Valley of the Dolls is a
1967The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film.-Events:*December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television....
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
drama filmA drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, crime and corruption put the characters in conflict with themselves,...
based on the
1966The year 1966 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*February 14 - Dissident writers Yuli Daniel and Andrei Sinyavsky are sentenced to hard labour for "anti-Soviet activity"....
novel of the same nameValley of the Dolls is the title of a best selling novel by Jacqueline Susann, published in 1966. It is widely considered one of the most commercially successful novels of all time. The "dolls" within the title is a slang term for downers, mood altering drugs.Valley of the Dolls was an instant...
by
Jacqueline SusannJacqueline Susann was an American author known for her best-selling novels...
. The "dolls" within the title is a
slangSlang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language. It is often used as a way to say words that are not appropriate, and is not often found in the standard dictionary for the language...
term for
downersDepressants are psychoactive drugs which temporarily diminish the function or activity of a specific part of the body or mind. Examples of these kinds of effects may include anxiolysis, sedation, and hypotension. Due to their effects typically having a "down" quality to them, depressants are also...
, mood-altering drugs. The film, which was produced by
David WeisbartDavid M. Weisbart was an American film editor and producer.A native of Los Angeles, California, Weisbart began working in the film industry in 1942 as an editor...
and directed by
Mark RobsonMark Robson was a Canadian-born film editor, film director and producer in Hollywood.-Career:Born in Montreal, Quebec, he moved to the United States at a young age. He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles then found work in the prop department at 20th Century Fox studios...
, received a great deal of publicity during its production. Upon release it was a commercial success, though universally panned by critics. It was re-released in 1969 following the
murderMurder, as defined in common law countries, is the unlawful killing of another human being with intent , and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of star
Sharon TateSharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood's promising newcomers and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for...
, and once again proved commercially viable.
Valley of the Dolls is a
1967The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film.-Events:*December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television....
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
drama filmA drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, crime and corruption put the characters in conflict with themselves,...
based on the
1966The year 1966 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*February 14 - Dissident writers Yuli Daniel and Andrei Sinyavsky are sentenced to hard labour for "anti-Soviet activity"....
novel of the same nameValley of the Dolls is the title of a best selling novel by Jacqueline Susann, published in 1966. It is widely considered one of the most commercially successful novels of all time. The "dolls" within the title is a slang term for downers, mood altering drugs.Valley of the Dolls was an instant...
by
Jacqueline SusannJacqueline Susann was an American author known for her best-selling novels...
. The "dolls" within the title is a
slangSlang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language. It is often used as a way to say words that are not appropriate, and is not often found in the standard dictionary for the language...
term for
downersDepressants are psychoactive drugs which temporarily diminish the function or activity of a specific part of the body or mind. Examples of these kinds of effects may include anxiolysis, sedation, and hypotension. Due to their effects typically having a "down" quality to them, depressants are also...
, mood-altering drugs. The film, which was produced by
David WeisbartDavid M. Weisbart was an American film editor and producer.A native of Los Angeles, California, Weisbart began working in the film industry in 1942 as an editor...
and directed by
Mark RobsonMark Robson was a Canadian-born film editor, film director and producer in Hollywood.-Career:Born in Montreal, Quebec, he moved to the United States at a young age. He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles then found work in the prop department at 20th Century Fox studios...
, received a great deal of publicity during its production. Upon release it was a commercial success, though universally panned by critics. It was re-released in 1969 following the
murderMurder, as defined in common law countries, is the unlawful killing of another human being with intent , and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of star
Sharon TateSharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood's promising newcomers and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for...
, and once again proved commercially viable. In the years since its production, it has come to be regarded as a
campCamp is an aesthetic sensibility wherein something is appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value. When the usage appeared, in 1909, it denoted: ostentatious, exaggerated, affected, theatrical, and effeminate behaviour, and, by the middle of the 1970s, the definition comprised: banality,...
classic. Co-star
Barbara ParkinsBarbara Parkins is a Canadian television and film actress.-Early life and stardom:Parkins was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on 22 May 1942. At the age of sixteen, Parkins and her mother moved to Los Angeles, where she enrolled at Hollywood High School and began to study acting...
