Original subtitles

[woman 1] You, you were telling me before, there's a great organization here,

in fact, the title to your new

movie is 9 to 5. And you

really advocate

women getting together, Jane, as a force to--

It's an organization of clerical workers, office workers.

Uh, some people don't know what women who work in offices have to put up with--

how many people in the audience are office workers?

Any of you work in offices?

-You a-- [laughs] you're not an office worker. -[woman 1 laughing]

-Oh, you said women? Oh-- You raised your hand! -I'm making a mov--

-Oh, I raised it! -...a comedy about, about office workers.

-Are you gonna hire-- is Dolly Parton playing the lead? -Dolly Parton, I think,

is gonna be in it. She plays the boss's personal secretary.

-[laughter] -[woman 1] Is that funny?

It's a movie about secretaries fantasizing about murdering their boss.

-So, it's not a political statement, is-- is it? -[man] Okay.

["9 to 5" by Dolly Parton]

-[scratching] -[sharp ding]

♪ Well, I tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen ♪

♪ Pour myself a cup of ambition ♪

♪ Yawn and stretch and try to come to life ♪

♪ I jump in the shower and the blood starts pumpin' ♪

♪ Out on the street the traffic starts jumpin' ♪

♪ With folks like me on the job from nine to five ♪

♪ Yeah! Workin' nine to five what a way to make a livin' ♪

-♪ Barely... ♪ -[Ellen] One working woman in three in

the 1970s

was a clerical worker. It was the largest job category in America.

[Karen] So, when the movie 9 to 5 came out in 1980...

Typewriter, Dictaphone, adding machine.

...the film was a tipping point.

We were reaching millions of women.

Everybody was very nervous about the movie,

because it was three female leads.

And I got some flack working with Jane,

being such a radical gal.

[Jane] I've always believed that film is a good way

to throw light into dark corners.

Uplift voices that aren't often heard.

It really connected with me and women of every generation.

My mother and my aunties, there's the sisterhood on screen,

the fabulous frocks.

[Violet] Welcome to the front lines.

[Dame Jenni] And for the first time ever,

you saw on screen exactly what you knew

was happening in offices.

Hold it right there.

What?

Turn around a second.

Did I think that 9 to 5

would be relevant 40 years after its initial release?

At the time, no.

[Amaya] It's 40 years later, right? We still have corporations

reinventing ways to really abuse

and take advantage of vulnerable workers.

I didn't think anybody would want to see it if it was a drama.

-[laugher] -[Jane] And once Lily Tomlin

and Dolly Parton came into the picture,

it couldn't be a drama.

Obviously, it was gonna be comedy.

You know, we use metaphors in the film

to show how the women couldn't break the glass ceiling.

Going up, girls?

No, we're going down.

-[soft clattering] -[elevator door closes]

When I first read this script,

I thought it was going to be a hit.

Because of the three gals, Lily, Jane, Dolly.

"Stand up for yourselves." These words were being uttered

by these icons.

"Don't put up with shit." [chuckles]

"Demand respect." It's a great message.

It was the top-grossing comedy film of the year.

It did more than a $100 million at the box office.

It was very much radical and transformative

in a way that was funny.

-[machine beeping] -[gasps]

[Bruce] It was our intention to have

more diversity in the cast.

-[Violet] Two... -[Bruce] When there were five secretaries,

we really wanted Diahann Carroll to be one of the leads.

And there was a real commitment to hiring

a diverse supporting cast.

At the time, there were very, very few roles for Hispanics.

But a big feature

film, like 9 to 5,

to have a Hispanic character, was a big advancement.

It was a gift from Jane, who doesn't stand by injustice.

The real Jane, but also her character.

Well, I'm gonna tell her, this is a disgrace!

Attagirl.

But it did touch a nerve.

It was based in reality.

Wait, wait a minute. Weren't you checked out on this machine?

I mean, any moron could operate this thing.

It did resonate with enough people

that it really, right out of the box,

it just kept getting bigger and bigger.

Something wrong? I got something on my dress?

[man] Nothing's wrong.

As a matter of fact, everything is...

-...very, very right. -[Zoe] Because it was about

an experience most working women were having in America,

it was a breakout moment.

You're so intimidated by any woman

that won't sit at the back of the bus.

Spare me the women's lib crap, okay?

If a movie was advertised as a women's liberation movie...

-[man] Mm-hmm. Right. -...me personally, would probably not wanna go to it.

[Bruce] Jane and I had been working on something called

the Indochina Peace Campaign and other issues,

and out of that, we decided to try to move forward

to do films that were about the same kinds of social issues

that we'd been involved with

as social activists and organizers.

[Jane] If you're gonna make a movie

and what you're really trying to do is

inform people about an issue

that you think is important,

you have to embed it in a style.

[narrator] It's about people faced with the agony of telling

the truth.

[Bruce] We made The China Syndrome, which was about

-the dangers of nuclear

power. -[narrator] The

closer they get,

-the more threatening it will

become. -[Bruce] And a

movie about

the Vietnam War, Coming Home.

It was nominated for Best Picture and Best Screenplay,

it won for screenplay and actor and actress.

Jane won her second Academy Award with that movie.

Even if people don't agree with what you're saying

or don't care about the issue, they're gonna wanna see it,

'cause it's a good thriller or a good,

sexy love story or a good comedy.

[upbeat whimsical music playing]

[grunting and indistinctly mumbling]

Well, 9 to 5 was the

name of the movie,

because that was the name of the organization

about working women looking for equal pay for equal work.

[woman] Would one of you like to tell me

how did this project get started?

I think Jane should probably

tell you that,

because she's the one who started this mess.

-[woman] Jane? -[laughter]

Well, I just thought the time had come

to make a movie about office workers,

and I wanted to work with these two women,

particularly these two women.

-It's a comedy? -God, yes.

-It's a comedy with-- -Very farcical, very funny.

-[man] Filled with truth? Right. -Yes.

Women are on the lower end of the pay scale

-and in 9 to 5, you know,

it's a depiction really...

-[man] Right.

-...of those kinds of conditions. -[man] Yeah.

-What was your boss like? -Now, you got that?

You're the boss.

You might remember that a little more often.

Women feel their work is important.

They know that, uh, that it's skilled work,

and they wanna be treated with respect,

that manifests itself both in the paycheck

and in their treatment in the office.

Boston has the third lowest pay scale

for clerical workers, uh, of the 15 largest cities in, in the United States.

Plus, we have the highest cost of living.

[Bruce] Karen Nussbaum was a powerhouse organizer,

and Jane and I had known her for many of the social movements

that had been going on in the late '60s and early '70s.

[Jane] So, whenever I would see Karen, you know,

her day job was organizing women office workers.

And she would tell me stories about what they would have to put up with.

Not just in terms of sexual harassment,

although that was pretty bad, but, uh, wage theft,

being fired if they were pregnant.

[soft clacking]

[Karen] In the 1970s,

there were 20 million

women office workers in the country,

but we were totally invisible.

We didn't exist in the popular culture.

[light whimsical music]

We started an organization

called 9to5 in 1973 in Boston.

We'd gotten a little bitty office at the YWCA,

where two of us were working for 9to5,

while we also had our day jobs as clerical workers.

I was very taken with the history of garment workers,

young women at the turn of the 20th century

who led these huge strikes,

walked out of the garment factories

and won the eight-hour day,

protection from accidents on the job.

And here I was, sitting in a room full of women,

and I thought, "Hmm, this is kind of the same thing."

And of course, working in an office

was a lot more pleasant and safe

than working in a garment factory 100 years before.

But there were certain things in common.

The job itself is good because, you see,

besides that women that have the children,

that stays home and, and cleans the house or cooks dinner,

the job enable us to see ourselves as independent women.

[Karen] I look back on it now

and we were so modest in our demands.

"We should have job posting.

We should at least know what the jobs are!"

That was one of our big demands, job posting.

But we were also new to this.

We were reaching into women who were not activists

in any part of their lives.

[Ellen] Women were not able to march into their boss' office

and demand a raise. So we provided forums

where people could speak up.

[Karen] And share their concerns.

And so, we were all there together.

Every class, racially-mixed.

And our motto was,

"Raises, Rights, and Respect."

[Ellen] The issue of respect,

of being taken seriously as a worker and as a woman,

was something that office workers

needed to express, bosses needed to hear,

members of the public needed to hear, the media needed to hear.

-Okay, okay-- -[Ellen] And

Violet really expressed it

beautifully.

I am your employee.

And as such, I expect to be treated equally.

With a little dignity and a little respect!

[women singing] ♪ Secretaries unite ♪

♪ Let's show them how we fight ♪

♪ For better pay promotion and respect ♪

♪ We've sat back long enough... ♪

[reporter] The point that secretaries, as working people,

might have legitimate labor grievances is not a new one.

What is new is the particular forum for dissent.

It's not the disembodied voice

of the amorphous feminist movement.

It's this city's secretaries

talking about this city secretary's problems.

I got very tired of apologizing for being an office worker.

And I really believe that what I'm doing

is very important to the economy

and that I should have some respect for what I'm doing.

[Karen] Equal pay, sexual harassment,

childcare, those issues unite people

who had been divided across different kinds of jobs.

So, we developed what we called

the 9 to 5 Bill of

Rights.

The more our members found their voice,

our demands became more serious.

