From Hollywood to Edgewater!
And there’s an interesting story behind it.
FROM AUTO GARAGE TO DOLLY
When Robyn and Michelle Lytle purchased the property in 2015, they envisioned turning it into both their home and an event space.
It looked very different then: a former auto garage surrounded by concrete and a chain-link fence, with a distinctly industrial appearance. (In the image above, it's the area is where the two white cars sit.)
By the following year, the transformation was well underway. The chain-link fence had been replaced by a 10-foot-tall steel wall, much of the concrete at the front of the property had been removed in favor of green space—and a mural had appeared on the new fence.
A MURAL OF DOLLY PARTON
Michelle Lytle, who painted the mural herself, had long wanted artwork on the front fence. After the property was tagged several times, the Lytles decided it was time to do something about it. The result was "Edgewater Dolly."
Michelle Lytle, who painted the mural herself, had long wanted artwork on the front fence. After the property was tagged several times, the Lytles decided it was time to do something about it. The result was "Edgewater Dolly."
The mural depicts a young Parton, presumably based on this portrait from the 1970s.
She isn't looking directly at us. Instead, she gazes off toward the neighborhood, giving the impression that she's both welcoming passersby and keeping an eye on the block.
The limited palette of blues, grays, and whites stands out beautifully against the rusty color of the gate, while ivy climbs along the wall behind her.
And if you've ever walked past it and thought, Wait...is that Dolly Parton?—you're not alone.
The Lytles have said that people sometimes mistake her for Farrah Fawcett or another celebrity with big hair. Others recognize her immediately.
Either way, the hashtag painted into the side of the mural—#EdgewaterDolly—makes its purpose clear: snap a photo, share it, and let everyone know you've found her.
DOLLY GOES TO CHICAGO
In 1991, Parton came to Chicago to film Straight Talk, the 1992 romantic comedy in which she plays a small-town dance instructor who heads to Chicago and accidentally becomes a radio psychologist.
The film was shot throughout Chicago and its suburbs, including locations such as the Wabash Avenue Bridge, the Field Museum, and Chicago's Rainbo Club.
So I'll leave you today with the opening of Straight Talk, in which Parton's character drives from rural Arkansas toward downtown Chicago—with the perfect song playing behind her, of course. We'd expect no less.
Rest in peace, Dolly Parton.
Sourced from the Chicago Movie Tours Newsletter
Chicago Movie Tours
Dr. Kelli Marshall
Film Historian, Author, and Founder of Chicago Movie Tours & Talks
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