Sarah Cannon was my aunt's sister. I only met her once, at my aunt's funeral. I knew she was a legend but was too young to really appreciate her legacy even though I knew she was truly the queen of country music. I really enjoyed this documentary and it helped fill in some of the areas that I have since learned about the depth and breadth of her career and character. My only regret is that the documentary failed to mention how much she did to include such great black country musicians as Charlie Pride etc. She faced a lot of resistance to her stand on breaking the color barrier but never backed down. Without her leadership and advocacy, it might have been years later before Charlie Pride could have taken the stage at the Ryman Auditorium. I will never forget the few seconds that I had when she introduced herself to me. My first cousin, Dudley West was briefly interviewed in this film. He knew her and her entire family intimately and I was very glad that his insight was included.
4 Reviews
Charming Documentary Of An Extraordinary Woman
rmeola7 February 2023
Minnie Pearl was a warm, compassionate lady who positively influenced so many people and performers. The documentary conveys this through numerous celebrity interviews and footage showcasing her humor and compassion. She was the first (and only) comedy performer inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Read the credits to see how many amazing performers she befriended during her journey. Country music stars, comedy performers and so many others. I found myself smiling through the whole movie and often laughed out loud as did others in the audience. The filmmakers take you on a journey through her life and friends, the ups and downs. And her charitable contributions such as a cancer treatment center named after her. She was a brilliant and stylish lady in life with Minnie Pearl being a character she created that brought joy, laughter and inspiration to so many people. Very well-written and shot documentary on an amazing woman. Watching other audience members after the show, everyone was just beaming. A very positive and happy experience.
Quite simply the finest documentary I've ever seen
jsmyth-244-3333397 February 2023
This documentary on the life of Minnie Pearl is so well done it will move you to tears. It did me. Through rich source material and amazing interviews, it's packed with messages about life and career from a woman so many of us loved and laughed with throughout our childhoods. Oh, and jokes - so many of her hilarious gags. You'll discover that Sarah Cannon, aka Minnie, broke gender barriers in comedy while entertaining, inspiring and supporting audiences, the people around her and, in fact, a whole industry. She radiated love and acceptance. The rough-talking men she worked with, her beloved mother and husband and many young performers of various stripes tell of her well-placed words of kindness or advice. I venture that once this movie catches on, we'll all have a new phrase: "What would Minnie do?"
Enjoyable but Superficial
Sees All8 February 2023
Although I saw this at the cinema, it is very much a television program for PBS. This could have been really great, but it was pretty much fan mag stuff all the way through. I enjoyed it, but it didn't really go into much depth. I liked the way it stressed young Sarah Colley's early ambition and the steps she took to achieve it. I wish they had gone into more detail about HOW Sarah created and developed her alter-ego "Minnie Pearl." Despite the hick character, she was quite savvy. Her career didn't just happen by accident. Basically, this film is a broad outline of her Sarah/Minnie's story interspersed with testimonials from such country music stars as Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Rheba McIntyre, Tanya Tucker, and Brenda Lee, among others professing their love and admiration for her. But because this is PBS, you can bet your bottom dollar that before it's over that Minnie will have morphed into "Super Minnie, Crusader for Social Justice." She's a friend to people of color and to gay people, too. (This is attested to by k.d. Laing and one of the show's producers, a pretty young woman who describes herself as "a queer person.") Minnie is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame before being diagnosed with breast cancer that proved to be fatal. She left money for a breast cancer hospital which was named in her honor. The final segment is mostly a song performed by Rodney Crowell that has a lyric that alludes to "Jesus and Buddha and Krishna and Minnie Pearl," which serves as a kind of apotheosis. I found it unexpectedly moving.
I enjoyed this show, but it's quite superficial and omits a few things that were basic to Sarah Colley/Minnie Pearl. There is very little mention of her deep and abiding Evangelical Christian faith. Perhaps this is why there is no mention of the only movie she starred in, THAT TENNESSEE BEAT, in which she played a lady preacher. I've always wondered why that character was in a wheelchair. Was it written that way? Or had Minnie broken her leg before filming started?
Fans of Minnie Pearl and/or "rural comedy" will certainly like this film.
I enjoyed this show, but it's quite superficial and omits a few things that were basic to Sarah Colley/Minnie Pearl. There is very little mention of her deep and abiding Evangelical Christian faith. Perhaps this is why there is no mention of the only movie she starred in, THAT TENNESSEE BEAT, in which she played a lady preacher. I've always wondered why that character was in a wheelchair. Was it written that way? Or had Minnie broken her leg before filming started?
Fans of Minnie Pearl and/or "rural comedy" will certainly like this film.
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