Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The

Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The (1978), a musical comedy by Larry L. King, Peter Masterson (book), Carol Hall (music, lyrics). [Entermedia Theatre, 1,576 perf.] For decades the Chicken Ranch, where clients could pay in produce, has been a perfectly respectable brothel. Currently operated by Miss Mona Stangley ( Carlin Glynn), who keeps her girls strictly in line, it numbers among its friends Sheriff Dodd ( Henderson Forsythe) as well as notable politicians and football players. But “Watchdog” Thorpe ( Clint Allmon), a self‐glorifying regional television preacher, takes aim against the establishment and before long another fine old Texas tradition bites the dust. Notable songs: Twenty Fans; Bus from Amarillo; Hard Candy Christmas; Good Old Girl. Based on a real incident, the musical was so well received at its Off‐Broadway premiere that it was immediately hustled to Broadway's 46th Street Theatre for a long run. Reasonably good, if raunchy, fun, the show offered a country‐and‐western‐style score and Tommy Tune's inventive staging. A sequel entitled The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public (1994) retained much of the creative staff of the original but closed quickly.