There was a point at which the women said,

"Wait a damn minute! I'm not gonna take it anymore."

Jane has this uncanny ability to see a social trend

and how that can be brought to the public,

and so, she met with some of our members

to talk with them about their experiences.

[gentle music]

After hearing a lot of the stories, I said,

"I-- I would like to make a movie about this."

[Karen] I put together background stats

for Jane to give to the studio that said,

"There's an audience for this."

When popular culture thought about work,

they thought about men in hard hats.

But there're 20 million women office workers,

and they were starving for this kind of representation.

That was important in getting a studio to take a, a gamble.

[Bruce] Karen's background information was just data

and newspaper clippings, it wasn't a movie story.

I couldn't see doing a straight dramatic movie

that would be interesting enough

for a mainstream audience to be able to deal

with the subject matter and entertain them at the same time.

And that's a lot harder than people think it is.

-[train bell dinging] -[loud rumbling]

Preston Sturges films were what I would call "social comedies."

One in particular that stands out is Sullivan's Travels.

We made it.

Amateurs.

Sturges would put his protagonists

in a really unusual situation.

[brakes screeching]

-What you doing down there? -[Bruce] They were very funny,

but they were a real commentary on the times.

I want this picture to be a document.

I wanna hold a mirror up to life.

I want this to be a picture of dignity!

A true canvas of the suffering of humanity.

-But with a little sex in it? -With a little sex in it.

-How about a nice musical? -How can you talk

-about musicals-- -[Bruce] Just boom, it just hit me.

"The way to do this movie about women in the workplace

is to do it as an ensemble social comedy,

like Preston Sturges."

-[upbeat dance music] -[horn blaring]

[Lily] Well, Jane came to see me at the Ahmanson,

I was doing

Appearing Nitely,

which was my first Broadway show.

And I was really excited that she was coming to the show,

and she came backstage,

and I'd been a fan of hers for many years.

[Jane] Just had blown my mind and made me feel that,

"I don't wanna make a movie about women office workers

if Lily Tomlin isn't one of them."

-I was smitten. -Boogie's not a meaning, boogie is a feeling.

Don't try to understand it, try to feel it.

-Do ya feel it? -[crowd laughing]

[Jane] And then, um, true story.

I was driving home from that event

and I turned on the radio, it was Dolly Parton singing "Two Doors Down."

-♪ Two doors down... ♪ -[Jane] I thought, "Wow."

♪ ...and drinkin' and having a party... ♪

[Jane] She's never

been in a movie...

♪ Doors down they're not aware... ♪

...but I bet she can be herself on camera

and herself is so multi-layered

and interesting that that would be just fine.

♪ Having a party just two doors down ♪

[Jane] And I could see her, you know,

just the visual of... [laughing] she can't see her fingers

and she's got these long nails, I thought it would be a really cool thing.

-Hi, Violet. How's everything going? -[Violet] Oh, d--

[Dolly] I was getting to be popular in country music,

and Jane Fonda called me up and said,

"You're Dolly Parton." I said, "Yes, I am."

She said, "Well, I'm Jane Fonda." And I said,

"Yes, you are." [chuckling] Anyway,

I was really excited that I was even gonna get to work with Jane.

This is Judy Burnley. Judy's gonna be working over in my section, DoraLee Rhodes.

-Hi, Judy. Nice to meet you. -How do you do?

Hope everybody's been treatin' you real friendly.

-Showin' you around? -[Dolly] Well, when I first started

working with Jane, I thought, "Nah, no,

I hope she's not gonna be so radical

and so opinionated and so political

that I'm gonna be uncomfortable."

And I even said that to her. You know, when we started,

I said, "Now, I'm not a political person."

♪ My mistakes are no worse than yours ♪

♪ Just because I'm a woman ♪

-♪ My... ♪ -[Dolly] I

didn't have to march up and down

the streets

as I still don't. I try to live my convictions.

I'd been writing songs about women

and their strengths since my first album.

But I was dealing with Jane Fonda, the actress, the producer,

and that we were doing a good film that had a good message.

We cast this movie before the movie was written,

and I've never done this before, uh, or since.

Um, it really helped in-- inform the development of the characters.

So, we pitched the idea to 20th Century Fox

and they made a commitment to a script.

Not to the production, but just to the writing of a script based on this idea.

So, there are three secretaries working for the worst boss in the world,

and they, they decide to try to kill him.

And that's where we started from.

I went and applied for a job as a secretary,

and this guy who was hiring said,

"Well, she can't really type, but I'd take her out."

[laughing] So, tells you a little bit about, um,

when we were. And the characters, particularly,

what ended up being Dolly's character,

very much based on the research that I did.

But we were not entirely happy

with the tone that, uh, emerged.

It was a comedy, but it was a very dark comedy.

I had them try to kill him,

in funny ways, but it's still-- it's a black comedy.

[Bruce] To me, the tone was of utmost importance...

-[frantic music playing] -...because of the nature of the subject matter,

where the three women were going to be

the protagonists in the film, and there was going to be a boss

who was definitely not very attractive, antagonist.

-[muffled groaning] -[Violet] So, what are we gonna do now?

To have men watch that

and identify with the women was very important.

So, uh, we adapted the script to the new situation

and hired Colin Higgins, the wonderful writer-director.

[gentle music]

You know, he wrote Harold and Maude. [chuckles]

[Lily] Isn't that enough?

I just love Harold and

Maude, and I was so excited

when he got involved with our movie.

Oh, Harold. I am happy.

He had a quirky view of people.

-[shouts] What? -[siren blaring]

[Jane] And he had a kind of feminist sensibility.

He loved women.

I love you.

There was no hidden agenda.

We always knew what he felt

and what he-- what he wanted.

So, it was very easy for all of us,

but that was especially important for Dolly,

because she'd never made a movie before.

[Dolly] Colin was so gentle, so sweet.

He was not, like, scary or demanding,

he was not loud. And that was good,

because I would've not enjoyed a first movie

with someone like that.

Those three ladies are just the best.

It was very hard for me because I had my vision,

it was different than his vision.

He had little cartoon birds and...

...fantasies, and it was pretty slapsticky.

-Violet, get me some coffee. -[sparkly music playing]

Yes, sir!

[Bruce] Colin came up with the fantasy sequences

during this process of trying to come up with a new story for 9 to 5.

[Jane] We got about 40 women together

from the 9to5, National Association of Women Office Workers,

and they went around in a circle and they told their story.

It was a very stiff and stilted conversation.

[deeply inhales] And just when the meeting was about to end,

Colin said, "Do any of you ever fantasize

what you'd like to do to your boss?" [laughs]

I just thought, "What a genius!"

And we went around the circle again.

[upbeat jazz music]

One woman wanted to cut her boss up into little pieces

and put him in the coffee grinder,

and then put him in the coffee machine

and have him... [laughing] drip out.

"Put rat poison in his coffee."

One woman wanted to shred her boss in a paper shredder.

I could laugh, Colin could laugh,

as men, in this room full of women,

listening to their very visual fantasies

about doing in their bosses in very graphic,

-almost cartoonish ways. -[whooshing and dogs barking]

[loudly gasps] Who's there?

Looks like you've got yourself in a spot of trouble.

[Dabney] When I think of that movie, I always think of Jane

when she came out in that outfit dressed like a safari hunter.

You're a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.

So, I have a few faults, who doesn't?

Is that any reason to kill me?

-[gunshot] -[Dabney] And it was funny,

which is the best way to convince anybody

of anything, in my opinion.

I know it's kind of controversial

to kidnap your boss...

[announcer] ...Miss DoraLee Rhodes...

...and, um, hold them hostage, but...

[indistinct mumbling]

...it seemed like th-- the right thing to do.

[Lily] Well, I was living in New York at the time.

And, uh, I didn't like some of the humor

in the 9 to 5 script, so

I turned it down... at first.

There was, you know, things in it

that I would consider kind of silly or empty.

[jazz music]

Like, when we were drinking

in the bar after work.

Would you two show a little spunk?

I mean, what are you, a man or a mouse?

I mean, a woman or a wouse. [laughs]

-Hey... -[Bruce] When Lily Tomlin

turns down your script and tells you it's not very good,

you start to worry

because she's such a comedic genius

that you begin to think,

"What am I not seeing in this script?

-What is she seeing?" -I said first, "man or a mouse,"

then I say, "woman or a wouse."

I don't know, that's just sort of foolish rhyming.

[laughs] And so, I, I tried to get Colin to change that.

And my partner, Jane, she said,

"You threw that script back in Jane Fonda's face.

She developed that movie for you and Dolly.

What is wrong with you?"

[sighs] "I don't know." [laughs]

And I-- but I-- you know, I was-- I don't know.

[Dolly] Well, it wasn't hard

for me to make the decision

to do the movie, because when they said

its Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin,

I thought, "Well, how hard can this be?

If it's a big hit,

I'll get to, you know, roll around in the glory.

And if it's a flop, I can blame it on them,

'cause nobody knows me, anyway, in the business."

-Morning. -[Dolly] And Dabney and I had such fun reversing roles.

-Turn around for a second. -[sighing] Oh.

[whistles] Oh, you got a nice ass, Frank.

No wonder we were all scared to death to work with this dynamo.

She's frightening.

[Dolly] I got to

do what Mr. Hart

had been doing to us girls in the office!

