Valley of the Dolls (1967)

Film version of Jacqueline Susann's best-selling novel chronicling the rise and fall of three young ladies in show business.

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

Jacqueline Susann (novel), Helen Deutsch (screenplay),

Stars:

Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, Paul Burke

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barbara Parkins	...	Anne Welles
Patty Duke	...	Neely O'Hara
Paul Burke	...	Lyon Burke
Sharon Tate	...	Jennifer North
Tony Scotti	...	Tony Polar
Martin Milner	...	Mel Anderson
Charles Drake	...	Kevin Gillmore
Alexander Davion	...	Ted Casablanca (as Alex Davion)
Lee Grant	...	Miriam Polar
Naomi Stevens	...	Miss Steinberg
Robert H. Harris	...	Henry Bellamy
Jacqueline Susann	...	First Reporter
Robert Viharo	...	Director
Joey Bishop	...	MC at Telethon
George Jessel	...	MC Grammy Awards

Storyline

Anne Welles, a bright, brash young New England college grad leaves her Peyton Place-ish small town and heads for Broadway, where she hopes to find an exciting job and sophisticated men. During her misadventures in Manhattan and, later, Hollywood, she shares experiences with two other young hopefuls: Jennifer North, a statuesque, Monroe-ish actress who wants to be accepted as a human being, but is regarded as a sex object by all the men she meets, and Neely O'Hara, a talented young actress who's accused of using devious means by a great older star (Helen Lawson) to reach the top, pulling an "All About Eve"-type deception in order to steal a good role away from her.

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Plot Keywords:

actress | sex | new england | show business | alley | 

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Taglines:

In the Valley of the Dolls, it's instant turn-on... dolls to put you to sleep at night, kick you awake in the morning, make life seem great - instant love, instant excitement, ultimate hell!

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements involving substance abuse, some sexual content, partial nudity and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1968 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

La vallée des poupées

Filming Locations:

48th Street Playhouse, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Red Lion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dionne Warwick's Scepter rerecording of the movie theme would peak at number two on "Billboard"'s Hot 100 chart in February 1968. Dionne's 45 held the second slot for a month. Without Miss Warwick's presence, the soundtrack album, released by 20th Century Fox Records, entered the "Billboard" pop albums list in January 1968, and the LP then climbed to eighth place.

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Goofs

When Neely is tap dancing on the table, shown by her shadow on the wall, there is clearly no pony tail on the shadow, but when she jumps down she has a pony tail.

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Quotes

Miriam Polar: Tony, how many times do I have to tell you? At night, all cats are gray.

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Connections

Referenced in Fight Club (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Give A Little More"
Music by André Previn (as (Andre Previn)
Lyrics by Dory Previn
Performed by Patty Duke (uncredited) (dubbed by Gail Heideman)

User Reviews

One of my favorites

I first saw this movie when it was released. I never appreciated it until I was older. Totally camp...totally PERFECT. Fashion, hair, acting, music. The whole package. Definitely on my list of top five favorite movies of all time! I know it's not good....but, damn, it's GREAT!!!! Patty Duke is trying SO hard to make this movie real,which just makes it worse...or better, depending on your view! I can't wait till it comes out on DVD. There are so many memorable moments from this film. Rent it, buy it... watch it on cable. But SEE IT! Valley of the Dolls ROCKS! "Sparkle Neeley, SPARKLE!" Let this generation have "Showgirls"-- WE have Valley of the Dolls!