Doralee Rhodes

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Doralee Rhodes was a fictional character in the movie Nine to Five as well as the television series of the same name. In the movie, she was played by actress-singer Dolly Parton who also sang the movie's theme. In the TV series, she was played by Dolly's real life sister, Rachel Dennison.

In the upcoming musical production, Doralee will be played by Megan Hilty.

[edit] The Executive Secretary

Married to up-and-coming country singer, Dwayne Rhodes, Doralee was the breadwinner of their family, working as an executive secretary at Consolidated Companies. She needed the job since Dwayne's music gigs never seemed to pay the bills enough. She was the secretary to Franklin Hart, Jr who, despite his marriage to Missy Hart, seemed to have only one thing on his mind, which was bedding his secretary.

Whenever Doralee wasn't around (usually doing errands for Hart, like gassing his car, or attending to his legal matters by taking papers to his lawyer), he orders his former management trainer, Violet Newstead to do menial tasks like getting his coffee, tasks that Doralee would normally do.

For a while, Doralee feels left out among her co-workers, especially since rumors were flying about her sleeping with Hart and she felt like she was a bastard at a family reunion; but then she gains genuine friendships with Violet and Judy Bernly when they discover what Hart was up to.

At first, it was very hard for Judy to feel any compassion for Doralee, since what she was doing with Hart reminded her too much of her own experience with her own ex-husband who had had an affair with his own secretary, leading up to her divorce, but she warmed up to Doralee after learning the truth about Hart, and they became close friends.

During a blistering argument with Hart about a lost promotion, Violet lets it slip that Hart himself had been telling the whole office that he was sleeping with her. This thoroughly angers Doralee who threatens to "change him from a rooster to a hen with one shot!"

During a pot party at her house, Doralee describes how she would do him in. By giving him a taste of his own medicine, added to roping him.

After Violet inadvertently poisons a cup of coffee, to keep him from calling the cops; Rosalind "Roz" Keith, his administrative assistant, ratted to him about the whole story; she ties him up. While they try to find evidence of his embezzling his own company, the three force changes in the office procedure. (Doralee able to do this since she can sign her boss' name better than anyone else can, making it official.)

The changes, while maintaining a strong office schedule, yet allowing for some personalization and warmth, caught the attention of the Chairman of the Board, who loved all the changes.

As such, Doralee loses her boss to the jungles of Brazil, when he is transferred there to work with the Chairman. She eventually quits the company herself and becomes a country-western singer.