, attending a July 1997 screening of the film at the
Castro TheatreThe Castro Theatre is a popular San Francisco movie palace which became San Francisco Historic Landmark #100 in September 1976. Located at 429 Castro Street, in the Castro district, it was built in 1922 with a Spanish Colonial Baroque façade that pays homage — in its great arched central...
in San Francisco, told the sold-out crowd, "I know why you like it... because it's so bad!" The movie was remade in
1981The year 1981 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1981.For the American TV schedule, see: 1981-82 American network television schedule.-Events:...
for television as
Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls.
Plot
The film tells the story of three young women who meet when all are embarking on the beginning of their careers.
Neely O'HaraNeely O'Hara is a fictional character in the Jacqueline Susann penned novel and movie Valley of the Dolls. She was played by actress Patty Duke in the first movie; and then in the 1981 remake by Lisa Hartman...
is a plucky kid with undeniable talent who is working in a
BroadwayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
play which stars the legendary actress
Helen LawsonHelen Lawson is a fictional character in the novel Valley of the Dolls written by Jacqueline Susann.Lawson is described as having been a very successful Broadway star for many years . Her age is never revealed, there are only vague hints, but she's probably supposed to have been born ca. 1900...
. Jennifer North, a beautiful blonde with limited talent, is appearing in the chorus. Anne Welles is a
New EnglandNew England is a region of the United States. It is located at the northeastern corner of the US, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and the state of New York, consisting of the modern U.S...
ingenueThe Ingénue is a stock character in literature, film, and a role type in the theatre; generally a girl or a young woman who is endearingly innocent and wholesome....
who's recently arrived in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
and is working for a theatrical agency that represents Helen Lawson. The three women become fast friends, sharing the bonds of ambition and the tendency to fall in love with the wrong men.
O'Hara becomes a major success and moves to Hollywood to pursue a lucrative film career, but almost immediately falls victim to the titular "dolls" — prescription
drugsRecreational drug use is the use of psychoactive drugs for recreational purposes rather than for work, approved medical or spiritual purposes, although the distinction is not always clear ....
, particularly the
barbiturateBarbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and, by virtue of this, they produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia. They are also effective as anxiolytics, hypnotics and as anticonvulsants. They have addiction potential, both physical and...
s Seconal and Nembutal and various stimulants. Her career is shattered by her erratic behavior and she is committed to a sanitarium.
Meanwhile, Jennifer follows Neely to Hollywood, where she marries nightclub singer Tony Polar and becomes pregnant. When she learns he has the hereditary
Huntington's choreaHuntington's disease, chorea, or disorder , is an incurable neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination and some cognitive functions, typically becoming noticeable in middle age. It is the most common genetic cause of abnormal involuntary writhing movements called chorea...
— a fact his domineering half-sister and manager Miriam (
Lee GrantLee Grant is an American theater, film and television actress, and film director who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s.-Early life:...
) had been concealing — Jennifer has an abortion. Faced with Tony's mounting medical expenses, Jennifer finds herself working in French "art films" (extremely tame soft-core
pornographyPornography or porn is the depiction of explicit sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual excitement.Over the past few decades, an immense industry for the production and consumption of pornography has grown, with the increasing use of the VCR, the DVD, and the Internet, as well as the...
) to pay the bills.
Anne, having become a highly successful model, also falls under the allure of "dolls" to escape her doomed relationship with cad Lyon Burke, who has an affair with Neely. After Jennifer is diagnosed with
breast cancerBreast cancer is a cancer that starts in the breast, usually in the inner lining of the milk ducts or lobules. There are different types of breast cancer, with different stages , aggressiveness, and genetic makeup. With best treatment, 10-year disease-free survival varies from 98% to 10%...
and told she must have a
mastectomyIn medicine, mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. Mastectomy is usually done to treat breast cancer; in some cases, women and some men believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operation prophylactically, that is, to...
