Long before Dolly Parton became a global superstar, she mastered the art of beating others to the punch line, making her humor nearly as recognizable as her country music.Following the country icon’s death at age 80, directors, country legends and media experts recalled how Parton built a down-home comedic persona that helped her break stereotypes and find success in Hollywood without abandoning her roots.As fans mourn the loss of a cultural icon, those who worked with Parton remember a professional known for her self-deprecating wit.Parton, best known for her legendary country music career, also appeared in several comedy films, including "9 to 5" and the romantic comedy "Straight Talk." She also hosted the country-variety show "Dolly," which debuted in Sept.
1976 and aired for one season.Another series bearing her name followed in the 1980s.DOLLY PARTON'S LIFE IN HER OWN WORDS: FROM SMOKY MOUNTAINS POVERTY TO COUNTRY MUSIC IMMORTALITYMusical guest Dolly Parton, left, sits with host Jay Leno during an interview on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Nov.
28, 1994.(Margaret Norton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)By then, Parton was no newcomer to comedy and variety television.
She appeared on "The Porter Wagoner Show" from 1967 to 1974, where she spent years refining her comedic persona and quick wit.As a young performer from Sevierville, Tennessee, Parton entered a Nashville country music scene where larger-than-life comedy was already a tradition.Country Music Hall of Famer Ray Stevens, the two-time Grammy winner behind novelty hits including "The Streak," worked with Parton on some of her early recordings in Nashville.
He told Fox News Digital that the young Parton he met was far different from the international icon she later became.STEVE DOOCY: THE DOLLY PARTON I SAW WHEN THE CAMERAS STOPPED ROLLING"The young 19 or 20-year-old Dolly Parton I met in 1965, when she first came to Nashville and I produced her first recordings, was not the intern...