Michael Musto recommends Valley of the Dolls

Valley of the Dolls

1967, Mark Robson

screenplay: Helen Deutsch and Dorothy Kingsley; based on the novel by Jacqueline Susann
cast: Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, Susan Hayward, Paul Burke, Sharon Tate, Tony Scotti, Martin Milner, Charles Drake, Alexander Davion, Lee Grant, Robert H. Harris, Joey Bishop, George Jessel, Jacqueline Susann

Valley of the Dolls is often described as a tasteless piece of outrageous, trashy camp——to which I say, “Duh. That’s why I love it!” In fact, though many “serious” critics feel Valley is the worst film ever made, I can’t find anything wrong with it. This camp classic, based on Jacqueline Susann’s smash novel about three showbiz lovelies and their battles with pills, works on every conceivable level. It’s an eye-opening fashion show, a giddy musical, and a behind-the-scenes cautionary tale. It’s also brimming with real-life gossip, like how Susan Hayward replaced Judy Garland as the over-the-hill barracuda Helen Lawson. It’s probably a good thing Judy dropped out, because Helen’s nemesis——Neely, a spunky upstart on pills played by Patty Duke——was based on the young her! Beyond the gossip, the big hair, the nutty dialogue (“That little whore makes me feel nine feet tall!”), and the outlandish situations (a love duet sung in a rehab center), Valley of the Dolls is as engrossing and fun to watch today as when it came out.

Michael Musto
Columnist, The Village Voice