, she commits suicide with an overdose of "dolls". Neely is released from the sanitarium and given a chance to resurrect her career, but the attraction of "dolls" and alcohol proves too strong and she spirals into a hellish decline.
In the film, Anne abandons drugs and her unfaithful lover and returns to New England. Lyon Burke ends his affair with Neely and asks Anne to marry him, but she refuses. This "
happy endingA happy ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which almost everything turns out for the best for the hero or heroine, their sidekicks, and almost everyone except the villains....
" was cobbled together by studio demands for an uplifting
dénouementIn literature, a dénouement consists of a series of events that follow the climax of a drama or narrative, and thus serves as the conclusion of the story. Conflicts are resolved, creating normality for the characters and a sense of catharsis, or release of tension and anxiety, for the reader...
; it strays from the original plot of the book, in which Anne stays with Lyon after his affair with Neely and becomes increasingly dependent on drugs. Writer
Harlan EllisonHarlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. He has written in many genres, but principally science fiction.His published works include over 1000 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, and a wide range of criticism covering not only literature, but film, television, and print media...
, who wrote the original screenplay, took his name off the project because of the ending and the watering-down of his realistic adaptation of the story.
Cast
- Barbara Parkins
Barbara Parkins is a Canadian television and film actress.-Early life and stardom:Parkins was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on 22 May 1942. At the age of sixteen, Parkins and her mother moved to Los Angeles, where she enrolled at Hollywood High School and began to study acting...
as Anne Welles
- Patty Duke
Anna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. She was able to make the rare successful transition from child star to award-winning adult actress...
as Neely O'HaraNeely O'Hara is a fictional character in the Jacqueline Susann penned novel and movie Valley of the Dolls. She was played by actress Patty Duke in the first movie; and then in the 1981 remake by Lisa Hartman...
- Sharon Tate
Sharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood's promising newcomers and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for...
as Jennifer North
- Paul Burke
Paul Burke was an American actor best known for his lead roles in two 1960s ABC television series, Naked City and Twelve O'Clock High...
as Lyon Burke
- Tony Scotti
Anthony "Tony" Joseph Scotti is an American actor, television and film producer, and co-founder of Scotti Brothers Records.-Acting:...
as Tony Polar
- Susan Hayward
Susan Hayward was an American actress.After working as a fashion model in New York, Hayward travelled to Hollywood in 1937 in the hope of playing the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind . Although she was not selected, she secured a film contract, and played several small supporting...
as Helen Lawson
- Martin Milner
Martin Sam Milner is an American actor best known for his performances in two popular television series, Adam-12 and Route 66....
as Mel Anderson
- Charles Drake
Charles Drake was an American actor.-Biography:...
as Kevin Gillmore
- Alexander Davion as Ted Casablanca
- Lee Grant
Lee Grant is an American theater, film and television actress, and film director who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s.-Early life:...
as Miriam Polar
- Naomi Stevens as Miss Steinberg
- Robert H. Harris
Robert H. Harris was an American character actor born in New York City, New York.-Career:...
as Henry Bellamy
- Jacqueline Susann
Jacqueline Susann was an American author known for her best-selling novels...
as Reporter #1 at Jennifer's suicide
- Robert Viharo as Art Film Director
- Joey Bishop
Joey Bishop was an American entertainer who was perhaps best known for being a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin...
as Telethon Emcee
- George Jessel
George Jessel was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and Academy Award-winning movie producer. He was famous in his lifetime as a multitalented comedic entertainer, achieving a level of recognition that transcended his limited roles in movies...
- Grammy Awards Emcee
Award nominations
- Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment
The Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Winners with multiple nominations:...
(John Williams)
- Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Female
The Golden Globe Awards are presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to recognize outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, both domestic and foreign, and to focus wide public attention upon the best in motion pictures and television...
