Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)

Three girls come to Hollywood to make it big, but find only sex, drugs and sleaze.

Director:

Russ Meyer

Writers:

Roger Ebert (screenplay), Roger Ebert (story)

Stars:

Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dolly Read	...	Kelly Mac Namara
Cynthia Myers	...	Casey Anderson
Marcia McBroom	...	Petronella Danforth
John Lazar	...	Ronnie (Z-Man) Barzell (as John La Zar/John LaZar)
Michael Blodgett	...	Lance Rocke
David Gurian	...	Harris Allsworth
Edy Williams	...	Ashley St. Ives
Erica Gavin	...	Roxanne
Phyllis Davis	...	Susan Lake
Harrison Page	...	Emerson Thorne
Duncan McLeod	...	Porter Hall (as Duncan Mc Leod/Duncan McLeod)
James Iglehart	...	Randy Black (as Jim Iglehart)
Charles Napier	...	Baxter Wolfe
Henry Rowland	...	Otto
Princess Livingston	...	Matron

Storyline

This film is a sequel in name only to Valley of the Dolls (1967). An all-girl rock band goes to Hollywood to make it big. There they find success, but luckily for us, they sink into a cesspool of decadence. This film has a sleeping woman performing on a gun which is in her mouth. It has women posing as men. It has lesbian sex scenes. It is also written by Roger Ebert, who had become friends with Russ Meyer after writing favorable reviews of several of his films.

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Plot Keywords:

friendship | satire | cult film | drugs | band | 

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Taglines:

The first of the shock rock!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

NC-17

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the first party scene at Z-Man's Malibu beach house, Dolly Read wears a creme colored jumpsuit. The suit, designed by Travilla, had been worn by Sharon Tate in the scene in which her Valley of the Dolls (1967)'s character, Jennifer North, watches the Grammy Awards on television while giving herself a manicure. In the DVD commentary for this film, Read recalled that she cried when she discovered that Tate had worn the suit because Tate (along with four others) had been murdered on August 8, 1969, approximately five months before production on Beyond the Valley of the Dolls began.

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Goofs

During the first party scene, Emerson drops a tray carrying multiple bottles of scotch. In the next shot, the floor is covered with broken glass, but no spilled liquid.

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Quotes

Ronnie (Z-Man) Barzell: For I am Superwoman, and you have spurned her!

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: Disclaimer: THE FILM YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS NOT A SEQUEL TO "VALLEY OF THE DOLLS." IT IS WHOLLY ORIGINAL AND BEARS NO RELATIONSHIP TO REAL PERSONS, LIVING OR DEAD. IT DOES, LIKE "VALLEY OF THE DOLLS" DEAL WITH THE OFT-TIMES NIGHTMARE WORLD OF SHOW BUSINESS BUT IN A DIFFERENT TIME AND CONTEXT.

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Alternate Versions

All the UK cuts were finally waived by the BBFC for the 2003 DVD release.

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Connections

Referenced in In Bad Taste (2000)

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Soundtracks

Beyond The Days Of Now And Then
(uncredited)
Written by Bob Stone and Stu Phillips

User Reviews

The Citizen Kane of camp.

Russ Meyer's most lavish production is still jaw dropping, and still beyond comparison. BTVOTD is the ultimate camp film that, unlike Valley of the Dolls, is knowingly campy, deliberately absurd, never comes down to earth, and achieves a non stop contact high. Beyond description, it must be seen to be believed. A rapid fire, mind-rending parody of virtually every genre and cliché squeezed into a 2 hour film which hasn't aged a bit and has seen its reputation grow since its initial release in 1970. The songs, dialog, direction, editing, music, and acting all provide endless amazement every time I see it. In the 30 plus years since its release nothing else comes close to the experience of this film. Even more than The Rocky Horror Picture Show, BEYOND is a true audience film with so many lines and scenes that viewers have memorized. BEYOND is and was ahead of its time, and remains essential viewing.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 June 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$900,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1