[sniffs] Boy, that's great cologne you're wearing, Frank.

Oh, thank you. [chuckles]

That stuff's turning me on. What's that called?

-STUD. -STUD!

[Bruce] Dolly came on board right away.

Colin Higgins and I had actually flown to New York

to talk to Gilda Radner about possibly replacing Lily.

-...selection, Gilda. -Gilda. Oh,

that struck a knife in my soul. I adore Gilda.

And she's from Detroit.

I said, "Oh, God, Gilda'll get this part.

I don't know, I don't know."

And so, I went home, and I told Jane

that I had turned it down. That's when Jane really hit the roof.

She said, "You get on the phone and call them

and tell them you want that part."

Yeah. She came to her senses, so all was good.

[woman] What about playing a secretary that appeals to you?

I mean, you've played almost everything now.

Well, I play a woman who's, um,

never worked in her life. She's a middle-class woman

who's just been left by her husband,

and who goes into the job market,

enters this working world of 9 to 5 for the first time.

[upbeat whimsical music]

[young Lily] In 9 to 5, what's depicted is

just how much we keep the office running.

That's 2:10, at thirty--

[young Lily] Because I'm a supervisor, I'm not an executive,

but I'm, I'm kind of in charge of a big section,

and I'm an old veteran, I've been there 12 years.

I'm a widow. I have four kids,

and I really have to keep my job,

but the boss-- I trained the boss,

-I've trained everybody. -Right.

-We could improve efficiency by up to 20%-- -Oh, well,

color-coding, sure, I looked into that,

but that, that needs a little work. I mean, I'm gonna have

to get back to you on that. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

[sniffs] Okay.

But they never promote me to a-- any executive position,

and he steals my ideas.

We are gonna start color-coding the accounts from now on.

-Frank's done a brilliant study with efficiency-- -Yeah, thank you, sir.

Really? Congratulations, Mr. Hart.

[man] What was new to you about doing a film?

Now, as I understand it, you hadn't even seen

a film being made, is that correct?

That's true. I had went through the Universal Tour.

[laughter]

Dolly has this, you know, giggly persona

that is so a-- approachable, and she's so funny.

-It wasn't really a surprise that she could act. -Oh, hi, Judy.

-How's everything going?

-[Bruce] She plays the

beautiful assistant

secretary.

Hey, how would you like to have lunch with me today?

Well, I'm afraid I, I can't, thanks.

-[indistinct chatter] -[Bruce]

That is looked at

by some of the other women as being kind of less than.

Well, I think I should stay in the office an--

and get to know the routine, uh, but thanks, anyway.

-Yeah, sure. -[Bruce] It's kind of a, a reverse sexism,

actually.

Because of their looks, they're viewed as not having top-notch skills.

Those stereotypes really seeped into women's consciousness,

and it took a lot for women to really examine that,

and say, "Is that really me? Am I the office girl?

Or am I a working woman who deserves to be taken seriously?"

-Franklin Hart's office. -[Bruce] In a funny kind of way,

these three very different actresses

also sh-- [chuckling] you know, shared several things

of, uh, trying to make it in a, in a male-dominated industry,

playing characters in a movie about women in a male-dominated industry.

That really lent itself to developing that close personal relationship.

Sometimes, during the movie, it was like in high school.

You know, like, I'd see the two of them talking together,

and then I'd think,

"They like each other better than they like me."

-[laughter] I always thought that... -Lily was always--

...th-- especially the first couple of weeks, because you two

started before I did, and I'd come in,

and you'd be in there working in the kitchen,

th-- you know, the office kitchen,

and I was just sure that they were, like, best friends,

-and they sort of liked me. -[laughter]

I do remember that coming on the set

the first day with Dolly was--

uh, she had--

uh, was quite surprised we were not shooting

the first scene first. That we were, you know,

shooting the office scenes, because she had, uh,

memorized the whole script.

-[young Dolly] I just assumed we had to-- -[man] Like a play.

-Everybody's part, though. -Yeah, my part and her part

-and her part and Dabney's part. -[laughing]

But I'm not-- just knew the script back and forth.

And I just, every week, I would, you know,

I would read it and I would read it with my secretary.

-Uh, I'd have her read the other parts. -Did y-- did you practice--

-did you pra-- -Yeah, I would practice, yeah. And, uh, that was fun.

-It was-- I tri-- -How were you in my part?

I was great in your part.

[Lily] The first day of shooting,

I had to shoot for the animation,

and of course, the animation wasn't there.

So, it's, like, I had to, like, you know,

like, little birds are flying around me and all that stuff.

[animated music playing]

I just thought I was terrible.

I saw my image and I thought,

"Ugh, how so stupid, I just can't go through with this."

So, I went to Bruce Gilbert and I said,

"Bruce, you gotta let me out of the movie,

you don't have to pay me or anything."

Those 24 hours, when Lily Tomlin said

she thought she should quit the film

or that I should release her from the film

because her performance wasn't up to snuff,

wa-- you know, w-- was o-- one of those moments,

especially since Lily Tomlin

was so key to playing the demented Snow White,

and she had turned the project down once before.

I saw my life flashing before my eyes.

Just the first day of shooting in film,

and one of the lead actresses wants to quit the picture.

Now, nobody tells Lily

in their right mind how to be funny.

[whimsical music playing]

And if it's not funny now, it will be in five seconds.

And funnier the next day because she knows how to be funny.

We loved Dabney 'cause he was a scoundrel that--

just lovable scoundrel.

You girls, of course, never got a chance

to play football or baseball.

[Lily] And Mr. Hart's walking around,

pontificating about teamwork and playing football.

...it's probably the best place to learn what teamwork is all about.

And I said to Colin, "Can I just say to Judy, sotto voce,

'Well, I've got the bad back to prove it.'"

And Colin'd say, "Oh, no, no, they'll never hear that."

-It's weakest link-- Goddammit! -[chair clacks]

[Lily] And sure enough, they didn't. They were laughing

at Dabney so much, they would never have heard me.

-Well, I-- -I like someone who knows where the laughs are

ahead of time.

-Good God. -Oh.

[indistinct mumbling]

-[door closes] -Who was that?

-A friend. -Obviously.

So, that's what you're into now. Bondage?

-What's that? -And later, Jane says,

"And if I want to do M&Ms or..."

...have an affair or, or play, play sex games,

or do M&Ms, you can't stop me!

-M&Ms? -[Lily] I said, "Well, I don't like that joke.

That's just too lame." And every time,

I'd go to the, to the screening and there'd be riotous laughter.

Colin always knew his audience.

And he knew where the laughs were, he was really kind of divine that way.

So I learned that Lily's first reaction

is not always the best reaction.

[light melancholic music]

[Jane] Back when we made

9 to 5 in the late '70s,

women earned less than 60 cents to the dollar

that a man would earn doing the same work.

And it wasn't easy for women to talk about money.

So, we wanted to show how...

...biased the system is against women.

All I have done is be a housewife.

-Mm. -Oh, I wanted to ask you about my salary.

-I don't think I c-- -It's a very touchy subject around here.

You'll have to take that up with our boss, Mr. Hart.

Only six out of 100 women

ever made it into management out of the typing pool.

[Jane] So, a very smart woman like Violet...

-Would you look at this? -...could train a new guy,

and then, he would just be promoted right past her.

For Christ's sake, I trained him.

I know that, but see, the, the company--

Oh, the company bullshit!

It's your decision, you promoted him. You tell me why.

-He does have a family to support. -And I don't?

[man] You don't like women out on a job?

Well, uh, homemaking has its--

there's two things must clarify, there are homemakers

and there are women that work o-- outside of the home.

Uh, putting these things in proper perspective.

Women should st-- still should be women, you know.

The girls, I think, uh, got it over the guys.

They get everything paid for and everything else.

I don't see what, what they're really... arguing about.

I think they have just as m-- many rights as the guys have.

Well, women that, uh, probably have been divorced or something

have to go out and work. I think there's a special type of work that they should do.

But I think they, uh, should do feminine work.

[young Jane] You know, a lot of people believe

that women who go to work, uh,

do it s-- out of some trip, they wanna be liberated.

And, uh, you know, I think it's important

to recognize that women work 'cause they have to.

[Violet] Norman, she has never worked in her life before!

She needs the job. She's recently divorced.

And so? And I'm a widow with four kids.

Jerry should've never died, I c--

I'd be better off, I could have divorced him.

[light whimsical music]

Many women are the sole supporters of families,

and many women have to work to supplement

their husband's income in order to raise the family income

above the poverty level.

My husband's income did not cover all of our needs.

So I started pursuing a job.

And everywhere I went, they turned me down.

They said, "We do not have work for any women."

Wouldn't even let me fill out an application.

I'd even offer to work free for a week

to prove that I could do the job,

and they still were not interested.

I have four children.

Are you the sole support of the children?

-Yes. And I do have-- -That's a pretty strong issue.

And I do have to work.

[Patricia] But there was no childcare.

Where were you supposed to leave your kids?

Women are expected to be the primary caretakers

and still show up at offices.

I don't think you can go out to work not knowing,

you know, whether your child is being cared for properly.

It's definitely a, a thought in your mind at all times.

[gentle music]

[Ellen] It used to be the man working at a job

and the woman staying home and taking care of the children.

