Dolly Parton's '9 to 5' Returns to Theaters, With Ticket Sales Backing Her Literacy Legacy

Dolly Parton's 1980 workplace comedy "9 to 5" will return to U.S. theaters from Oct. 9 to 15, with all domestic ticket sales donated to The Dollywood Foundation in the wake of the country superstar's death on Aug. 25 at age 80.

Disney announced the reissue on Sept. 25, the date now designated as the annual "Give Like Dolly Day." The name is an homage to the film's title. The observance, Disney said, encourages people around the world to make a difference in a child's life and honor Parton's stated lifelong mission of inspiring children to "dream more, learn more, care more and be more."

The beneficiary of the ticket sales, The Dollywood Foundation, runs Parton's flagship program: Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Founded in 1995, the Imagination Library has donated more than 300 million books to children worldwide. Each month it sends out 3 million books directly to children's homes. Enrolled children receive one book per month from birth to age five, at no cost to their families.

"9 to 5," directed by Colin Higgins and produced by Bruce Gilbert from a screenplay by Higgins and Patricia Resnick, stars Parton alongside Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda as office workers who turn the tables on their boss. The film's logline describes "the all-knowing manager who trained the boss but can't get promoted (Tomlin), a befuddled newcomer (Fonda) and an alluring personal secretary everyone presumes is having an affair (Parton) – [who] all band together to seek revenge on the man who is making their lives miserable."

The picture earned an Academy Award nomination for Parton's title song, which became one of her signature recordings and a workplace anthem in its own right.

Parton's death last month prompted an outpouring of tributes from Hollywood celebrities, music stars and fans. Fonda, her co-star and longtime friend, wrote: "Let's be grateful for all that she has left us to ease our sadness now. I never knew anyone like her. She was simultaneously a naughty, playful southern gal from the hollows of Tennessee and a deep, soulful thinker who could see through people right down to their true selves. She was many things…lyricist, songstress, player of many instruments, writer, prankster, visionary, loyal friend, who'd never go to bed before she and her friends had laughed so hard they'd have to cross their legs."

The reissue converts mourning into measurable support for the literacy program Parton built. Every ticket bought between Oct. 9 and 15 will add to the 3 million books the Imagination Library already mails to children each month — a continuation, in practical terms, of the mission "Give Like Dolly Day" is meant to celebrate.