''Blue Valley Songbird'' is a 1999 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

musical

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Richard A. Colla and starring

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

. It was filmed in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

and originally premiered on Lifetime on November 1, 1999.

Plot

Dolly Parton stars as country singer Leana Taylor who struggles to escape from her controlling manager/boyfriend, Hank (John Terry), as well as her troubled past. After turning to her guitarist (Billy Dean), Leana finally faces her past, including her estranged mother and the death of her father. Through flashbacks, Leana's father is shown to be an abusive and controlling man who would not allow Leana to sing for anyone but himself, and once, viciously attacked a boy Leana was playing with while, in the present, during this particular flashback, Hank attacks one of Leana's musicians in a jealous rage. Leana finds herself reliving painful memories of her controlling father, awakened by Hank's domineering behaviour. In another flashback, Leana's father threatens her after she hits him with a

tire iron A tire iron (also tire lever or tire spoon) is a specialized metal tool used in working with tires. Tire irons have not been in common use for automobile tires since the shift to the use of tubeless tires in the late 1950s. Bicycle tire irons ...

while he is physically abusing Leana's mother. Leana's mother eventually sent her off to Nashville where, free of her father, she joined a church choir. In the end, Leana is able to escape from Hank and reconcile with her mother before entering the studio to cut her first record. The film ends with Leana singing ''Blue Valley Songbird'' in concert with Hank watching from the back of the room before leaving.

Songs

There was no official soundtrack released, but some songs are available on other Dolly releases as noted below. "Blue Valley Songbird" - Written and Performed by Dolly Parton
(available on the ''

Hungry Again ''Hungry Again'' is the thirty-fifth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on August 25, 1998, by Decca Records and Blue Eye Records. The album was produced by Parton and her cousin, Richie Owens. It is seen ...

'' album) "I Hope You're Never Happy" - Written by Dolly Parton
Performed by Dolly Parton featuring Billy Dean
(available on the '' Real Love'' album) "Wildflowers" - Written and Performed by Dolly Parton
(available on the'' Trio'' album with

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

& Emmylou Harris) "We Might Be In Love" - Written by Dolly Parton
Performed by Dolly Parton and Billy Dean "My Blue Tears" - Written and Performed by Dolly Parton
(available on the '' Coat of Many Colors'', Heartsongs'' and ''

Little Sparrow ''Little Sparrow'' is the thirty-eighth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on January 23, 2001, by Sugar Hill and Blue Eye Records. The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album and ...

'' albums) "Runaway Feeling" - Written by Dolly Parton
Performed by Dolly Parton featuring Billy Dean
(available on the '' Eagle When She Flies'' album - Dolly only) "Amazing Grace" - Written by John Newton
Performed by Dolly Parton
(available on the '' Precious Memories'' album) "Angel Band" - (Traditional)
Performed by Dolly Parton

Announced Remake

In July 2021, ''Deadline'' reported that this film, alongside ''The Babysitter's Seduction'', ''

Sex, Lies & Obsession ''Sex, Lies & Obsession'' is a 2001 American made-for-television drama film directed by Douglas Barr and starring Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna as a couple whose marriage is at stake due to sexual addiction. Plot Joanna Thomas, a high scho ...

'', '' Sex & Mrs. X,'' '' Santa Who?'', ''A Different Kind of Christmas'' and over a 100 other films in the Hearst Entertainment library was up for consideration to be remade by the library's IP holder,

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

, alongside independent production and distribution company

MarVista Entertainment MarVista Entertainment is an American production company, based in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. The company mainly provides financing and some original content, mainly made-for-TV films and direct-to-SVOD titles, many of which are carried b ...

. Both companies, who will jointly distribute these films, didn't elaborate on certain details, but claimed that the films will be made to target "digitally native audiences" and have set their sights on releasing them to a streaming service.

References

External links

* {{Richard A. Colla 1999 television films 1999 films 1990s musical drama films American musical drama films Films about domestic violence Domestic violence in television 1990s English-language films Lifetime (TV network) films Films directed by Richard A. Colla American drama television films 1990s American films