Now, all of sudden, we have the syndrome

of women office workers being expected

just kind of take care of men in the office.

Coffee, Violet.

Now.

Yes, sir.

[Karen] This notion that you were there

to get their coffee just drove us insane.

[Rita] I would call them the Bustelo woman.

Bustelo is a brand of coffee.

And, uh, that's all I was offered,

those kinds of parts after I did

West Side Story. You

know, coffee pourer.

The old thing about coffee and who gets coffee,

I mean, that's not such a big deal, it's just a symbol.

-[man] Oh, right, yeah. -Uh, but when people get

a little more aware about symbols, it means a lot.

Your coffee, Mr. Hart.

I'm glad I had the presence of mind

to be a liberated Snow White.

[whimsical music playing]

I think there was something in that coffee!

Bingo.

[Mr. Hart screaming]

We used to call it, "being the office wife."

You had to take over all of the daily duties

of whatever man you were working for.

The things that bosses felt free to ask their secretaries was just jaw-dropping.

We had a boss who required his secretary

to sew a seam in his pants while he still had them on.

Another boss who required a secretary to clean his dentures.

One who gave his secretary his beeper

to go cruise in the bar downstairs from the office,

and let him know if there'd be any women there

who met his specifications.

And so, the movie is trying to grapple with these issues.

Oh, Violet, by the way, my wife is coming by later on.

I'd like to get her a little present. Could you pick her out

a nice scarf or something?

All I'm saying, Mr. Hart,

is that my job description doesn't say anything

-about making purchases for your wife. -Goddammit!

When I ask an employee, especially one

who wants to be promoted to management,

I expect a little cooperation--

[Jane] The issue that got the most attention

because it has to do with sex is sexual harassment.

[phone ringing]

-Hello. -[Shirley] The calls come in every single night.

They range from a very young woman

being harassed by her employer for sexual favors

to a very elderly woman being harassed.

Fortune 500, small companies, school systems.

I can't think of any particular kind of work environment

from which we haven't received a call

of either discrimination or sexual harassment.

These women need their jobs

and they have to put up with the kind of remarks

and the kind of attitude

that no worker should have to tolerate.

You know what the man needs? The man needs a good piece of ass.

Why don't you fix him up with your secretary?

-She's the choicest piece around here. -No, no, no.

That's baby's for papa.

[Bruce] You know, we cut down on some

of the sexual harassment scenes.

Some of them were just too cringeworthy,

but the ones we left in were certainly reflective

of women's everyday experiences.

It's five o'clock, Mr. Hart. You wanted to see me?

[Mr. Hart] Oh, I did, DoraLee. Uh,

I'd like you to come over to my house tonight.

Oh, wait now. I'm not, uh, working tonight, Mr. Hart.

This is Friday, remember?

Uh, who said anything about work?

-[chuckles] -[Dolly] I don't take life too serious,

but 9 to 5, it touched on some things

that needed to be touched on at the time,

back when we did this in, uh, '79, '80.

-Now, let's don't get excited. -Get your scummy hands off of me.

Look, I've been straight with you from the first day I got here,

and I put up with all your pinchin' and starin'

and chasing me around the desk 'cause I need this job.

-But this is the last straw! -Sexual harassment.

It wasn't talked about then. Now, it seems like, "Duh."

-Look, I got a gun out there in my purse. -[grunts]

And up till now, I've been forgiving and forgetting

because of the way I was brought up.

Like DoraLee, I've always known

how to stand my ground based on who, who I am and where I'm from

and how my daddy told me to handle it.

If you ever say another word about me

or make another indecent proposal,

I'm gonna get that gun of mine and I'm gonna change you

from a rooster to a hen with one shot!

[whimpers]

[DoraLee] Don't think I can't do it.

[door bangs]

-Shit. -Somebody was once talking

about doing comedy, they said, if you are doing comedy,

if you're doing funny-- something that's funny,

you shouldn't think of yourself as being funny while you're doing it.

Oh, it's so fragile and elusive, you know, the--

It's easier to make people cry,

but the thin line that brings someone over the edge

to make them laugh is really easy to miss.

It's very subtle. Very, very subtle.

And, uh, Dabney Coleman, who plays the boss,

and Lily Tomlin, their timing...

-[indistinct chatter] -...their choices are, as any other actor

or director who knows comedy will tell you, brilliant.

Oh, I'm sorry, Violet, why, why don't you sit down. Sit down over there!

I'm just getting ready to play my last card.

I'm gonna send you three bitches to jail.

Originally, the studio wanted a movie star

in the boss's role.

Not a TV actor.

They're going like, "Dabney who?"

At the time, culturally,

there were TV actors and film actors,

and there was a huge gulf in-between.

-Mr. Hart, if you'd only listen. -You listen to me.

I'll see y'all in prison before I'm through.

Steve Martin, Richard Dreyfuss, and other names came up.

And we had kind of an uphill battle

because it was a revelation to a lot of people

that women could carry a movie.

And I kept saying to them,

"The women are the star of this movie."

And we had to struggle with the studio

to approve Dabney Coleman in that role

and get the green light to make the movie.

-[rattling] -[indistinct chatter]

I was virtually the only man in the movie.

-And it was thrilling. -I'm gonna get loose.

[Dabney] I mean, I'm stepping in there with three giants.

You start tangling with me,

you better be prepared to play very rough.

So, how important was Dabney Coleman

in the making of this movie or in the success of this movie?

-Enormous. -As you know,

the chairman of the board of Consolidated Companies,

-working on consequent-- -[clattering]

Ooh! Oh, the pencils, yeah.

[chuckling] It's all right. I'll get it.

[Bruce] Doing a Preston Sturges type comedy

is extremely hard and actually pull it off.

-Let me help you with those. -No, that's okay.

[Bruce] Dabney plays a role

where he does absolutely despicable things.

You know, you mean so much more to me than just...

...a dumb secretary, so I--

[Bruce] And at

the same time,

you never really hate him.

-You didn't have to do that. -[Dabney] Well, it is a comedy

and comedies are tricky.

You never know what's gonna work or not.

Mr. Hart, I've told you before, I'm a married woman!

And I'm a married man, that's what makes it so perfect.

-Oh, Mr. Hart. Oh! -No. DoraLee, please.

But the trick of it, for all comedy, in my opinion,

is do it straight, especially when you're being bad.

-Oh, for heaven's sake! -I need you--

What are you doing, Mr. Hart?

Call me, Frank.

Any amount of rottenness

that he wants to display

is perfect for this character,

because he has no redeeming qualities at all.

He is a bad person. But that's the fun of it.

-Oh! Whoa! No. -Oh-- Did you hurt yourself?

Wha-- what are you doing down here?

Anyone who would take, uh, that seriously

and say, "Well, that is not what all, uh, male bosses are like,"

-is missing the point. -Dabney Coleman is not

all that different from Mr. Hart!

He's a Texas boy for real.

[upbeat inspirational music]

But he's such a pro, though.

He knew all about male chauvinists,

growing up there in Texas with those good ole boys.

Mr. Hart, if you touch that phone, I'm gonna jerk it

-clean out of the wall. -[Dolly] And so,

we had a real good time

-on the set. -Whoa.

-[grunts] I mean it. -Oh!

I know you think this is all a joke.

[Mr. Hart indistinctly mumbling]

[Bruce] I credit

Colin with giving us

the device of kidnapping the boss.

That structure gave us the ability

to put in the issues that the feminist movement

and the 9to5 organization wanted to see happen in real life.

-Like equal pay,

-[typewriter clacking]

-Like equal pay,

like who gets promoted, like maternity leave.

Not to mention, sexual harassment.

[typewriter dings and clacks]

The movie really pointed out a lot things,

a lot of issues that needed to be dealt with.

And the fact that it was what it was at that time,

you know, it's almost like a protest movie of a sort.

[women chanting]

♪ Join us now! ♪

♪ Sisterhood is powerful! Join us now! ♪

-♪ Sisterhood is powerful!

♪ -[Zoe] Second-wave

American feminism

started in the '60s alongside the civil rights movement.

Women were saying, "I want equity, I want parity,

I want equality, I want equal rights under the law."

[reporter] "Join us now. Sisterhood is powerful."

The battle cry of the women's liberation movement,

to protest against all kinds of discrimination,

which they say they suffer in a world run largely by men.

[women chanting] ♪ Free our sisters! Free ourselves! ♪

♪ Free our sisters! Free ourselves ♪

-♪ Free our sisters! ♪ -[Zoe] We were on the upswing

of human right, and it was all gonna turn out great.

We were on the road to right.

To morality and ethics and civil rights.

[Rita] I thought that feminists were extreme

and terribly embarrassing and pushy and aggressive.

And I could not conceive of myself ever saying publicly,

"I don't deserve this terrible treatment."

I didn't think it was terrible treatment.

I thought it was-- that was the norm.

[suspenseful music]

[Karen] By the late '70s,

there was a huge backlash against the women's movement,

and "feminism" was a hot word.

The Equal Rights Amendment

will die 16 months from Tuesday.

[Karen] There were forces that would take the language of feminism,

and it was used as a weapon against women's equality.

We wanted to sidestep that.

[melancholic music]

[Ellen] Many 9to5 members would join the organization saying,

"I'm not a feminist."

I don't understand what women's lib is, anyway.

Women are becoming less women.

