NEWSRare 1975 Footage Shows Dolly Parton in Hilarious 'Candid Camera' Prank
Old video showed Dolly Parton featured in hilarious pranks on 'Candid Camera.'
Sept. 7 2026, Updated 9:27 a.m. ET
Dolly Parton may have passed away, but her memories continue to live on.
In rare 1975 footage recently resurfaced and shared by Inside Edition, the country singer appears in a series of hilarious pranks on Candid Camera, TV's first reality show.
Dolly Parton's rare 1975 prank footage showed her before she became a household name.
Parton was notably still a rising star at the time and was yet to become a household name in Hollywood's entertainment industry.
Dolly Parton was featured in a series of hilarious pranks on 'Candid Camera' in 1975.
In the clip, the late "Jolene" singer pretended to have a broken ankle in a parking lot in Nashville and asked an unsuspecting passerby to carry her to her white car.
The prank took a hilarious turn when the man struggled to carry her before the two eventually tumbled to the ground, with the man still unaware of who Parton was.
Plus, there were also about six cars identical to the singer's, making it tougher to get to her vehicle.
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Dolly Parton also appeared in a grocery store prank skit, where she rallied everyone with a protest song.
In another instance, Parton was seen talking about tuna fish with an unsuspecting shopper in the supermarket.
That's when her costar in the skit grabbed some items from the cart, saying the prices had changed and that it would cost them more.
The iconic country singer then got everyone involved in a protest song, with everyone except the fellow shopper already in on the joke.
That's when Candid Camera's host Allen Funt popped up to say, "Now, don't be upset, because we need you to smile for the Candid Camera," with everyone then breaking into a laugh.
Parton Was 'Normal, Down to Earth, and Grounded'
Entertainment journalist called Dolly Parton 'normal, down to earth, and grounded.'
Referring to that unearthed clip of Parton communicating with passersby, entertainment journalist Mark Malkin told Inside Edition, "I think the best thing about discovering these clips is that they show and prove that Dolly was just like us."
"That she was just normal, down to earth, grounded, didn't take herself too seriously, and was able to laugh and laugh and laugh, and just bring us joy," he continued.
Image of Dolly Parton passed away on August 25 after being hospitalized at Nashville's Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
Even as one of the biggest stars in the world, Parton reportedly waited in line at Dollywood, loved cheap drugstore beauty products, and had a serious sweet tooth, proving she was actually relatable and not just a perfect figure people saw on the screens, per Taste of Country.
Parton passed away on August 25 after being hospitalized at Nashville's Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center four days earlier for kidney and autoimmune issues.
She is buried next to her late husband, Carl Dean, at Nashville Cemetery.
