Patsy & Loretta
Patsy & Loretta is a 2019 television film that aired on Lifetime.[1] The film relates the friendship between country singers Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn and stars Megan Hilty, Jessie Mueller, Janine Turner, and Kyle Schmid.
| Patsy & Loretta | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Written by | Angelina Burnett |
| Directed by | Callie Khouri |
| Starring | Megan Hilty Jessie Mueller Janine Turner Kyle Schmid |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Neil Meron |
| Producer | Michael Lohmann |
| Running time | 87 minutes |
| Production company | Sony Pictures Television |
| Distributor | Lifetime |
| Release | |
| Original network | Lifetime |
| Original release |
|
The film first aired on October 19, 2019.[2]
Plot
Country singers Patsy Cline (Megan Hilty) and Loretta Lynn (Jessie Mueller) meet when the former was already a well known star.[3] The film starts in 1957, showing the two singers in their separate lives each with their own families.
They meet in 1961 after Patsy was hospitalized due to a serious automobile accident. Already a star, Patsy helped Loretta, who was just starting in her career, giving advice on contracts and even gave her tips on costumes and makeup. They develop a friendship, until the fatal airplane crash in 1963.
Loretta is seen several years later in performance with the "ghost" of Patsy.[4]
Cast
- Megan Hilty as Patsy Cline
- Jessie Mueller as Loretta Lynn
- Janine Turner as Hilda Hensley
- Kyle Schmid as Charlie Dick, Patsy's second husband.
- Joe Tippett as Doolittle "Mooney" Lynn, Loretta's husband.
- Billy Slaughter as Randy Hughes, Patsy Cline's manager.
- Justice Leak as Doyle Wilburn
- Jason Loughlin as Teddy Wilburn
- Jane McNeill as Whiskey Soaked Lady
- Jeremy Childs as Lamar Sneed
- Wynn Everett as Janette Davis
- Natalie Renee Long as Dottie West
- Jenny Leigh as Jan Howard
- Erin Beute as June Carter
- Jake Etheridge as Bill West
Production
The film was shot in Nashville, Tennessee. The executive producer, Neil Meron, had also worked with Hilty on the TV series Smash in 2012-13. Co-producers were Loretta Lynn's daughter Pasty Lynn Russell and Patsy Cline's daughter Julie Fudge on behalf of Patsy Cline's Estate.[5] Megan Hilty and Jessie Mueller were cast in the lead roles.[6]
Reception
Matt Roush wrote that the film is a "...brisk, sweet, touching and, naturally, tuneful tribute to female friendship... Megan Hilty ... gives a wonderfully robust performance as the outspoken and driven Patsy... It's inspiring and terrifically enjoyable watching Patsy, a force of musical nature, take the less worldly Loretta under her wing.... Still, the movie can be a bit sketchy as it races through their professional and personal lives."[7]
The film was nominated for Best Movie at the 10th Critics' Choice Television Awards. Megan Hilty and Jessie Mueller were also both nominated for Best Actress in a TV Movie.[8]
References
- "Megan Hilty and Jessie Mueller trade Broadway for Nashville in Lifetime's Patsy & Loretta" ew.com, October 18, 2019
- Franklin, Marc J. (October 19, 2019). "Megan Hilty and Jessie Mueller Are Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn in Patsy & Loretta October 19". Playbill. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
- Patsy & Loretta mylifetime.com, accessed October 19, 2019
- Phillips, Michael. "Triumph, heartbreak, unreliable husbands: When Patsy Cline met Loretta Lynn, the Lifetime movie version was inevitable" Chicago Tribune, October 16, 2019
- "About Patsy & Loretta My Lifetime, accessed October 20, 2019
- Franklin, Marc J. "Megan Hilty and Jessie Mueller Are Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn in Patsy & Loretta October 19" Playbill, October 19, 2019
- Roush, Matt. "Roush Review: 'Patsy & Loretta' a Tuneful Tribute to Female Friendship" tvinsider.com, October 19, 2019
- Hurtado, Alexandra (January 13, 2020). "Our Critically Acclaimed Guide to the 2020 Critics' Choice Awards". Parade. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
