Valley of the Dolls
Short description
Based on Jacqueline Susann's bestselling novel, Valley of the Dolls follows three young women who come to New York hoping to build careers in show business. Anne Welles leaves her New England home and meets Neely O'Hara, an ambitious singer, and Jennifer North, a striking beauty with limited talent. As each finds a measure of success, the pressures of the industry, unhappy relationships and dependence on alcohol and pills take a mounting toll. The film was directed by Mark Robson, the twelfth of the thirteen features he made, arriving between Lost Command and Earthquake. Helen Deutsch and Dorothy Kingsley wrote the screenplay, and David Weisbart and Robson produced. Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke and Sharon Tate play the three leads, with Paul Burke, Lee Grant and Susan Hayward among a credited cast of 107.
Released in December 1967, the film cost about 5 million dollars to make and took roughly 50 million dollars worldwide, a strong return for a production of its size. It is a drama with romantic elements, running just over two hours, and remains the best known adaptation of its source novel. Audience response has been moderate rather than enthusiastic: on IMDb it holds a 6.1 rating from around 11,000 votes, and on TMDB a 6 rating from about 152 votes, suggesting a modest but persistent following rather than broad acclaim.
What's left behind the scenes
- The novel begins with a description of New York in the heat at the end of World War II, whereas the film begins in the middle of winter. This was because the producers were eager to start filming as soon as possible and did not want to wait for warmer weather—a fact that infuriated Jacqueline Susann (1918-1974), the author of the 1966 bestseller upon which the film is based. Additionally, the action of Susann's novel takes place between 1945 and the 1950s, while the plot of the film is set from the mid to late 1960s.
- The film became a true breakthrough in the career of Sharon Tate (1943-1969), who was then a budding actress, although she herself admitted that she was fond of neither the novel nor the resulting film. She did not like the novel after the first reading, nor did she like the screenplay, but she went to the screen tests, understanding that the film would be successful and would help her career.
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