Valley of the Dolls (film)
Valley of the Dolls | |
---|---|
Directed by | Mark Robson |
Screenplay by | |
Based on | Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann |
Produced by | David Weisbart |
Starring | |
Cinematography | William H. Daniels |
Edited by | Dorothy Spencer |
Music by |
|
Production company | Red Lion Productions |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates |
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Running time | 123 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $4.69 million[1] |
Box office | $44.4 million[2] |
Valley of the Dolls is a 1967 American
Valley of the Dolls was released by 20th Century Fox on December 15, 1967. The film was panned by critics, but became a box office success and one of the studio's highest grossing films. In the decades since its release, it has attracted a passionate cult following.
Plot
Recent Radcliffe graduate Anne Welles is hired as a secretary at a theatrical agency which represents Helen Lawson, a cutthroat Broadway diva. Helen fears newcomer Neely O'Hara will upstage her, so she has Anne's boss pressure Neely to quit their upcoming show. Anne sours on show business after seeing Helen's cruelty toward Neely, but the business partner of her boss, Lyon Burke, dissuades her from quitting the agency.
Anne and Neely meet Jennifer North, a beautiful chorus girl with limited talent. They become fast friends, sharing the bonds of ambition and the tendency to fall in love with the wrong men.
After Lyon lands her an appearance on a
Anne and Lyon start a romance, but Lyon resists Anne's wish to marry. When he abruptly leaves for England, Anne is distraught; she is further upset when her mother dies. Soon Anne's poise and natural beauty attract the attention of her boss's client, Kevin Gillmore, who hires her to promote his line of cosmetics in television and print ads. Kevin falls in love with Anne, but their relationship ends amicably when Anne realizes they are incompatible.
Jennifer follows Neely's path to Hollywood, where she marries nightclub singer Tony Polar. She becomes pregnant but gets an abortion after learning that Tony has the hereditary condition Huntington's chorea—a fact his domineering half-sister and manager Miriam had been concealing. When Tony's mental and physical health decline, Miriam and Jennifer place him in a sanitarium. Faced with Tony's mounting medical expenses, Jennifer makes French "art films" — soft-core pornography — to pay the bills. Jennifer learns she has breast cancer and, thinking her body is her only currency, commits suicide rather than face a mastectomy.
Neely's drug and alcohol abuse lands her in the same sanitarium as Tony, where they discover each other when Neely begins singing in the common area and he joins her. After she is released, Lyon gets her a role in a Broadway play. Neely soon causes trouble by having an affair with Lyon and attending a press party for Helen Lawson. During a
Upset by Lyon's betrayal, Anne dabbles in "dolls" and almost drowns in the ocean while high. She returns to New England to live with her Aunt Amy. Lyon follows Anne to New England and asks her to marry him. She declines his offer and remains happily single and independent.
Cast
- Barbara Parkins as Anne Welles
- Patty Duke as Neely O'Hara
- Paul Burke as Lyon Burke
- Sharon Tate as Jennifer North
- Tony Scotti as Tony Polar
- Lee Grant as Miriam Polar
- Susan Hayward as Helen Lawson
- Martin Milner as Mel Anderson
- Charles Drake as Kevin Gillmore
- Alexander Davion as Ted Casablanca
- Richard Angarola as Claude Chardot
- Naomi Stevens as Miss Steinberg
- Robert H. Harris as Henry Bellamy
- Jacqueline Susann as reporter #1 at Jennifer's suicide
- Uncredited
- Richard Dreyfuss as assistant stage manager
- Gil Peterson as Neely's leading man
- Darlene Conley as sanitarium nurse
- Marvin Hamlisch as pianist
- Judith Lowry as Aunt Amy
- Thelma Pelish as theater hall receptionist
- Peggy Rea as Neely's voice coach
- Darryl Wells as Willie, Anne's boyfriend in Lawrenceville
- Margot Stevenson as Anne's mother
- Gertrude Flynn as Ladies Room attendant during Neely/Helen catfight
Production
On October 13, 1965, it was announced that 20th Century Fox had purchased rights to the novel ahead of its publication.[4] The films' production was continuously stalled by issues over the screenplay, originally written by Harlan Ellison. Fred Zinnemann was originally slated to direct in February 1966, but was replaced by Mark Robson in September.[4] After Zinnemann's departure, Helen Deutsch and Dorothy Kingsley were hired for rewrites.
