Editorial Review:Description:Lured by their dreams of fame and fortune, three ambitious young women enter the world of show business and discover how easy it is to sink into a celebrity nightmare of ego, alcohol and 'pills' - the beloved 'dolls.' A prim New Englander (Barbara Parkins) unexpectedly skyrockets from her job as secretary in a talent agency to a glamorous TV model. A determined singer (Patty Duke) finds that Hollywood success can also spell self-destruction. And a beautiful sex symbol (Sharon Tate) is torn between the money commands and the shame of feeling exploited. Based on Jacqueline Susann's phenomenal best-seller about the underside of Hollywood, this fascinating melodrama was once seen as a shocking behind-the-scenes look at how show business creates instant stars, destroys romances and changes personalities forever.
Amazon.com essential video:They don't make 'em like this anymore. Well, John Waters might, if he ever had a big enough budget. A steamy 'inside look' at the alternately sleazy and glamorous world of catfighting, backbiting show-biz starlets, this Hollywood hit from the bestselling novel by Jacqueline Susann is a high-gloss camp artifact--a time capsule (or some kind of capsule, anyway)--from the screwy '60s, when a broad was a broad, a bitch was a bitch (whether 'her' name was Neely O'Hara or Ted Casablanca), and a 'doll' was a prescription drug. These dames of whine and poses obsessed over their bust lines, booze, and barbiturates. The once-shocking and scandalous language and behavior of these Broadway babes has been eclipsed by
Dallas,
Dynasty, and
Melrose Place, but time has only enhanced the stature of
Valley of the Dolls as a classic--and it still puts
Showgirls to shame. With Patty Duke, Susan Hayward, Sharon Tate, Lee Grant, Barbara Parkins, and Martin Milner (and juicy, scene-chewing dialogue such as the infamous: 'They drummed you out of Hollywood, so you come crawling back to Broadway. But Broadway doesn't go for booze and dope--now get out of my way, I've got a
man waiting for me!'),
Valley of the Dolls is the Mount Rushmore of backstage movie melodramas.
--Jim Emerson
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Average Rating:
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A True American Cinema Classic.
DOLLS!!! What may have been at the time of release "shocking" dialogue is why Valley of the Dolls will live in infamy. "Well Broad-way doesn't go for booozze and pills." Helen Larson tells Neeley O'Hara at the start of their catfight in the powder room. Great fun to watch with your best Gay friends. Great extras included. Packaging is well done and comes with lobby cards.
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Valley of the Dolls (Special Edition) DVD
I got this DVD within a few days. It arrived in excellent condition. I'm very happy with my order and would highly recommend this seller.
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No Problems at All
It came in the mail quickly and I watched it quickly. No problems at all. In excellent condition.
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Sparkle! Sparkle!
Today's big celebrated DVD is the camp classic Valley Of The Dolls from 1967. Released as a two disc collection this DVD has a ton and ton of extras plus the 2 hour movie featuring Patty Duke as the over the top Neely O'Hara, Barbara Parkins as Anne Welles, and beautiful Sharon Tate as Jennifer North - the gal with no talent but a body to get her ahead. Why I've never seen this is beyond me - oh wait, I know why, because in 1981 there was a TV version of the film and in it Lisa Hartman played Neely; and to me that is the Valley I remember.
However, knowing this original film released shortly after the infamous book spent umpteen months at #1 on the Bestseller list, I was curious to know what the fuss was all about. Let me tell you, it is great. The songs are pretty sucky, the dialogue fairly cliched, and Patty's performance so over the top I'm surprised the scenery didn't come crashing down. Boobies, boobies, boobies! is just one classic line shooting forth from La Duke's pouty lips. I mean, she totally makes the movie, and mixed in with Barbara's classy Anne and Sharon's very subtle Jennifer, this is one classic flick.
Patty, up until just recently has complete disdain for this movie and hardly talks about it, but I am here to tell you that she rocks it. Screaming and pouting, laughing, crying and taking those dolls - she has the meatiest role in the film.
I've met Patty a few times when I lived in Idaho and she was always really cool and pleasant but to see her on the screen in this film gives me a whole new kudos for her. My pal just did her website and I can't wait to tell him to run and run until he finds his copy of this film because he's going to love it.
Now I have to go back and watch my 1981 version again and see if Lisa's Neely is anywhere near as over the top as Duke's. I hope so, I really can't remember. I do know that the 1981 version is supposedly closer to the original book than the movie (which Jacqueline Susann walked out of declaring, "You've ruined my book!") but the ending scene of the original with Patty and pretty much every scene with Neely is a complete riot. I'll have to get back to you on how it compares with my girl - if anything- I can say that Lisa's songs are much more interesting than Patty's but what can you do.
In short, rent it, buy it, love it and laugh!
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I actually thought it was an okay movie
Sigh, I guess I'm not edgy/cool, because I found "Valley of the Dolls" simply to be an engaging, pretty good drama, not the huge make-fun-of-it laughfest all the gay icons and other followers of the movie say it is during the numerous special features. To be sure, there ARE several over-the-top moments- usually involving a character using pills and/or booze or commenting on another character's use of same- but they're just that, moments, not non-stop unintentional hilarity. Okay, the gay icons were right about the wig-in-the-toilet scene... THAT was pretty crazy. Endless special features throughout this two-disc set and an absolutely crystal clear restored print of the film make this DVD a must-see for fans of sixties cinema. And the gorgeous actresses don't hurt, either.