I wanna be a woman, I wanna be treated like a woman and feminine,

and the way we always were treated.

"But I believe in fair pay, I believe in women's equality."

Well, pay could be better, yes.

[Jane] In 9 to 5, we were drilling down into the

issues.

We wanted to show how three very different women came together.

It's lookin' good. But if we're gonna do this,

why don't we make changes that really count?

There was a point at which the women said,

"We're just gonna take over! We can do it better. We're doing it, anyway.

We're not given the credit or the pay, but we're doing it.

This guy doesn't know what the hell he's doing.

If it wasn't for Violet, he'd run the thing

into the ground." And so, they just took over.

-Hold it right there. -[door opens]

My God, you're as crazy as the other two.

Not that feminism means that women have to take over,

but it means coming into your own,

it means having agency.

The women began to feel they had agency over their jobs,

their workplace, and their lives.

[gentle music]

[Lily] I admired Jane.

I didn't think she was a radical feminist by any means.

But I knew her pretty well

from her movies,

her earlier movies,

gossip sheets, and movie magazines.

But she certainly was a,

a person of consciousness and awareness.

[Bruce] Jane was, by this time, a major movie star

when we were making

the movie 9 to 5.

And one of the things she had developed as an actress

was the relationship between the costumes and the actress,

being able to develop a character

who's got a whole backstory.

Costumes are always very important to an actor,

and Ann Roth is the quintessential actor's costumier.

[Ann] I had worked

with Jane on Klute

and Jane is the consummate actor.

I was most interested in making them

look like working girls who punched a time clock.

Very normal. The kind of women

that you would see

in Life Magazine,

not Mademoiselle, not Vogue.

-[Violet] Is that her? -[man] Yes.

We're gonna need a special locker for the hat.

[elevator dings]

You figure out each one of those women,

where she comes from, where she lives,

how much she spends on her clothes.

And they should look real.

Although, of course, Dolly was expected to be Dolly.

I will soitenly tell him, Roz.

[Bruce] Everything with the costumes was to underscore

that these three very different characters

would come across as three smart girls,

and I think it paid off in the film.

[young Dolly] But I love the character that Jane played,

because oddly enough,

I saw in that character a great deal of you,

of another side of Jane that, that people don't see all the time.

She's very outspoken as a rule,

and people think sometimes, you know, even hard.

But there was this sweet, gentle little girl side in Jane

that I think is, is so sweet and loveable.

And that was one of the big surprises, you know, in working with, with her.

This particular trip I've spent talking about boobs

and, uh, and how I deal with Jane

-and what my folks think about Jane... -[laughter]

...and what the south thinks about me being friends with Jane,

-but, you know, if we had agreed to do it-- -[laughter]

-[cross talk] -I can't believe it, can you?

[Dolly] You wouldn't believe the things

they're asking me, honestly.

-[cross talk] -I'm dumbfounded.

...she reappeared three ro--

Well, I'm just saying, I, you know,

-and I've said, you know-- -[laughter]

[Dolly] The three of us were so

completely different,

-but we were so connected. -Wait--

-I forgot my line. -That's all right--

[Dolly] We really respected

and admired each other

for our own beliefs

and for our own principles and values,

and it really showed on screen,

'cause we really liked each other.

Like our characters,

we were, at that time, very smart gals,

proud that we were accomplishing all these things,

being strong women.

-How's Lily? -[laughs]

-[beeps] -[Jane] Dolly, Lily, and I

are kind of cool.

[chuckles] I don't know,

we're fun.

Wow. I thought I have a V-8. [laughs]

[Jane] And so, when you get the three of us together...

[laughter]

-...it's even funner. -Wait. No. W-- wait.

-[laughing] -No, you're hysterical. Now, stop it, Violet.

-You're completely hysterical. Calm down. -I can't help it.

-I really admire Dolly. -Violet, honey? Could you--

-[laughter] -[Jane] It's not just the things

that you know about her, but she's got

a very deep side to her.

Very perceptive, very smart, and playful.

-[laughter] -[beeps]

Do-- what's green and smell like Miss Piggy, Judy?

-[laughing] No! -[laughter]

Kermit's finger. Look at that.

-[laughter and cross talk] -[beeps]

When Jane and I first started working with her,

it was just astonishing, especially for Dabney.

Aw, that wasn't so bad, was it?

-[Lily] Because Dolly's figure... -No.

...is out of the scale of human proportions.

Jane and I would be turning, we go, "Oh, Dolly! I'm so sorry."

Her head would be way back here. And a couple times,

we did, like, have a collision with Dolly.

Have you always been, um,

uh, you know, well-endowed? I mean, even in school

were you like that?

Yeah, I couldn't leave them home.

[crowd laughing]

♪ Workin' nine to five what a way to make a livin' ♪

-♪ Barely gettin' by... ♪

-I said to Jane,

"Yes, I would love to do this movie, under one condition.

I get to write the theme song and sing it."

That was part of my deal.

And she said, "Well, fair enough."

♪ ...nine to five ♪

[Nicholas] We were shooting on the Fox lot,

and one day, I was walking to the stage,

and it was Dolly's day off, but Dolly had come to the set

and she was in the, uh, teamster's car, she's in the back seat,

and she had the window down and she said, "Nicholas,

come over here, come over here!" And I went, "Oh, hi, Dolly."

And I went over there, and she had her guitar.

And she is, "Listen to this. What do you think?"

-Yeah, I-- I'll start it now. Yeah. -She wrote it pretty much.

-I mean, you guys, you guys-- -Perfectly, but we know--

Uh, yeah. Don't start until I point a--

-an accusing finger, okay? So, it goes-- -[throats clearing]

-♪ I'm... ♪ -♪ Workin' nine to five what a way to make a livin' ♪

♪ Barely gettin' by it's all... ♪

[young Dolly] We recorded this last week, and we had

all the secretaries come on set,

and Jane and Lily come over, and we did, like, a sing-along.

♪ ...it's enough to drive you crazy if you let it ♪

-♪ Nine to five for service and devotion... ♪ -[laughing]

♪ Nine to five ♪

And she was clicking with her fingernails

and everything. I said, "What's that?"

And she said, "I just wrote that for the film.

Do you think it's any good?"

I said, "I've only heard 20 seconds,

but it's a hit, Dolly."

[fingernails clicking]

That's how she said she wrote "9 to 5."

I'm not very good at that either.

Just, "Do you think I should play it for Jane and Colin?"

"Yes!" So, I think I might've been

the first person to ever hear that song.

[Lily] I said to Bruce Gilbert and Jane,

"If this movie is not a big hit, this song will be.

It will make us a hit."

[upbeat music]

[Bruce] 9 to 5 was

released in December of 1980.

Obviously, we were not a Christmas movie.

So, there was certainly some trepidation from the studio

about whether this would be a very popular film.

And there were a lot of other comedies

being released at the exact same time.

I sentence you to 125 years.

[yelling] What? What?

[loud thuds]

Have you got the right case?

[Dolly] I'm sure that Jane was really sweating it,

hoping that she was right, hoping that it would do well,

but I just remember thinkin', "This could go either way."

[camera shutters clicking]

[reporter] Another major movie premiere here in Hollywood.

Tonight, it's 9 to 5,

the movie that's starring Lily Tomlin,

Jane Fonda, and Dolly Parton,

who up until tonight has been known as a singing star.

-She steals the movie. She's-- absolutely. -Does she--

She's absolutely wonderful. She's a natural.

[Ellen] The movie also had it's New York premiere,

and we were sitting in the audience.

I remember Karen squeezing my hand

and just-- we were just so thrilled.

[Karen] We knew that we couldn't do this on our own.

And the glamour of Hollywood!

Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, and Lily Tomlin had our backs now.

-You look great tonight. How does one go about choosing... -Oh, thank you!

...uh, what she wears to her movie premiere?

Well, one just has to have somebody

make a couple of things a-- and pick from 'em.

And Ann Roth did this dress, and I love white.

[Lilly] We all went to see it, and we were just floored

with how accurate even the comedy parts were.

[Ellen] Jane was asked, "Are you lighting a fire

under the desks in the offices of America?"

And she said, "No. Secretaries are lighting those fires,

and we are just fanning the flames."

[young Jane] We've shown it to a lot of audiences and they just roar.

And men love it just as much as women.

I think it's gonna...

-...it's gonna make a lot of people very happy. -[laughter]

[Roger] Unfortunately, this is a comedy that's kind of dumb,

where the three secretaries in a giant corporation,

and they are, of course, the victims

of rampaging corporate male chauvinist piggism.

-[chuckles] -But, uh, when it doesn't get on its high horse

and isn't trying to hit us over the head with its message,

the movie's great fun to watch.

[upbeat rock music]

[Bruce] 9 to 5 was the second highest-grossing film,

only coming in behind one of the Star Wars films.

And some critics had a problem with the movie,

but the important thing is that 9 to 5

became popular all over the world.

And 40 years later, it's a classic film.

As very earnest activists,

we sometimes had a problem with the comedy.

[upbeat suspenseful music playing]

-[shakily] Hi? -It was not some... [sighs] po-faced

feminist bangin' on.

It was a group of brilliant actors

being funny and succeeding.

I remember seeing the film and going, "Oh, my goodness!

I don't believe it. They've done it."