Deviations from novel
A major difference from the novel is that the film is clearly set in the mid-to-late 1960s, amidst the collapse of the studio system, and unfolds over the course of a few years. In the novel, the story had begun in 1945, and developed over the course of two decades.
The ending to the film was also changed dramatically from the novel. Original screenwriter Harlan Ellison had originally kept the more downbeat ending, where Anne and Lyon are married with a child. Anne is dependent on the "dolls" to numb herself from the pain of Lyon's affairs. However, through the Deutsch and Kingsley rewrites, the ending is changed to Anne leaving Lyon and her job to return to Lawrenceville, described as the one place she found real happiness. Lyon later visits her to propose but she refuses. These changes, so out of keeping with Anne's established character (well-known to millions of readers), promoted Ellison to remove his name and credit from the film.
Casting
Casting for the major roles began in late 1966, amidst the script rewrites.[4] Robson and producer David Weisbart interviewed several prominent actors and actresses for the trio of women, including Ann-Margret, Jill Ireland,[4] Natalie Wood, Kim Novak, Lee Remick, and Debbie Reynolds.[5] Susann had wanted Mia Farrow for the role of Ann, but Candice Bergen – who had recently signed with Fox – was cast in late 1966.[4][6][7] However, she left before production began. 20th Century Fox wanted contract star Raquel Welch to play Jennifer, but she turned it down, not wanting to play a "sexpot" role. She asked to play Neely, but the studio refused.[4][8] Jane Fonda also turned down a role as one of the trio.[5]
In January 1967, columnist Dorothy Manners reported that Oscar nominated actress Elizabeth Hartman had been cast in the role of Neely O'Hara, beating out some more famous Hollywood actresses. Hartman had allegedly made a successful screen test that "floored" director Mark Robson and producer David Weisbart, the former already enthralled with her performance in Francis Ford Coppola's You're a Big Boy Now. However, in February 1967, it was Patty Duke and Barbara Parkins were cast to play Neely and Anne, respectively.[4] Both had auditioned for Neely O'Hara, but Parkins was cast as Anne. The role was Duke's first since the cancellation of her self-titled sitcom the prior year, and was meant to start a transition to more mature roles. Parkins' casting led to her role on 'Peyton Place being temporarily reduced until production ended.[4]
Bette Davis and Ginger Rogers were initially considered for the role of Helen Lawson.[4][5] Davis was the choice of Jacqueline Susann, and actively campaigned for the part. However, Judy Garland was cast in the role in March 1967. After Garland's firing the following month, Rogers and Lucille Ball were both offered the role, but declined; Rogers specifically cited the film's content and language.[5] Robson then personally appealed to Susan Hayward to take the role, after Rogers and Ball had declined. Hayward accepted after "finally [being] persuaded for a hefty fee."[5] Hayward reportedly had a difficult relationship with the cast and crew, and her clashes with Duke became part of the dramatic tension between their characters.
Garland casting
In March 1967, there was much publicity surrounding the casting of
In the years after the film's release, Duke repeatedly spoke of the harsh treatment Garland received by the studio and crew. In her 1987 autobiography Call Me Anna, Duke felt that Garland had been deliberately exploited by the studio. She wrote: "The producers may have felt justified in hiring her in the first place ... They had gotten their PR mileage out of the situation, the 'Judy comeback' stories had created extraordinary publicity for the film and now she was expendable".
Production
Production began in January and February 1967 with scenes shot in the New York City area. Principal photography started on February 17, and ended in late April.[4] On July 21, during post-production of the film, producer David Weisbart died while playing golf with Robson.[5]
In the decades since the film's release, several involved in the cast and crew have been critical of Robson's behavior on set. Tate reportedly refused to cry in one scene to avoid effecting her make-up, "which would cause further delay and further infuriate Robson."[5] Duke was also critical of Robson, characterizing him as "the meanest son of a bitch I ever met in my life."[10]
Release
The film had its world premiere in Genoa, Italy, on November 16, 1967. Following the premiere, the press boarded the cruise ship Princess Italia for a screening on the way to the Canary Islands. The ship then headed to Miami where the US premiere took place on November 28. Further premieres took place along the route until the ship arrived in Los Angeles for a final premiere on December 14.[12] The film received a wide release on December 15, 1967.[2][4] At a time when Fox was releasing most of its films under the roadshow theatrical model, Valley of the Dolls was one of the rare exceptions to the studio's practice. Upon its release, the film was the highest-grossing film for seven weeks from December 27, 1967 to February 13, 1968.
