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This film version of "Valley of the Dolls" is still the best bar none in my opinion. Yes, it's quite a bit different than the novel itself starting with the time period involved, which, in the novel, begins with the end of WWII, but I think the essential story remains.
The story begins with the arrival of Anne Welles, played to perfection by Barbara Parkins. She goes to a theatrical law firm and as her first assignment, is sent to a rehearsal hall to get a signature on a contract from Helen Lawson (also played perfectly by Susan Hawyward ), a hard-driving ruthless Broadway star. She says she will only sign the contract only if the agency gets Neely O'Hara, a young singer thrown off the production. Bellamy does as asked, getting Nelly thrown out. Lyon Burke, nephew of the other founder of the agency gets Anne to talk Neely into learning some songs for an upcoming telethon. Neely sings at the telethon and gets good audience reaction as evidenced by donations. Afterwards, Lyon and Anne take her to a nightclub where she sees Jenniffer North, a dancer in a Broadway show (Jenniffer is played by Sharon Tate, who really looks like an aspiring actress/singer. of that era). During the performance of Tony Polar (Tony Scott) Lyon excuses himself, then returns to tell Neely that she will follow Tony at the club.
Neely undertakes courses in acting, dancing, and singing. During this time she marries Mel Anderson (Martin Milner), a theatrical agent with whom she is in love. Meanwhile, Anne falls in love with Lyon and they consummate their relationship after attending the New Haven premiere of the show in which Helen Lawson is the star.
Things start to go downhill for four of the characters. Neely, who is now in Hollywood, reveals her contempt for Mel to Jennifer, who has married Tony. Neely finally insults Mel one time too many and he leaves her. Anne's mother has died and she goes to Lawrenceville for the funeral. Lyon follows her and when Anne mentions that her parents' bed is a marriage bed, he makes it clear that he is not the marrying kind. He leaves Ann to stay at an inn in town. The next day, she goes to talk to Lyon only to find that he has checked out. However, he has left an envelope for her. In it a note telling her that he is going back to England to write a novel and thanks her for the most wonderful winter of his life.
Things also begin to go south for Tony and Jeniffer. First, the studio for which he works drops his option. Then, one night after they see a musical, Tony's legs buckle under him. He tells Jenniffer that he's fine only to have his legs buckle again. Once they are back home, a doctor is called and after examining Tony, tells Jenniffer and Tony's sister, Miriam (Lee, that he has Huntington's Chorea and that, in a few months, other symptoms will happen. He also tells them that it is incurable and that at some point, he will need to be institutionalized. After the doctor leaves, Miriam reveals why she's always been tight with money because she knew that something was wrong with Tony and that she was trying to save money so that if Tony became too sick to work, she could pay for his care. She says that Tony has Huntington's but that she doesn't since Tony and she had different fathers. She also tells Jenniffer that she knows that Jennifer truly loves Tony and thanks her for it. Jennifer then tells Miriam that she is pregnant.Although it isn't specifically mentioned, Jennifer has an abortion. A bit later, Miriam has Jenniffer speak with Claude Chardot (Richard Angarola), a producer of French art films. Jennifer doesn't like the idea of taking her clothes off in front of a camera, but she gives in, knowing that a sanitarium is very expensive.
Back in Hollywood, Neely has divorced Mel and marries Ted Casablanca (Alexander Davion) a designer with whom she was having an affair while still married to Mel. Things start to go south for them as it becomes clear that Neely is addicted to drugs to sleep and others to get up (she started taking them back when she was in training).
In New York, Anne makes the acquaintance of Kevin Gillmore (Charles Drake), president of a cosmetics firm. He ends up hiring Anne to star in commercials for his firm. Anne's career as "The Gillian Girl" takes off. She also begins a relationship with Gillmore. While at his beach house, she runs into Lyon who says that he thinks there is only one novel in him. They go back to the beach house where Anne tells him that she was going to marry Gillmore, but that that is now an impossibility because she realizes that she is still in love with Lyon.
Things are not going well with Neely and Ted. She has also begun to act up at work. In one scene, Ted hauls her out of her trailer and insist that she finish shooting the scene. One night, after complaing about her life to Anne, she comes home to find Ted in the pool with a young woman. She goes off the deep end screaming at Ted. Finally, he gets out of the pool and leaves with the young lady. Marriage Number Two is down the drain.
The next morning, Lyon comes to Neely's house to wake her up and tells her that she was supposed to be on the set. He reveals that the studio is firing her off the picture. He then seemingly talks her into letting him put her into a sanitarium to treat her addiction. She says yes, then once he leaves, she quickly books a flight to San Francisco. Once there she wanders around in a drunken stupor. She then goes to a bar, where she gets thrown out for being drunk and disorderly. The next morning, she wakes up to find herself in a hotel room with a strange man who is rifling through her purse. The next scene, she is in a hospital room with Anne and Lyon. After they leave, she becomes hysterical, asking the nurse for a"doll".
After a few months, Anne and Lyon visit her at the sanitarium. She recounts her time there and the reveals that Tony is at the same sanitarium since one night at a dance, she sees him. She asks the pianist to play "Come Live With Me" (the song Tony sang at the nightclub). He joins her in the song but when it's over, he slumps in his wheelchair and the nurse takes him back to his room.
Once Neely has left the sanitarium, Lyon has lined up a role in a Broadway musical for her. Lyon goes to New York to be with her during the run of the play. One night he leaves for a reception given for Helen Lawson. After he leaves, Neely gets dressed up and goes to the venue. A cat fight ensues and Neels tries to flush Helen's wig down the toilet. Later that night, Helen tells Lyon her take on Neely, that nothing can destroy Neely's talent but that she'll destroy herself.
Anne returns to Lawrenceville where Lyon visits her and asks to marry her. She turns him down. In leaving, Lyon asks if she won't reconsider. She says maybe one day.
Nelly ends up alienating Lyon by telling him that she doesn't need him and he walks out. She ends up totally bombed and an understudy is called to replace her. Finally, she ends up in an alleyway, doing a loud soliloquy. The film ends with Anne walking along a snowy road.
This is a great movie and if you watch it, you won't be disappointed.
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Good quality
received in perfect quality without any damage. such a beautiful soundtrack, the movie is so campy but i still love it!
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Lois Yorke
Curious period piece - you'll love it or hate it.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 28, 2017