= 2 stars

Starring Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, Sharon Tate
Directed by Mark Robson

Today, Valley Of The Dolls, based on the book of the same name, comes off as darned campy which wasn’t the original intent. Many of its topics (drug addiction, homosexuality, pornography, and the cruel show business machine) once controversial and shocking, now seem tame. So we have actresses looking dour and pensive regarding matters Lindsay Lohan would consider sobriety. The result is overacting (camp) and at worst, much ado about nothing (boring).

The film follows the damaging of three show biz neophytes. First is Anne Welles (Barbara Parkins), a quite innocent New England girl who makes her way to Manhattan. She starts out as a secretary but soon gets mixed up in show business, eventually becoming a television model for a clothing line. Her one shocking indiscretion is premarital sex.

Second is Jennifer North Polar (Sharon Tate), only receiving work because of her striking beauty and body. Money is a constant issue, and Jennifer soon resorts to making French “art house” films. Dirtier stuff now appears in mall catalogs. Her movie plays in San Francisco’s North beach, lovingly portrayed as a scum bag world of drunkards, strip clubs, and prostitutes. Silicon Valley has really cleaned this place up.

A creepy side note: actress Sharon Tate was a victim in the notorious Manson murders. Those grisly, insane happenings seem to inspire Z-Man in the sequel Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls – a rather head scratching element of terrible taste. Poor Jennifer deserves so much better.

Last is Neely O’Hara (Patty Duke), a musical sensation, who finds the most fame and therefore ends up most damaged. Her big break gets her out from under the thumb of an old bitchy actress, Helen Lawson. Neely lands her own show and moves to Hollywood, but is soon addicted to pain killers (the “dolls” of the title), and winds up batty in a sanitarium. Her arc transforms her into the sort of griping, sniping actress she used to despise. Patty Duke takes the cake as far as overreaching, campy acting.

I found Valley Of The Dolls amusing and at times entertaining, but ultimately dated in the wrong ways. The insaner Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls fully embraced the wacky sixties counter culture while Valley Of The Dolls – in terms of direction and storytelling – still remains firmly rooted in a more conservative style of film-making. For better music or a withering critique of show business, I’d recommend the older movies Singing In The Rain or Sunset Boulevard, and for sheer campy nuttness, the sequel is better.

IMDB: Valley Of The Dolls
Wikipedia: Valley Of The Dolls
Rotten Tomatoes: Valley Of The Dolls 31%

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Categories: 2 Star Movies, Movies :: 2 stars, Barbara Parkins, Mark Robson, Patty Duke, Sharon Tate ::

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