This holiday season will be merrier when NBC airs Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors on Dec. 10. The story line and the cast are already music to the ears of viewers who want more solid family entertainment. Currently shooting in Atlanta, the tale is set in the Great Smoky Mountains, as Jennifer Nettles tells us in this video, along with her cast-mate Ricky Schroder.
Tagged as “an inspiring true story about the power of love, faith and family,” the TV movie tells the story of Dolly’s childhood in 1955. It’s the first of several movies about her upbringing.
We’ll relive her ninth year, as portrayed by the adorable eight-year-old Alyvia Lind as young Dolly. Nettles plays Dolly’s mother, Ricky plays her father, and Gerald McRaney reigns as her grandfather.
From rags to riches
The show’s title is taken from Dolly’s song of the same name, which you can watch her perform here. It’s also the title of her eighth solo album, released in 1971. She reportedly wrote it in 1969 on the back of a dry-cleaning receipt belonging to country legend Porter Wagoner. At her theme park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., diehard fans head for the Chasing Rainbows museum, displaying the coat her mother made for her from rags.
At NBC Universal’s Fall Press Tour, Jennifer and Ricky stopped by to talk about their roles in the holiday special. Jennifer, lead singer for on-hiatus Sugarland, just signed with Big Machine Label Group. Early this year, she debuted on Broadway as Roxie Hart in Chicago, the musical that’s been on The Great White Way for decades—and she earned rave reviews.
How they stay looking great
Actor and director Ricky, now 45, is best known for his roles on Lonesome Dove and NYPD Blue. His riveting six-part action adventure documentary series, The Fighting Season, aired on DirecTV in June. Ricky executive-produced the series and worked as a cameraman, spending more than 100 days with our troops in Afghanistan. No doubt being a part of Coat of Many Colors will be a less harrowing entertainment outing for him, and his fans can’t wait to see him on TV again.
Now see what Jennifer and Ricky have to say about their new project, and how they stay healthy and fit with undoubtedly demanding schedules. Then watch the show this holiday season, which will trace the theme Dolly echoed throughout her famous song:
It is true we had no money but I was rich as I could be,
In my coat of many colors momma made for me,
Made just for me.