[Zoe] I'm hoping that the women went to work that day

and fantasized, "Now, I wonder if we could get that

attached to the ceiling."

You know, you just don't know what silliness

they might've been inspired to do,

but they were emboldened...

-[dings] -[Mr. Hart screaming]

...because it was on screen and it was fun.

DoraLee! [indistinctly mumbles]

[Lily] When we were promoting the film,

we were, uh, counseled by some media person.

And he told us that we should emphasize that it's a comedy.

The movie 9 to 5 is

a message movie, uh,

a little heavy-handed, in my estimation.

-Do ya think so? -Yeah, and I'm a very active feminist.

-Uh-- -Oh.

They must have known how certain issues, uh, might be perceived.

[mimicking woman] Phoenicia,

last night, I saw 9 to 5,

and let me tell you, it opened my eyes to new horizons.

I've taken enough gaffe and enough crud

around this place for long enough.

I've been a-- [stutters] I've been a retiring person,

I've tried to please everyone. I've had a pleasant personality

under t-- under the duress of it all,

but believe me, things are gonna change,

and I'm gonna give the old boss's plug a yank.

[Rita] The film was giving permission to women,

who maybe were still reticent, like myself.

"Don't put with that."

And a lot of women in America

loved that message.

[gentle music]

[upbeat music playing]

[reporter] And the fabulous Dolly Parton,

nominated in the Best Song category

for her composition, "9 to 5."

♪ Nine to five ♪

[Dolly] I was nominated for an Oscar

for Best Song, and that was a great honor.

I'd been hoping and praying that the song would be a hit and it was.

-♪ ...want to move ahead... ♪ -And the music video

was very popular.

-♪ ...to let me... ♪

-[Karen] "9 to 5" became an

anthem

for the women's movement. So she captured the individual

trying to live her life to the fullest.

♪ They let you dream just to watch you shatter ♪

-♪ You're just a step...

♪ -[Karen] "You're just a

step

on the bossman's ladder."

And then, it's a collective response

when we realize that we're in the same boat,

-that's where we get our

power. -[indistinct chatter]

Anyone who is turned off by a movie like this is possibly,

uh, a little hung up somewhere,

unless they could possibly not-- uh, like the movie.

But if you are talking about what I think you are,

which is a, a chauvinistic type

-of, uh, anti-ERA... -[woman] Mm-hmm.

...or anti-feminist, uh, uh, uh, philosophy,

if you are talking about that, then I think that, uh,

they may be a little hung up.

[Zoe] Just imagine all these secretaries

going to this movie together!

Maybe movies were $2 at the time.

And the secretaries, they are the ones moving the office.

They are the ones taking the calls.

They are the ones making Mr. Hart look smart...

-What? When? -...when, in fact, he's a fool.

-[sharp rustling] -Holy shit.

Uh-- no, no! No, no problem.

[Zoe] So, that's

the breakout.

That's the wonder of this movie.

Holy shit. There he is. [chuckles nervously]

[shakily] It's really emotional.

-[indistinct shouting]

-The movie 9 to 5,

coming out when it did,

perfectly synced with the Equal Rights Amendment.

Many women now joining, who worked in offices,

were inspired by the film.

So, remember, men, if you come to work tomorrow

and your secretary refuses to do the filing,

and then go home and find that your wife

has refused to do the cooking, don't blame them.

Remember, you gave them the vote 50 years ago.

This is Mike Scott, male chauvinist. TV9, Eyewitness News.

[light dramatic music]

[Zoe] Equal Rights Amendment

was written in 1923 by Alice Paul.

-She was a Republican.

-[man] The Equal Rights

Amendment...

[Zoe] The ERA was an amendment to say,

"You cannot discriminate between men and women

when it comes to things that are ruled by the law."

It seemed obvious.

In almost every Congress since 1923,

there's been proposed a constitutional amendment

to guarantee equal rights for women.

Well, today, it finally won approval.

Proclaiming once and for all that women have

all the same rights as that other sex.

[Zoe] So, in 1971,

there were hearings in Congress.

In 1972, it went out to the states for ratification,

and the requirement was three fifths,

which would've been 38 states.

And they were given a deadline.

Virginia is the only unratified state

with elections this year.

When you vote next Tuesday, you are not voting

for yourselves only,

you are voting for all of us.

-[crowd cheering and clapping] -The whole country

is looking to Virginia for a sign,

a sign that the ERA can win.

The Equal Rights Amendment will put women

where they've never been before.

In the constitution of the United States of America.

[clapping and cheering increase]

For more than four years, no state has ratified

The Equal Rights Amendment. Now, there's just a year left

to get the three more states

needed to reach the 38 required for ratification,

or the amendment will die.

[dramatic music]

[woman] Are you still working

actively for ERA?

Are you making speeches on behalf of ERA?

Uh, I'm part of an organization in California

that works primarily on economic issues,

and that would certainly include the Equal Rights Amendment,

but we deal, uh, essentially

with, um, the problems of inflation and unemployment.

-[woman] Mm-hmm. -Economic issues.

We ask that you would give us your divine wisdom.

[reporter] Opposing both the

state and the federal

amendment

are women like these, members of STOP ERA.

According to them, the ERA is anti-family,

anti-God, a government intrusion

that will remove the legal protections

that have shaped women's lives for centuries.

[Sonia] This society has said to us, and said to me,

"Being a wife and a mother

is the most important thing you can do."

And then, when we do it for 20 years,

and my husband walks out,

decides he's not gonna pay anything,

and certainly not enough to support the children,

what do I find out this society is gonna do for me?

Nothing. I have no hospitalization,

I have no pension, I have no social security,

I have nothing at all.

[Phyllis] Aren't we lucky that we don't have the Equal Rights Amendment?

Else that would have to apply to women in the draft

and in combat and in everything to do with the military

since the military is all a matter of federal law.

-I ask you to... -STOP ERA is a front for great corporations

who wou-- to whom it would be devastating

if women had even equal pay for equal work in this country.

-The insurance company-- -But, but people from STOP ERA will say,

"But women are already protected."

-Well, uh-- -As far as equal pay is concerned.

Oh, that's just nonsense.

-[young Jane] I was recently down in Roanoke Rapids... -[man] Mm.

...North Carolina, visiting some of the workers there,

and they can't afford to go to movies.

Not only 'cause the ticket prices are so high,

-but, you know, babysitters, transportation... -[man] Yes.

...parking, all that. And those are the kind of people

that I'd also like to, to be working for.

That is true. Uh, there's still a percentage of people who don't get out

-to the movie theaters. -Yeah. Uh, I wanna go into television.

I guess my main motivation is to--

is to try to reach large numbers of people.

-[alarm ringing] -["9 to 5" by Dolly Parton]

[Bruce] After 9 to 5 came

out and it was so successful,

20th Century Fox Television wanted a TV show spinoff of the movie,

and we were very open to that idea.

So, Jane and I became executive producers.

[young Jane] Because they're women, they're at the bottom of the ladder.

They're rarely promoted. Uh, they're discriminated against

in many different ways. And they've always been ignored

by the traditional labor movement.

"You know, these broads, you can't organize them."

Well, they're organizing themselves.

And hopefully, with the movie and with the television series,

-we'll give it a boost! -Oh, the nerve of that man,

-threatening me-- -[Carol] We got a call

from Jane Fonda and she said,

"You know, we would like someone from the organization

to come out and work with us on the TV series."

To kind of make sure that the TV show stayed true

to the principles that the film had been so great about.

Now, who here knows how to type?

[crowd laughing]

Uh, excuse me?

Could you direct me to Mr. Hart's office?

-Thank you. -[Ellen] As the TV show went on,

it strayed from the message of our organization.

A lot of times, I noticed that you would be siding with the boss.

"Oh, poor boss has to put up

with such a silly creature as the secretary."

[indistinct singing]

The television executives,

who all had their opinions,

and there were several...

Just one of the boys.

...and then you had these executives

from the network, much more meddling.

That was a shock to me.

-Call me stupid, I don't know where this goes. -[crowd laughing]

[Bruce] It became obvious that we were not capturing

the movie 9 to 5.

the flavor of

the movie 9 to 5.

It was, uh, a--

just a tremendous burden on me, psychologically.

Okay, party's over. Don't you girls have anything to do?

[Jane] I wasn't very involved...

...in that... part of it.

And I, I... I don't know if it would've worked more

if I had been, I don't know.

Jane and I decided to take our names off of the show,

because it no longer reflected our input.

[light suspenseful music]

So, we advance... [chuckles] and we go back,

and we advance, and we go back.

The deadline for the ERA

had been extended to June 30th, 1982.

[reporter 1] Local ERA supporters

say they will key their efforts in Illinois,

Florida, Mississippi, and North Carolina,

four states they feel can be persuaded

to ratify the amendment, or the proposal will die.

ERA will not pass in this century.

[indistinct shouting] ...ERA!

[Zoe] So, we backed it up

and we started fasting 40 days

before that deadline.

[reporter 2] Seven

women have fasted now

for 22 days. Women who chained themselves together,

blocking the Senate, were removed.

[reporter 3] One of the fasters, Sonia Johnson,

is now using a wheelchair, because she feels so weak.

But all of the women say there are no plans to stop now.

[Zoe] We fasted only on water.

And had the time of our lives.

ERA supporters conceded defeat this week,

falling three states short of the 38 needed to ratify.

