Rooftop Cinema Club is bringing Dolly Parton back to the big screen above Little Italy, hosting a tribute movie night built around her 1980 comedy 9 to 5 on September 25 at 7 p.m. The screening takes place atop the Porto Vista Hotel, and organizers say 95% of ticket proceeds will go to the Dollywood Foundation, which supports Parton's Imagination Library book program for young children.
The event, reported by FOX 5 San Diego and KUSI News, comes to a rooftop venue that has become a familiar name for San Diego moviegoers. The cinema is based at the Porto Vista Hotel in Little Italy, according to There San Diego, giving attendees open-air views of San Diego Bay and the city skyline along with personal wireless headphones for the film. Tickets for the September 25 showing can be purchased online in advance, and the venue has limited availability for the screening.
A Career-Launching Comedy Turned Tribute
9 to 5 marked Dolly Parton's feature-film acting debut and helped launch her acting career, pairing her with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in a workplace comedy that became a cultural emblem of the plight working women faced. The film earned $103.3 million worldwide, per the account documented on Wikipedia. Parton agreed to star only on the condition she could write and perform the movie's theme song, according to Parade.
That title track went on to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, and win two Grammy Awards. Parton, described as a country music icon, actress and philanthropist whose music career spanned more than seven decades, died at age 80. The San Diego screening is a tribute event supporting the Dollywood Foundation.
Why the Money Is Going to Free Books
The Dollywood Foundation supports the Imagination Library, the charity Parton founded in 1995 to honor her illiterate father, which has since distributed more than 330 million free books, according to figures reported by California Black Media. That mission has taken on new local weight in San Diego: the Dr. Seuss Foundation announced a partnership with the Imagination Library to bring monthly free books to young children across San Diego County, a rollout the foundation says marked the largest launch in the nonprofit's 31-year history.
With more than 170,000 eligible children under age five, San Diego County became the most populous county in the nation to offer the program to every eligible child, per the Dr. Seuss Foundation. The program mails one age-appropriate book each month directly to enrolled children's homes at no cost to families. The program also offers free home delivery to families, as reported by California Black Media.
The State Funding Behind the Local Rollout
The Dr. Seuss Foundation's local partnership relies on public funding established through California Senate Bill 1183, which created a statewide Imagination Library program with state matching funds for local partners. The bill was co-authored by former San Diego Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins and Senator Shannon Grove.
The September 25 screening is not Rooftop Cinema Club's first Parton tribute. The venue has also hosted a screening of Steel Magnolias. Together, the two events form a local tribute series.
