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A cinematic take on a 1960s best-seller, Valley of the Dolls traces the ups and downs of three young women as fame, booze, pills, and men consume their lives. Well-bred, small-town Anne Welles (Peyton Place star Barbara Parkins) arrives in New York eager for fame but settles for a job assisting theatrical attorney Henry Bellamy (Robert H. Harris). The job leads her to cross paths with Helen Lawson (Hollywood veteran Susan Hayward), the grand dame of Broadway musicals, and Neely O'Hara (sitcom star Patty Duke), an up-and-coming performer whom Lawson unceremoniously boots from her latest show. Neely lands on her feet thanks to a series of nightclub gigs, and soon she and Anne befriend Jennifer North (Sharon Tate), a buxom starlet. As Neely becomes a huge star of stage and screen and Jennifer appears topless in a string of European "art" films, Anne becomes a wealthy cosmetics spokeswoman and suffers though a passionate but failed affair with aspiring writer Lyon Burke (Paul Burke). As the pressures of fame and failed romance take their toll on all three women, they take refuge in food, sex, liquor, and pills -- especially Neely, who becomes downright monstrous (the titular "dolls" are the uppers and downers to which she becomes hopelessly addicted). Although the film's characters are fictitious composites, Neely most closely resembles Judy Garland; Garland herself was originally cast as Lawson, but she was replaced after only a few days by Hayward. Although the film's trailer played up the story's titillating subject matter, the script for Valley of the Dolls actually toned down Jacqueline Susann's novel. And despite the fact that Dionne Warwick can be heard singing "(Theme From) The Valley of the Dolls" twice during the film, contractual snags kept her from releasing the soundtrack version; a different arrangement later became a number two pop hit in 1968.
Condition: New
Actors: Patty Duke, Barbara Parkins, Sharon Tate
Directors: Mark Robson
Format: DTS Surround Sound, Restored, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Region: Region A/1
Number of discs: 1
Rated:
PG-13
Parents Strongly Cautioned
Studio: Criterion Collection
DVD Release Date: September 27, 2016
Run Time: 123 minutes
Cast & Crew
Barbara Parkins Anne Welles
Patty Duke Neely O'Hara
Paul Burke Lyon Burke
Sharon Tate Jennifer North
Tony Scotti Tony Polar
Susan Hayward Helen Lawson
Martin Milner Mel Anderson
Charles Drake Kevin Gillmore
Lee Grant Miriam Polar
Naomi Stevens Miss Steinberg
Robert H. Harris Henry Bellamy
Jacqueline Susann First Reporter
Robert Viharo Director
Joey Bishop Telethon Host
George Jessel Host at Grammy Awards
Richard Angarola Claude Chardot
Mikel Angel Man in Hotel Room
Billy Beck Man Sleeping in Movie House
Norman Burton Neely's Hollywood Director
Barry Cahill Man in Bar
Richard Dreyfuss Actor
Gertrude Flynn Ladies' Room Attendant
Jeanne Gerson Neely's Maid
Robert Gibbons Desk Clerk at Lawrenceville Hotel
Marvin Hamlisch Pianist
Judith Lowry Aunt Amy
Dorothy Neumann Actor
Barry O'Hara Assistant Stage Manager
Peggy Rea Neely's Voice Coach
Margot Stevenson Anne's Mother
Corinna Tsopei Telephone Girl
Pat Becker Actor
Alexander Davion Ted Casablanca
Richard Hoyt Reporter
Darlene Conley Actor
Technical Credits
Mark Robson Director
L.B. Abbott Special Effects
Don Bassman Sound/Sound Designer
Raphael Bretton Set Decoration/Design
Art Cruickshank Special Effects
William H. Daniels Cinematographer
Richard Day Art Director
Chico Day Production Manager
Helen Deutsch Screenwriter
David Dockendorf Sound/Sound Designer
Eli Dunn Asst. Director
Philip M. Jefferies Production Designer
Dorothy Kingsley Screenwriter
Emil Kosa Special Effects
Robert J. Koster Asst. Director
Ben Nye Makeup
André Previn Songwriter
Dory Previn Songwriter
Walter Scott Set Decoration/Design
Joe Scully Casting
Robert Sidney Choreography
Jack Martin Smith Art Director
Dorothy Spencer Editor
Jacqueline Susann Screenwriter
William Travilla Costumes/Costume Designer
David Weisbart Producer
John Williams [composer] Score Composer
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