the bar behind the bartender.  As any seasoned bartender is likely to do, I take a keen eye to bar scenes in movies and what characters are drinking.  It’s the service industry nerd in me.  Bar scenes must portray an air of reality since bars and restaurants are the locale for some of Hollywood’s most iconic moments.  Nothing can sink a scene more than a setting that doesn’t look authentic.

The “Charlie’s” bar scene in 9 to 5 was filmed in a now closed bar on 6^th street in Los Angeles.  All we see on the bar are two bottles, one unrecognizable, the other a bottle of Frangelico.  As is the case with so many iconic bottles, you’ll notice that the Italian liqueur bottle in 1980 is the same shape, size, color, and bears the exact same label as it does today, over 45 years later.

Frangelico is an Italian hazelnut liqueur that surprisingly has only been around since 1978, which might explain why its seen on the bar in this film.  It had probably just been released.  It’s rare that people order Frangelico by itself, but it remains a delicious staple in any bar worth its weight in salt.

Frangelico, a digestif, is abundantly sweet, although some still drink it on the rocks or neat out of a snifter.  I’ve always found it an ideal addition to coffee drinks or White Russians.  If you’re feeling naughty, you even can drizzle it over ice cream.  The bottle is commonly confused with the Aunt Jemima syrup bottle as it’s relatively the same color and shape.  The rope around the waist of the Frangelico bottle represents the belt of a Franciscan friar.

Either way, Frangelico and 9 to 5 are both staples, as was Dolly Parton.  I find it ironic that a liquor bottle resembling a friar is featured ever so briefly in this film because with Dolly’s passing, we lost a true saint.  Her overwhelming generosity was genuine and far-reaching, a sincerity marked by dogged determination and shrewd business tactics.  She was as strong as the woman she portrayed in 9 to 5, which is what made her perfect for the role. 

There is no 9 to 5, or poured cup of ambition, without Dolly Parton.  Thanks to the film, her music and her immeasurable charity, she will be eternally remembered for who she was as well as for what she stood.

Cheers!

Also see: Booze On Film, Vol 1: Patrick Swayze, Roadhouse and who’s drinking all that Drambuie?

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