"Valley of the Dolls" (1994) TV series

User Rating:

2.2/10   

Directors:

Rick Bennewitz
Kevin Kelley

Writers:

James Fritzhand (writer)
Deborah Markoe-Klein (writer)

Seasons:

1

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Blackmail | Betrayal | Show Business | Model

Cast

Sally Kirkland	...	Helen Lawson (65 episodes, 1994)
Colleen Morris	...	Jennifer North (65 episodes, 1994)
Melissa De Sousa	...	Neely O'Hara (65 episodes, 1994)
Sharon Case	...	Anne Welles (65 episodes, 1994)
Warren Burton	...	Mitch Henry (65 episodes, 1994)
Michael Paul Chan	...	Rick Chen (65 episodes, 1994)
Kamar De Los Reyes	...	Ray Ariaz (65 episodes, 1994)
Cameron Hall	...	Billy Shreiber (65 episodes, 1994)
Lisa Howard	...	Caitlin North (65 episodes, 1994)
Carol Lawrence	...	Bernice Stein (65 episodes, 1994)
Scott Marlowe	...	Michael Burke (65 episodes, 1994)
John O'Hurley	...	Allen Cooper (65 episodes, 1994)
Jim Pirri	...	Jean-Claude (65 episodes, 1994)
Tom Reilly	...	Peter D'Allesio (65 episodes, 1994)
Mik Scriba	...	Gordon North (65 episodes, 1994)
Milton Selzer	...	Manny Henry (65 episodes, 1994)
Kevin Spirtas	...	Tim Burke (65 episodes, 1994)
David Stratton	...	Dennis Ulander (65 episodes, 1994)

Runtime:

60 min (65 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Take a Meeting Productions

Movie Connections:

References Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls (1981) (TV)

A fascinating soap opera loosely based on Jacqueline Susann's novel and updated for the 1990's.

This syndicated soap (which tried to push the current boundaries for nudity on television, especially when it comes to males) was test-marketed for 13 weeks in selected cities, including Boston and Atlanta. The combining of the original plotline with 90's sensibilities, along with warping a few relationships (Helen Lawson, who in the movie and novel was a huge Broadway star for whom Jennifer North appeared as a showgirl is now Jennifer's mother and a movie star!) New World basically cancelled the project before it was aired, but those original 13 weeks were adult soap opera at it's most interesting. Of special note is that I believe this soap was the first portrayal of a functioning and healthy gay relationship between two men. Ahead of it's time, I hope this show doesn't disappear into oblivion.