How Dolly Parton Became A ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ Producer

Dolly Parton's kindness activity reached crossed the United States and was particularly notable successful her location authorities of Tennessee.

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Just erstwhile you thought she could not get immoderate cooler, there’s this: Dolly Parton was an uncredited shaper down Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the cult scary deed that aired for 7 seasons starting successful 1997. The country superstar, who passed distant connected Tuesday astatine property 80, didn’t talk astir the relationship a lot, conscionable for illustration she preferred to debar tooting her ain horn for her notable kindness work.

But Buffy arsenic we now cognize it whitethorn not person existed without the backing of specified a large name. When news collapsed of Parton’s decease today, Buffy prima Sarah Michelle Gellar shared a clip connected Instagram of Parton discussing the show connected Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live successful 2021.

Immediately, Buffy fans who hadn’t antecedently known the relationship sent the show trending on pinch Parton’s name. It’s a mini portion of popular civilization history that someway seems to fresh correct successful pinch the singer’s story—she was ever lifting up underdogs and supporting group who needed a champion. In the early 1990s, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the origin successful need.

Did Dolly Parton Help Produce Buffy The Vampire Slayer?

Yes, Parton served arsenic an uncredited shaper connected the show done a accumulation institution she started pinch Sandy Gallin, her onetime manager. Sandollar Productions launched successful 1985, and it produced a number of films done 1998, erstwhile Gallin retired, including Father of the Bride successful 1991 and Sabrina successful 1995.

In 1992, the institution backed a movie called Buffy the Vampire Slayer, penned by a rookie screenwriter named Joss Whedon. The movie astir a cheerleader who became a vampire slayer (“the chosen one”) by nighttime sewage mixed reviews and did terribly astatine the container agency contempt its stellar cast, including prima Kristy Swanson, emotion liking Luke Perry, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer and Paul Reubens.

But Whedon wasn’t done pinch the idea. Blaming the film’s unspeakable container office—it earned conscionable $16.6 million—on his deficiency of imaginative control, Whedon filmed a new, somewhat adjusted type that the WB web picked up for television.

Sandollar Productions was erstwhile again 1 of the producers. It produced the show passim its run, though the institution later transitioned to the sanction Southern Light Productions pursuing Gallin’s retirement. The institution besides produced the Buffy spinoff Angel.

Parton, while uncredited, was not uninvolved. Producer Gail Berman erstwhile told The New York Times that the vocalist sent her an further paycheck erstwhile she learned Berman received a little trim of royalties than the antheral producers.

And Gellar told Jimmy Fallon that Parton moreover sent the formed vacation gifts early successful their run.

Dolly Parton Was Involved In Buffy Reboot

When the first effort to reboot Buffy came successful 2024, Parton told People that it was being revamped aft the thought was hatched successful 2022. More recently, successful 2026, a Hulu type of the reboot was besides killed.