(Sharon TateSharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood's promising newcomers and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for...
)
- Grammy Award for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture
The Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media has been awarded since 1960. Until 2001 the award was presented to the composer of the music alone. From 2001 to 2006, the producer and engineers shared in this award...
(André PrevinAndré George Previn KBE is a German-born American pianist, conductor, and composer...
)
Differences between the book and film
- In the film, Anne finds it difficult to leave the beautiful house in Lawrenceville. In the book she despises the cold, austere house and loses Lyon the first time because she refuses to live there with him.
- In the film, Neely O'Hara is cast out of Lawson's new Broadway play. In the book, O'Hara replaces Terry King because Helen prefers that an unknown play the second-lead ingenue role, rather than King, who was getting too much attention in the press.
- The film completely excludes the lengthy subplot in which Anne is unwillingly engaged to wealthy but unattractive Alan Cooper while struggling to hide her feelings for Lyon Burke.
- In the book, the story takes place over multiple decades, dealing with the aging of women in Hollywood. The film takes place in a much shorter time span.
- In the book Anne ends up marrying Lyon Burke, who eventually has a serious affair with Neely. Anne does not have the peaceful catharsis in the book that she does in the film; instead she slips into the same drug-induced comatose life that plagued the rest of her friends, while settling for her loveless marriage and her husband's infidelity.
- Like many other characters, George Bellows and Terry King are eliminated completely, though Bellows is mentioned in the beginning of the film by Miss Steinberg.
- In the book the girls share a house and a close friendship. This was totally ignored in the film.
- In the book Anne is blonde; she's a brunette in the film.
- In the book, Helen and Anne become friends because she sees her as someone important since she's engaged to millionaire Alan Cooper.
- In the book, Anne and Neely are very close. Anne had met Neely when she rented a room at the house where Neely is also renting. In the film, Anne rents a hotel room when she first arrives in New York.
- In the book, Neely begs Anne to ask her boss to pull strings to get her a part in the play 'Hit the Sky'; the understudy role she gets begins her career. In the film, Neely leaves the play.
- In the book, Anne does not feel passionate about any men--not her Lawrenceville beau, not Alan Cooper, not Mr. Gilmore--only Lyon. The film only depicts that she falls for Lyon.
- In the book Jennifer North was in the midst of a divorce with a European prince when she first appears. This is not mentioned in the film.
Production background
- Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years, Garland attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. Respected for her versatility, she received a Juvenile Academy...
was originally cast as Helen Lawson, but was fired when she showed up to work drunk; Susan HaywardSusan Hayward was an American actress.After working as a fashion model in New York, Hayward travelled to Hollywood in 1937 in the hope of playing the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind . Although she was not selected, she secured a film contract, and played several small supporting...
replaced her in the role after production had already begun. On July 20, 2009, Patty Duke appeared at the Castro Theater in San Francisco with a benefit screening of the film, and said that director Mark Robson made Garland wait from 8am to 4pm before filming her scenes for the day, knowing that Garland would be upset and drunk by that time.
- Barbara Parkins
Barbara Parkins is a Canadian television and film actress.-Early life and stardom:Parkins was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on 22 May 1942. At the age of sixteen, Parkins and her mother moved to Los Angeles, where she enrolled at Hollywood High School and began to study acting...
suggested Dionne WarwickDionne Warwick is an American singer, actress, activist, United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, former United States Ambassador of Health, and humanitarian. She is best known for her partnership with songwriters and producers Burt Bacharach and Hal David...
perform the film's theme song. A re-recorded version of the song became Warwick's biggest hit to date, peaking at the #2 spot in February, 1968.