Box office
The film grossed $44.4 million worldwide against a $5 million budget.[2] According to Fox records, the film needed to earn $9,700,000 in rentals to break even; it made $22,925,000, meaning it made a profit.[13] By April 1968, it became Fox's highest-grossing film at the time not to have a roadshow theatrical release.[14]
Critical response
Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes has a 33% rating based on 39 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "Trashy, campy, soapy, and melodramatic, Valley of the Dolls may be a dud as a Hollywood expose, but has nonetheless endured as a kitsch classic".[15] Leonard Maltin's "TV movies" gave the film a BOMB rating: "Scattered unintentional laughs do not compensate for terribly written, acted and directed adaptation of Jacqueline Susann's best-seller".
The film was included in the 1978 book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (and How They Got That Way) by Harry Medved, Randy Dreyfuss, and Michael Medved.[16]
Accolades
Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Academy Awards | Best Scoring of Music – Adaptation or Treatment | John Williams | Nominated |
Golden Globe Awards | Most Promising Newcomer – Female | Sharon Tate | Nominated |
Grammy Awards | Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special | André Previn | Nominated |
Laurel Awards | Top Drama | 4th Place | |
Satellite Awards | Best Classic DVD | Nominated |
Home media
The Criterion Collection released Valley of the Dolls along with its parody Beyond the Valley of the Dolls in September 2016 on DVD and Blu-ray. While the latter film had previously been released by Arrow Films in the United Kingdom in the same year, this was the first Blu-ray release for Valley of the Dolls.[17]
Soundtrack
Related works
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, a 1970 satirical pastiche of Valley of the Dolls, was filmed by 20th Century Fox while the studio was being sued by Jacqueline Susann, according to Irving Mansfield's book Life with Jackie. Susann created the title for a Jean Holloway-scripted sequel that was rejected by the studio, which allowed Russ Meyer to film a radically different film with the same title. The suit went to court after Susann's death in 1974; the estate won damages of $2 million against Fox.
Two updated versions of the Jacqueline Susann novel were later broadcast as TV series:
- Lisa Hartman, Veronica Hamel and David Birney.
- Valley of the Dolls (1994) starring Sally Kirkland, Colleen Morris, Melissa De Sousa and Sharon Case.
Legacy
The film has developed a cult following, with critics and audiences citing its campy sensibility.[18] The film is particularly celebrated by gay men for its campiness and has become part of the LGBT cultural canon.[19]
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1.
- ^ a b c "Valley of the Dolls, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
- ^ Yasmin, Seema (24 Aug 2016). "As 'Dolls' turns 50, comparing mother's little helpers, then and now". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Valley of the Dolls at the American Film Institute Catalog
- ^ a b c d e f g Hannan, Brian (April 10, 2021). "Books – Behind the Scenes of "Valley of the Dolls" (1968)". The Magnificent 60s. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Martin, Betty (January 26, 1967). "Candice in 'Valley of Dolls'". Los Angeles Times. p. C10.
- ^ "Which Star Begged for a Role in Valley of the Dolls?". Movies!. January 15, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ Hallowell, John (July 14, 1968). "Wonder Woman!!". Los Angeles Times. p. o26.
- ISBN 0-06-011337-5.
- ^ a b c "PATTY DUKE on JUDY GARLAND in VALLEY OF THE DOLLS @ Castro Theatre Event!". YouTube. August 28, 2009. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-55305-209-1.
- ^ "The 'Dolls' Go For A Cruise". Variety. September 13, 1967. p. 3.
- ISBN 978-0-81840-485-6.
- ^ "Fox Studio Hosts Owners May 21; Big B.O. Pics, Not TV, Stressed; Zanucks' Own Takes Detailed". Variety. April 17, 1968. p. 5.
- ^ "Valley of the Dolls". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ISBN 9780207958915.
- ^ Criterion Announces September Titles Blu-ray.com 16 June 2016
- ^ Liebenson, Donald (December 13, 2017). "Why Valley of the Dolls Still Sparkles at 50". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020.
- ^ Baker, Lindsay (October 13, 2016). "The 'camp trash' that became a classic". BBC. Retrieved June 6, 2021.