Parton was both a lead actress (along with the other two) and sang the title song, "9 to 5," which was Oscar®-nominated and won two Grammys. In an interview with Isaac Mizrahi, Parton states that when she wrote and performed the theme song to Tomlin and Fonda, she used her long acrylic nails to create the beat of a typewriter for the song.

The concept for 9 to 5 began with Jane Fonda. 9 to 5 was produced by Jane Fonda’s company, IPC Films, and the idea originated from a real-life organization. “My ideas for films always come from things that I hear and perceive in my daily life,” Fonda told The Canberra Times in 1981.

In the middle of the film, Dolly and her colleagues send a nosy secretary to the Aspen Language Center in Colorado, to learn French. The particular TWA 747 shown in the film later was, in reality, ill-fated flight TWA 800, which exploded off of Long Island, NY.