- Barbara Harris
Barbara Harris is an American actress who was aBroadway stage star and later became a film actress. She appeared in such films as Plaza Suite, Nashville, Family Plot, Freaky Friday, Peggy Sue Got Married, and Grosse Point Blank...
was seriously considered for the role of Neely O'Hara; Barbara ParkinsBarbara Parkins is a Canadian television and film actress.-Early life and stardom:Parkins was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on 22 May 1942. At the age of sixteen, Parkins and her mother moved to Los Angeles, where she enrolled at Hollywood High School and began to study acting...
also tested for the role, although it ultimately went to Patty DukeAnna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. She was able to make the rare successful transition from child star to award-winning adult actress...
.
- Soap opera actress Darlene Conley
Darlene Conley was an American actress.Conley's career spanned fifty years, but she was best known for her performances in daytime television, and in particular, for her portrayal of larger-than-life fashion industrialist Sally Spectra on The Bold and the Beautiful. Conley played the role from...
(Sally SpectraSally Spectra is a fictional character on the American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Sally was played by actress Darlene Conley from 1988 until Conley's death on January 14, 2007 and last appeared onscreen on January 26, 2007 via flashback memorial...
, The Bold and the BeautifulThe Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS...
) has a bit part in the film as a desk manager at a rehearsal hall.
- Judith Lowry
Judith Lowry was an American actress. Born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, USA, Ms Lowry labored in occasional bit parts in Film and TV from the 1940s until she began to get more substantial roles in her eighties. Ms. Lowry also had an uncredited role in Valley of the Dolls as Anne Welles' Aunt Amy...
, who later appeared in the series PhyllisPhyllis is an American television sitcom and the second spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show created by Ed Weinberger and Stan Daniels. The show starred Cloris Leachman as Phyllis Lindstrom, who was previously Mary Richards' landlady on The Mary Tyler Moore Show...
as Phyllis LindstromPhyllis Lindstrom was a fictional character on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and its spin-off "Phyllis." She was played by actress Cloris Leachman.- The Mary Tyler Moore Show :...
's nemesis, Sally Dexter, played Anne's Aunt Amy, although she wasn't credited.
- The book's author, Jacqueline Susann
Jacqueline Susann was an American author known for her best-selling novels...
, appeared in the film as a reporter at the scene of Jennifer's suicide.
- Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a 1970 American musical comedy film starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Erica Gavin, Edy Williams, Marcia McBroom, John LaZar, and Michael Blodgett...
, a 1970 satiricalSatire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods,...
pasticheA pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre that is a "hodge-podge" or an imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
, was filmed by Twentieth Century-Fox while the studio was being sued by Jacqueline Susann, according to Irving Mansfield's book Jackie and Me. Susann created the title for a Jean Holloway-scripted sequel that was rejected by the studio, which allowed Russ Meyer to film a radically different movie with the same title. The suit went to court after Susann's death in 1974; the estate would eventually win damages in the amount of $2 million against Fox.
- An uncredited Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of films, television and theater roles since the late 1960s. He is probably best known for his roles in the films Jaws, The Goodbye Girl, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Always, Mr...
played the role of an assistant stage manager. This was Dreyfuss' first film appearance.
- Also uncredited, actress Peggy Rea
Peggy Rea is an American character actress known for her many minor roles in television series, commonly playing overbearing, matronly characters.Her recurring roles include:*Cousin Bertha on All in the family...
, who later appeared in The WaltonsThe Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name, starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara. The show centered on the titular family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and...
, Step by Step and Grace Under FireGrace Under Fire is a television series which ran on ABC from 1993 to 1998. The show starred Brett Butler. It began on September 29, 1993. It was the highest rated new comedy of the 1993–1994 season.- Premise of show :...
appears briefly as Neely O'Hara's vocal coach.
- Lee Grant
Lee Grant is an American theater, film and television actress, and film director who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s.-Early life:...
has stated in an interview that this was the "Best and funniest worst movie ever made!".
- When Sharon Tate married Roman Polanski
Roman Raymond Polanski is a Polish-French film director, producer, writer, and actor. Polanski began his career in Poland, and later became a critically-acclaimed director of both art house and commercial films....
in 1968, Barbara Parkins was her maid of honor.