Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story

Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story is a 1995 biography television film, about the life of legendary Country music singer Dottie West, starring Michele Lee.

It was one of the highest-rated TV-movies to ever air on CBS.

Main Cast
Actor Role Played in the Movie
Michele Lee Dottie West
William Russ Bill West
Lisa Akey Shelly West
David James Elliot Byron Metcalf
Norm Woodel Jim Reeves
Tere Myers Patsy Cline
Cathy Worthington Jeannie Seely
Ben Browder Al Winters
Tony Higgins Kris Kristofferson (younger)
Kris Kristofferson Himself
Kenny Rogers Himself
Stuart Greer Owen
Chris McCarty Willie Nelson (younger)
Willie Nelson Himself
Larry Gatlin Himself
Chet Atkins Himself
Loretta Lynn Herself

Spoiler

The movie chronicles the basic life and rise to fame of legendary Country music singer Dottie West. It starts off with West as a young child, and her abusive father, then leading to her first big break on the Landmark Jamboree television show in Ohio in the early 50s. The movie then moves to the 60s where West skyrockets to fame as a Country music singer with the Top 10 smash "Here Comes My Baby Back Again", which then leads to West winning the Grammy award in 1965 (she was the first female Country singer to win a Grammy). The movie continues providing the viewer with the highs and lows of Dottie's career, including her new image in the late-70s, where Dottie has her biggest success dueting with Kenny Rogers (who plays himself in the movie).

The movie also talks about some of West's personal problems, including her three marriages, her financial problems, which then leads to West dying at the end of the movie in a tragic car accident.

The movie starred Michele Lee as Dottie West, which Lee later described this role as the role she was born to play. Lee later descridbed playing this role as one of her favorite roles to ever play as an actress because of her fascinating character. Most of the outfits Lee wore in the movie were all West's original clothing, which included 6 wigs, three kinds of press-on nails, and West's infamous Spandex pants, which all added to a total of 56 costumes in all. A lot of the characters in the movie were played by some of West's closest friends who were also Country singers, and played themselves, like Larry Gatlin and Loretta Lynn. West's family, includuing her children (William, Shelly, Mo, Dale) helped with the making of the movie.

Dottie West (born Dorothy Marie Marsh October 11, 1932 – September 4, 1991) was an American country music singer, and was one of Country music's most influential and groundbreaking female artists. Dottie West's career started in the early-60s, with her Top 10 Country hit, "Here Comes My Baby Back Again", which won her the first Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1965. In the 1960s, West was one of the few female Country singers working in what was then a male-dominated industry, influencing other female Country singers to come to fame around that time, like Lynn Anderson, Crystal Gayle, Barbara Mandrell, Dolly Parton, and Tammy Wynette. Throughout the 60s, West had major Country hits within the Top 10 and 20.