Opponents to the amendment are celebrating tonight.

-[ethereal music]

-♪ ...America...♪

[crowd clapping and cheering]

[Zoe] Of course, I was willing to die for the ERA.

Of course, I'm willing to die for equality.

Of course, that's what activists do.

[dramatic music]

Hey, we have a two o'clock campus tour you can take.

[Karen] Ultimately, at the end of the 1980s,

corporate America decided, "Actually,

they're gonna have to let women in on the game,"

and began to let women in as managers

and supervisors and professionals

in numbers that we've never seen before.

[indistinct chatter]

[dramatic music]

[reporter 1] Shocking charges of sexual harassment.

The judge pleads "not guilty."

Someone's lying under oath, under the dome.

I have not said or done the things

that Anita Hill has alleged.

After a brief discussion of work,

he would turn the conversation

to a discussion of sexual matters.

His conversations were very vivid.

[Karen] Suddenly, sexual harassment emerged as a popular issue.

These kinds of experiences

were taking place across the country,

and so, women were beginning to realize

that it's about power in the workplace,

then it was kind of just part of this whole morass of indignities

that women were just beginning to sort through.

[crowd clapping and cheering]

[reporter 2] A year since the Hill Thomas hearings,

women candidates running for the Senate this year

in unprecedented numbers.

[reporter 3] Carol Moseley

Braun added to gains

made in what's being called, "The Year of the Woman."

[woman] Walking up those steps

to the United States Senate,

knocking on the door, and it opens,

and we all come inside, all of us, together!

[Fatima] And it was Anita Hill.

And the outrage that drove more women to Congress.

And now, they're fighting for change at a policy level,

including equal pay and fair wages.

[indistinct chatter]

[Lilly] I went to work February 5th, 1979,

for Goodyear Tire & Rubber in Gadsden, Alabama.

It was the same year the 9 to 5 movie was being made.

And later on, I became my area manager,

and some of the men resented me.

They said, um, "We've never taken orders from a woman."

They made my job really difficult

and there were several times I was concerned for my life.

[light ominous music]

But I'd think back about the movie.

Well, I say we hire a couple of wranglers to go upstairs and beat the shit out of him.

[Lilly] And Jane and Dolly and Lily encouraged me.

In the 19 years that I worked at Goodyear as a supervisor,

no one ever discussed their pay.

I started suspecting

I was not getting what the men were getting.

We four supervisors had the exact same job,

just a different shift.

And their pay was almost $6000 a month,

and that's base pay,

and mine was just a little over three.

[Zoe] Imagine, after working 20 years,

that she found out that this man is doing the same job as she did,

was getting paid two times more,

which affected his social security,

which affected his, his pension,

which affected his ability to retire.

[Lilly] My daughter and son were still going to college,

and I had a mortgage to pay, and I had to pay my bills.

[reporter 1] Ledbetter sued, but the US Supreme Court threw

out her case,

saying she filed her lawsuit too late.

[Lilly] Those five justices,

they didn't only rule against Lilly Ledbetter,

they ruled against every family across this nation.

[Fatima] So, in 2009, we saw a huge change happen.

It was a mix of law and policy change that was happening,

because in 2007, when the Supreme Court got it wrong,

Justice Ginsburg wrote a powerful dissent

that eventually changed the law.

First of all, it is fitting

that the very first bill that I sign...

...the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act.

[crowd clapping and cheering]

Equal pay is by no means

just a women's issue.

It's a family issue.

[reporter 2] But Ledbetter

herself will never see a

dime

of the $200,000 in lost salary she claims.

[woman] You lost your case, but what did you win?

Something that money could never buy.

♪ Workin' nine to five what a way to make a livin' ♪

♪ Barely gettin' by ♪

[Dolly] I've always been saying, "I don't chew my tobacco but once,"

or some corny thing like that. Meaning, "I don't like to go back and do something again."

[crowd singing and clapping]

You know that better than me!

[Bob] There's a big trend in the theater business,

taking successful movies and turning them into musicals.

♪ Nine to five what a way to make a livin'... ♪

The movie felt so dated that it was kind of like,

"Why are we doing a revival of this very dated movie?"

And then, realized that,

"We're not so far off from this movie,

these things are still going on."

[Joe] I was thinking of the message of the film and the musical.

We were looking at it as a time

in our history that we were past.

-In my memo-- -Did you hear what I said? Fire the bitch.

And that's just not the case.

So, you need to keep telling people,

"This is where we've come from. This is where we've been. And this is where we're at."

[woman] Are you surprised that it's had this kind of-- you know,

we're talking about 29 years, this kind of response from all generations.

-Well, I'm not-- I'm not really surprised. No-- -No, no.

It's iconic. And partly, it's because the issues,

the things that it speaks to are universal and still very much alive.

It's women emancipation.

Secondly, it's about women wanting to kill their boss.

And third of all, I know that everybody

in my company wants to kill me,

and they bought multiple tickets.

I think if this, this movie could survive,

this show could survive on just my company.

[tense music playing]

[woman] Later, Harvey Weinstein was accused

by several women of sexual harassment,

energizing the MeToo movement,

which quickly spread around the world.

[indistinct shouting]

[women shouting] No means no! No means no!

When MeToo went viral, it was if the earth shook.

-[crowd] MeToo. MeToo-- -[woman] MeToo!

[women shouting] TimesUp!

[women chanting in French]

[chanting in Spanish]

[loud clanking and banging]

[women chanting] ♪ Stop the violence! Stop the rape! ♪

♪ Rise up for the women of the world! ♪

♪ For the women of the world rise up! ♪

[Tarana] What we represent by gathering

and marching in the streets is a living breathing reminder

that we are human beings, not hashtags!

-[crowd cheering and clapping] -[Ellen] Some people might be surprised

by MeToo, TimesUp,

and the whole issue of sexual harassment.

These are new slogans, but they're not new issues.

[Jane] Now, women who speak up about assault

and sexual harassment are taken more seriously.

Um, I think people are realizing that it's epidemic.

Of course, it's rampant.

It's very-- but the men are acculturated

by whatever forces are near them.

Their fathers, their brothers, their uncles,

kids at school, just their own natural,

uh, a-- absorbing the-- the, uh,

whatever the entertainment puts out-- Cartoons!

Now, I'm gonna grab me some sweet.

No, Mr. Simpson, that's sexual harassment!

If you keep it up, I'll yell so loud, the whole country will hear!

[laughing] With the man in the White House... [laughs]

...not likely. [laughs]

I hope it's not a real cultural shift,

that men feel like they don't know how to behave around women.

You know, it's not hard. Like, just don't be a jerk.

-Violet-- -[Amaya] Keep your hands to yourself.

No one else is your property.

-Damn pretty too, if I might add. -Thank you, sir.

You should see some of the crones that have been

coming through here lately, real pathetic.

[Amaya] Like the

boss in 9 to 5,

nobody thinks your inappropriate jokes are funny.

I mean, a lot of it is just being an adult, right? [laughs]

[Dolly] When the MeToo movement started, I think it really helped a lot.

It's given us a really good opportunity

to make more, uh, corrections

and to just do more good things for, for women especially,

'cause really, it's not a matter of politics,

it's just downright fairness.

[Vanessa] It doesn't matter what industry you're in,

it doesn't matter what department you work for,

I know that we've held workshops in the past

where assistants find out that peers of theirs

are actually making double or triple the money.

Here he is, with nowhere near the years of experience,

no degree, and you're gonna offer him $12,000 more.

An employee got upset because we didn't get a bonus.

And so, he literally said everybody's salary

in front of everybody. And I found out,

not only was I the lowest paid person,

but I was making almost $17,000 less

than the lowest paid person on my team,

with the highest stats,

the highest customer retention, all of that.

Humanity still has a long way to go

in the fight for gender equality.

This is according to a new report

from the World Economic Forum.

It will take more than 200 years

to close the gender pay gap at our current pays worldwide.

[Miranda] In America, Black women are 61 cents to the dollar

in comparison to white male and their counterparts.

So, we're still far behind on that, on that pay grade.

[Yanira] For Latinas, it's 54 cents

compared to a non-Hispanic white man.

You might be a PhD,

and you will make less as a Latina,

not only compared to white men, but also white women.

[Tara] In the

United States today,

never mind when 9 to 5

was made, if someone like

Violet,

a single mother, was working full-time

at the Federal minimum wage,

which it's still $7.25 an hour...

Violet News-- Oh, come on kids! No-- come on, no fighting!

...she would earn about $14,500 a year.

And she would be expected to, um, pull up her bootstraps

and somehow feed four children and pay for a car

and pay for clothes to go to work.

Back then, getting a promotion was a pipe dream.

We've got to do something. He just can't treat people like that.

[scoffs] "Do." What's to do? Quit?

-Well, I can't quit. -It's the same all over, anyway.

Well, look, couldn't we just all get together and, and complain?

-[laughs] Complain to who? -Let's face it,

we're in a pink-collar ghetto. Let's have another drink.

[Jane] It's worse today than it was when we made 9 to 5,

because now, most of those women

would be hired by a contracting company and subcontracted.

They may never see the boss.

Where do you go to complain when you're part of the gig economy?

Never mind having union jobs.

[light melancholic music]

What the movie showed was

there was a systemic issue.

Did you get my memo?

I did, Roz. I tore right through it.

