Rewind: 1967 in Film – Valley of the Dolls

“BAD as Jacqueline Susann’s “Valley of the Dolls” is as a book, the movie Mark Robson has made from it is that bad or worse.”

BOSLEY CROWTHER for the New York Times, DEC. 16, 1967

The phrase “so bad it’s good” is perfect to describe Mark Robson’s film adaptation of Valley of Dolls. Jacqueline Susann’s bestselling novel Valley of the Dolls was the Fifty Shades of Grey of it’s time. To date, it has sold more than 31 million copies, making it one of the best-selling works in publishing history.

Part soap opera, part classic Greek tragedy. Valley of the Dolls, was somewhat revolutionary in depicting Hollywood as a ruthless machine, that takes everything, but gives very little back. As Marilyn Monroe famously stated: Hollywood is a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.

Both film and novel concern the plight of three young aspiring performers with ambitions of attaining stardom. At the centre, is Anne Welles (Barbara Parkins), who travels to New York after feeling trapped in her idyllic New England hometown. Anne lands a job as a secretary at New York theatrical law firm. Although during her interview her employee expresses his reluctance in employing her as she’s too pretty and he’s concerned she won’t be around for long as some man will snatch her up.

“Valley of the Dolls, was somewhat revolutionary in depicting Hollywood as a ruthless machine, that takes everything, but gives very little back.”

She ends up befriending a talented singer Neely O’Hara (Patty Duke) and the beautiful Jennifer North (Sharon Tate), whose only talent is her body. “I know I don’t have any talent, and I know all I have is a body.” Anne becomes romantically involved with Lyon Burke (Paul Burke), an attorney from the same law firm. Burke hates to commit to any relationship, he likes career girls, but isn’t looking for a wife. Anne, on the other hand, is exactly sure what she wants. Part of her wants to be this successful, independent career woman, and part of her yearns to be a housewife.

Jennifer is happy to sacrifice her career in order to become the doting wife to nightclub singer Tony Polar (Tony Scotti). She follows him and his domineering half-sister and manager Miriam (Lee Grant) to Hollywood, so Tony can become an actor. It is revealed that Tony has the hereditary condition Huntington’s chorea. In a complete role reversal, Jennifer is the one having to be the breadwinner. In Jennifer’s own words, “All I know how to do is take off my clothes”, so she finds herself starring in ‘French’ movies (soft-core pornography) to pay the bills.

“Nothing can destroy her talent; but, she’ll destroy herself”.

Helen Lawson (Susan Hayward)

Out of the three girls Neely is the one who manages to achieve real stardom. She becomes a egocentric monster, who falls victim to the eponymous “dolls” (prescription drugs, particularly barbiturates Seconal and Nembutal and various stimulants). Earlier in the film, the broadway star Helen Lawson (Susan Hayward) who Neely was performing with, makes the observation that, “Nothing can destroy her talent; but, she’ll destroy herself”. Ultimately, her career is shattered by her erratic behavior due to drug abuse, and she is committed to a sanitarium for drug rehabilitation.

With the book’s mass appeal, and success, as well as the talented cast and veteran director, production of Valley of the Dolls should have been a walk in the park. However, according to Patty Duke, it was a very tense the shoot. Director Mark Robson was quite cruel in his treatment towards Sharon Tate.

“Valley of the Dolls is a messy movie, which hasn’t aged well.”

Classical Hollywood star Susan Hayward stepped in to play the character of Helen Lawson, after Judy Garland pulled out of the project for unspecified “personal reasons”. Bette Davies was flagged as a potential replacement, but in the end Hayward secured the role. The three main leads were nearly Candice Bergen, Raquel Welch and Ann-Margret, all of whom turned the film down.

Valley of the Dolls is a messy movie, which hasn’t aged well. Homophobic slurs are used casually to describe certain characters, which leave a modern viewer feeling just bewildered (people actually spoke like that, for real?!). The film’s sleaziness in the male characters act towards the females, just feels almost dirty to watch. The exploitation of Sharon Tate’s character feels a little too close for home, and her character is perhaps the most sympathetic of them all.

“There’s something about Valley of Dolls which is hard to describe. “

As Lee Grant would note in an interview with Vanity Fair, “[Tate] was very charming and mysterious and extraordinarily beautiful. The work she did in the film was very sensitive. . . . There was something in her character that struck a chord with her. . . . I found her fascinating.” This would be Tate’s last major role before her tragic death at the hands of Charles Manson’s cult. Valley of the Dolls offer us a glimpse of what her career may have been, she wasn’t just an empty airhead like Jennifer. Tate had real talent.

There’s something about Valley of Dolls which is hard to describe. These three women may be exploited by the patriarchy, but at the same time, they almost know how to play the system to reach stardom. The tragedy is that these women aren’t as ruthless as the men, they are still restrained by their sex and their role within society.

“Just one… and two more. My beautiful little dolls.

Neely O’Hare (Patty Duke)

Valley of the Dolls is a time capsule, a glimpse into the world of women just before second wave feminism made a real impact on society. It’s full of hyper colours, elaborate costumes, and tacky musical numbers. But, there’s a sense of the truth of what it means to be a woman, hidden under all that gloss.

This isn’t a complete disaster of a film that the likes of Roger Ebert would make you believe. And, like a drug, there are highs and lows with this film. When it’s good, it’s an enjoyable piece of entertainment. When, it’s bad, it’s like a full on Neely meltdown. As Lee Grant stated in her interview with Vanity Fair, ““Who would think Valley of the Dolls would be a cult film? But it is. I enjoy the fact that I’m part of it. I enjoy how terrible the film is and how that terribleness somehow makes it fun.”