Tuesday, August 25, was a double-whammy of sadness for many worldwide, with the announcement of the back-to-back deaths of pop-cultural legends Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. The former, an often rhinestone-laden country singer-songwriter powerhouse, and the latter, a character actor and cult-movie star, shared many charms: Both were icons to the queer community and philanthropists. Both had appeared on screen with the Muppets, and both died at age 80 after private battles with illness.

On Monday, Sept. 20, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 931 into law, declaring Sept. 25 “Dolly Parton Day” in California. The move was meant to honor Parton’s legacy of charity and kindness and was named after her 1980 hit “9 to 5” — a working woman’s call to arms.

In the days and weeks after Parton and Curry’s loss, a symbiotic “tribute economy” began to take root, including in the Big Tomato. Many independent Sacramento businesses found ways to turn grief over their deaths into honest profit by providing services and products dedicated to the two. To many in the region, this independent spirit and community support reflected the kindness both Parton and Curry embodied in life.

Leandra Getz, 51, a Dolly devotee, was one such supporter of said economy. Getz celebrated Parton with friends by attending Tower Theatre’s Sept. 1 tribute screening of “Steel Magnolias,” the 1989 all-star tearjerker starring Parton as a straight-talkin’ Louisiana hairdresser. She wore a shirt with a black-and-white portrait of the singer in vintage 1970s style. Getz bought the item at Kohl’s after hearing of Parton’s death.

On the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 6, Getz took in the Crest Theatre’s matinee screening of that very movie musical from 1982 and enjoyed Parton-themed cocktails at Trophy Club, a portion of which went to Parton’s charity, Imagination Library.

“I’m reliving all of the Dolly right now that I can consume,” she said. “I don’t remember life without her.”

That same night, 850 people packed the Crest for a sold-out screening of “Steel Magnolias,” one of four Parton and Curry tribute screenings scheduled for September.

On Oct. 2, the Crest will show Curry’s magnum opus, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” along with a live performance by UC Davis’ Erotic Nightmares, the campus club dedicated to the film. Known as both “Rocky” and RHPS in shorthand, the camp-classic movie musical was named Rolling Stone magazine’s “Best cult movie of all time” and stars Curry as transvestite scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter. The film initially tanked at the box office when it opened in 1975 but eventually found a devoted audience. It’s often screened worldwide in October, as its over-the-top costumes, wigs and makeup make it a particular favorite for indie movie theaters and audiences alike as Halloween approaches.

And speaking of wigs…

‘For Dolly, it’s the hair’

“For Tim Curry, it’s the makeup, the look,” said owner Larry Dockter, gesturing to a large selection of stage makeup. “We serve the drag community quite a lot here.”

“Clothing-wise, you can put some stockings on and a pair of short pants,” Dockter added, referring to Frank-N-Furter’s fishnet stockings, which are sold in the store. He also pointed to black tuxedo jackets and feather boas that could serve as a base for interpreting many of RHPS’s characters.

For Dolly, “Anything from the ’60s or ‘70s would work,” Dockter advised, displaying a flashy dress akin to something from Parton’s early heyday.

“Really, for Dolly, it’s the hair,” he stated, showing off a “Country Sweetheart” blonde wig available for $31.98.

Tattoo artist Jeremy Joseph “Swype” Reser might agree with Dockter about the hair. Reser works out of Midtown’s Royal Peacock Tattoo Parlour and has had one request for a Dolly Parton tattoo since her death, inked in American traditional style on a client’s bicep.

The design took two hours and cost between $300 and $400. Reser said he hasn’t had any requests for Tim Curry or “Rocky” tattoos yet.

“Dolly Parton, to me, just seems like more of a tattooable design, with her music,” he added. “People love her.”

Carrying Dolly Parton merchandise isn’t anything new for Susan Stewart, owner of Oak Park’s Strapping, a gift shop full of pop-culture items.

“We’ve had everything Dolly you can possibly imagine. We had a tea infuser at one point,” Stewart said, adding that Dolly coasters and magnets are always good sellers. “Dolly Parton’s just iconic. So anything Dolly before her passing has always been a staple in our shop.”

In the two days after her death, Strapping sold 52 house-made prayer candles with Parton’s image. Stewart has also sold coasters with “Rocky” images in her nine-year run.