Good! You know, we must, uh, clamp down hard

on any signs of unionization.

[Jane] The whole notion of promotions and benefits

and being respected for your work is a thing of the past.

We see that 9 to 5

was ahead of the game

with the idea of flexible hours,

trying to work part-time

or trying to work around their mothering.

What the hell is going on? Who authorized all this?

You did, Mr. Hart. It's, uh, your signature.

[Arianna] Once they have children and leave the workplace,

three quarters of women return,

but only 40% are returning full-time.

The primary responsibility going to women, largely.

If a culture is fueled by burnout,

women are going to pay a disproportionate price.

[reporter 1] The current health crisis is impacting

the working women more than men,

and there are a number of reasons why.

During this pandemic, many parents,

especially moms, have been working

and helping their kids with schoolwork at home.

One in three mothers may be forced to scale back

or opt out of the workforce.

[Karen] So, childcare,

maternity leave,

health insurance, paid sick time,

all of those things,

you saw in 9 to 5.

So, you pulled it off, Frank, huh?

Well, I, I like to think we did, anyway.

-[laughter] -Good. Like the day-care center.

Center-- day-care center?

[Karen] All of those things,

women are still fighting for.

And we have to be clear-eyed about that.

Those issues, which were at the center

of the 9 to 5 movie,

are not resolved.

[Violet] We transformed, but the cost was minimal.

It's cut down on absenteeism

and we had a wonderful time doing it.

Well, Frank, I gotta give you credit.

-You really pulled it off here. -[chuckles]

And, uh, that equal pay thing, though, that's, uh, that's got to go. Hmm?

-Oh, yes. -Oh, yeah, it's all right as an incentive,

but, uh, we don't need to keep on priming the pump.

We need to be talking about money.

We need to say it out loud.

And spreading the message of women knowing their worth

and asking for what they're worth.

[crowd cheering, clapping, and chanting] ...pay! Equal pay!

How long have I been chanting "equal pay"?

[reporter 2] They rolled down Broadway, down the stretch

known as the Canyon of Heroes,

brandishing what they'd been sent to France to retrieve,

the World Cup Trophy.

[all shouting] Equal pay! Equal pay!

[Zoe] I am

hoping that it is

through those ground-breaking women in sports,

in the arts, in politics and activism...

Marching to the front lines as we often do.

...in all the visible places,

we're gonna finally have equality for women

in the Constitution of the United States.

[Fatima] In order to ratify any amendment,

we not only need Congress to act,

you also need states to act.

[Lily] I came to Virginia

because your elections next Tuesday

transcend the borders of your state.

[crowd clapping and cheering]

[gentle music]

[Fatima] And you need 38 states.

Over the years, we have gotten to 37.

We are one state away.

[Patricia] Did the Civil Rights Act eliminate prejudice?

No, of course not. And has it made an equal playing field? No.

But at least it gives you some laws that help protect you.

♪ ...dreams have wings ♪

[Zoe] If you ask eight graders across the country,

"Are you in the constitution?" They would all say, "Yes."

And then, I have to tell the girls,

"I have some very bad news for you.

-No, you're not." -♪ ...yeah, dreams have... ♪

All those in favor say, "Aye."

[crowd] Aye.

[cheering and clapping]

[gentle music]

9 to 5 changed my life,

and I can say beyond a doubt

that it changed the office, bosses,

and the whole atmosphere of office work.

[Bruce] I'm under no illusion that any single film

can change the culture.

There are just so many factors

that effect change.

As filmmakers, we just try to do our part.

I recognized the value of being a woman,

because it was lauded in the film.

[Amaya] Regardless of age, regardless of race,

regardless of orientation,

having solidarity in the women's movement

is really what's gonna push us forward.

[Dame Jenni] It's young women respecting older women

and older women giving them a leg up.

[music continues]

[Yanira] I can tell you that it's gonna be a fight,

but I can also tell you that it's gonna be a good fight,

because it's gonna be with your sisters,

with people who understand you and want the same goals.

And ultimately, you'll get there.

[Karen] Unless we're able to truly understand what we're up against

and build the power we need to win against that,

then we'll be engaged in 40

and 50-year struggles like we are today.

[dramatic music]

And the more women we get into positions of power,

the more that that will dissipate.

While I may be the first woman in this office,

I will not be the last.

[crowd cheering and clapping]

Because every little girl watching tonight

sees that this is a country of possibilities.

And to the children of our country,

regardless of your gender,

our country has sent you a clear message.

Dream with ambition.

[cheering continues]

There's something very exciting and dynamic

in this moment, which is why now,

making change in the world

has to reach down the generational line.

It's so important that people who've been, you know,

suffering because of injustice

realize that they're seen.

[Lily] As women, we need to still fight.

...the earth! Rights for the trees!

We've got so much more to do.

How can anybody ever do enough?

No matter what you're doing, is never gonna be enough.

My Lord, it's 40 years now.

Those fairy godmothers accomplished a lot,

but we've got a long way to go.

Just like DoraLee and Violet and Judy in the film.

-[cork pops] -[laughter]

And Tinsworthy loved what we did!

Yeah, everything, except that part about the money.

What are we gonna do about that?

Hey, we've come this far, haven't we?

This is just the beginning.

And here's to the beginning!

-[laughs] -I'll drink to that.

-To the beginning. -Yay.

["9 to 5 (FROM THE STILL WORKING 9 TO 5 DOCUMENTARY)"

by Kelly Clarkson & Dolly Parton]

♪ Nine to five ♪

♪ Tumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen ♪

♪ Pour myself a cup of ambition ♪

♪ And yawn and stretch and try to come to life ♪

♪ Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumpin' ♪

♪ Out on the street the traffic is jumpin' ♪

♪ With folks like me on the job from nine to five ♪

-♪ Mm, yeah, nine to five

♪ -♪ Workin' nine to five

♪

♪ What a way to make a livin' ♪

-♪ Barely gettin' by ♪ -♪ Gettin' by ♪

♪ It's all takin' and no givin' ♪

-♪ They just use your mind

♪ -♪ They just use your

mind ♪

♪ And they never give you credit ♪

♪ It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it ♪

-♪ If you let it, nine to five ♪ -♪ Workin' nine to five ♪

♪ For service and devotion ♪

-♪ You would think that I

♪ -♪ You would think that

I ♪

♪ Would deserve a fair promotion ♪

-♪ Want to move ahead ♪

-♪ Move ahead ♪

♪ But the boss won't seem to let me ♪

♪ I swear sometimes that man is out to get me ♪

♪ He's out to get me! ♪

-♪ Nine to five ♪ -♪ Nine to five ♪

♪ Nine to five ♪

-♪ Workin', workin', workin' ♪ -♪ Nine to five ♪

♪ Nine to five they let you dream ♪

♪ Just to watch 'em shatter you're just a step ♪

-♪ On the bossman's ladder

♪ -♪ But you've got

dreams ♪

-♪ He'll never take away

♪ -♪ He'll never take 'em

away ♪

♪ You're in the same boat with a lot of your friends ♪

♪ Waitin' for the day your ship'll come in ♪

-♪ And when the tide's gonna turn and it's all ♪ -♪ Mm ♪

-♪ Gonna roll your way ♪ -♪ I just know it ♪

-♪ Workin' nine to five ♪ -♪ Nine to five ♪

♪ What a way to make a livin' ♪

-♪ Barely gettin' by ♪ -♪ Gettin' by ♪

♪ It's all takin' and no givin' ♪

-♪ They just use your mind

♪ -♪ They just use your

mind ♪

♪ And they never give you credit ♪

♪ It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it ♪

-♪ But you won't let it ♪ -♪ Workin' nine to five ♪

♪ Yeah, they got you where they want you ♪

-♪ There's a better life

♪ -♪ There's a better

life ♪

-♪ And you dream about it

don't you ♪ -♪ You dream

♪

-♪ About it, rich man's game ♪ -♪ It's a rich man's

game ♪

♪ No matter what they call it ♪

♪ And you spend your life puttin' money ♪

-♪ In his wallet ♪ -♪

Puttin' money in his wallet

♪

-♪ Workin' nine to five ♪ -♪ Nine to five ♪

♪ What a way to make a livin' ♪

-♪ Barely gettin' by ♪ -♪ Gettin' by ♪

♪ It's all takin' and no givin' ♪

-♪ They just use your mind

♪ -♪ They just use your

mind ♪

♪ And they never give you credit ♪

♪ It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it ♪

♪ Crazy if you let it ♪

-♪ Workin' nine to five ♪ -♪ Nine to five, ooh ♪

-♪ Workin' nine to five ♪ -♪ Nine to five ♪

rich man's game ♪

-♪ Will-- ♪ -♪ It's a

rich man's game ♪

♪ No matter what they call it ♪

♪ And you spend your life puttin' money ♪

-♪ In his wallet ♪ -♪

Puttin' money in his wallet

♪

-♪ Nine to five ♪ -♪ Nine to five ♪

♪ Just workin' workin', workin' ♪

♪ Nine to five ♪

♪ Just workin' workin', workin' ♪

-♪ Nine to five ♪ -♪ Nine to five ♪

♪ And you think about it don't you ♪

♪ Nine to five ♪

♪ Yeah, you think about it don't you ♪

-♪ Nine to five ♪ -♪ Nine to five ♪