“Being a queer store, I think people came here especially to get their merchandise because they’re queer icons,” she added of Parton and Curry. “We needed to mourn, and it’s a big loss.”

‘The grief aspect is new for us’

Megan Parcell, 47, was one of the 850 people who paid just $2 to see “Steel Magnolias” at the Crest on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. Like most who packed the historic theater, she was “there for Dolly.”

“I was raised on her, so I’m excited to see the movie in the theater,” Parcell, an underwriter, said. To honor Parton, she sported a pink, rhinestone-adorned top she purchased on Amazon, as did two friends she came with. Parcell said she had heard of the screening when the event popped up on Instagram.

“I didn’t even know Crest Theatre did these old movies,” she added.

Though the Crest has often shown older films, the tribute concept is new and much of the post-passing-of-Parton-and-Curry schedule is due to the hard work and forethought of Sunny Drissia.

“They’re both just absolute powerhouses,” said Drissia, co-head of the theater’s film program. “The grief aspect is new for us. We haven’t done tributes before, but we’ve built this communal experience.”

In addition to showing “Steel Magnolias” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” the Crest also featured “Clue” and “Legend,” ‘80s cult classics both starring Curry, as tributes in September. Drissia noted that “Legend” was already on the books before Curry’s death. But for a venue that makes most of its money on concerts, $2 movie screenings don’t necessarily keep the lights on.

“The theater certainly isn’t making money off of movies,” said Crest owner Robert “Bob” Emerick. “None of the ticket fees come to the Crest. It’s either going to Ticketmaster or to the rights for the film. We still have to pay the staff, the HVAC bill, the insurance and any other expenses.”

But 850 butts in the seats does mean popcorn, candy and soda in their hands.

“I always say we’re in the concessions business,” Drissia said, crunching the numbers from the four Parton and Curry tribute showings.

“With our average per-person dollar, what they tend to spend just on concessions, we made enough money on these tribute movies to pay for all of our other movies, excluding ‘Twilight,’” she added, of the 2000s teen-vampire saga, which always sells out.

“We had 15 other movies scheduled this month,” Drissia said. “And if nobody came to any of those movies, these tribute movies would still cover the costs of that.”

Drissia said she didn’t think “Steel Magnolias” would have sold out were it not for Parton’s death. It’s a good thing for a theater that had a rough run post-pandemic and is now considered to be “in a new era.”

The venue featured $12 custom cocktails for “Steel Magnolias” and “Clue,” curated by Empress Tavern’s bar staff. “Wadsworth’s Poison,” named after the butler character Curry played in “Clue,” was a Midori and gin sour with soda. “The Dollywood,” a coconut margarita created by Empress’s Brooke Belden, was based on Dolly’s famous duet with Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream.”

“Brooke wanted something cute because Dolly was cute,” Empress Tavern’s Richard Jule said over email, adding that both Belden and Drissia came up with the idea to serve the drink with pink napkins. “They knew that the tears would be a flowin’ that night of Dolly mournin.’”

‘Something Curry-ish’

Tickets for the Crest’s Oct. 2 sold-out screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” are $15, more than seven times the price of a weekly Crest show.

“There will be limited standby spots, and they’re likely to go fast,” Drissia said for those who might want to show up on the day off.

The ticket price to RHPS is higher because the experience is elevated, with a live “shadowcast” from UCD’s “Erotic Nightmares.” Shadowcast, when actors silently perform a movie on stage while the film screens behind them, has long gone hand in hand with RHPS.

“‘Rocky Horror’ is a cult classic, which is a huge part of the reason it works so well being shadowcasted,” said Erotic Nightmares’ production manager, Dai Williams. “It’s a fun, more interactive way to approach the experience of going to the movie.”

The Aggie troupe will be paid to perform and also donate some of their fees to the Sacramento LGBT Center.

“When we make more in ticketing sales, that means there is more to donate,” Maiya Duvall, the club’s treasurer, said.

Richard Jule said he’ll design a custom cocktail for the show, possibly after Meatloaf’s character Eddie, but also possibly after RHPS’s most dearly departed.

“This movie is full of fun potential for something more creative,” Jule said. “Maybe something Curry-ish.”

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