Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!
Deep Inside Valley of the Dolls, the Most Beloved Bad Book and Movie of All Time
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4.6 • 9 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"A blissful treasure trove of gossipy insider details that Dolls fans will swiftly devour."
--Kirkus Reviews
The unbelievable-but-true, inside story of Jacqueline Susann's pop culture icon Valley of the Dolls--the landmark novel and publishing phenomenon, the infamous smash hit film ("the best worst movie ever made"), and Dolls's thriving legacy today
Since its publication in 1966, Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls has reigned as one of the most influential and beloved pieces of commercial fiction. Selling over thirty-one million copies worldwide, it revolutionized overnight the way books got sold, thanks to the tireless and canny self-promoting Susann. It also generated endless speculation about the author's real-life models for its larger-than-life characters. Turned in 1967 into an international box-office sensation and morphing into a much-beloved cult film, its influence endures today in everything from films and TV shows to fashion and cosmetics tributes and tie-ins. Susann's compulsive readable exposé of three female friends finding success in New York City and Hollywood was a scandalous eye-opener for its candid treatment of sex, naked ambition, ageism, and pill-popping, and the big screen version was one of the most-seen and talked-about movies of the time.
Dolls! Dolls! Dolls! digs deep into the creation of that hugely successful film--a journey nearly as cut-throat, sexually-charged, tragic, and revelatory as Susann's novel itself--and uncovers how the movie has become a cherished, widely imitated camp classic, thanks to its over-the-top performances, endlessly quotable absurd dialogue, outré costumes and hairdos, despite the high aspirations, money, and talent lavished on it. Screenwriter-journalist-film historian Stephen Rebello has conducted archival research and new interviews to draw back the velvet curtain on the behind-the-scenes intrigue, feuds and machinations that marked the film's production. In doing so, he unveils a rich, detailed history of fast-changing, late 1960s Hollywood, on screen and off.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Screenwriter Rebello (Bad Movies We Love) plunges into all aspects of a famously guilty pleasure in this exuberant examination of Jacqueline Susann's racy tale of sex, drugs, and Hollywood. Rebello recounts Susann's early experiences as an actress and playwright, and numerous affairs with stars, including Ethel Merman and Eddie Cantor, and the scorn she drew from literary heavyweights, including Truman Capote and Gore Vidal, when Valley of the Dolls, marketed as a scandalous roman clef of her showbiz career, hit 1966 bestseller charts. Rivaling the book's salacious plot, the making of the 1967 film version was fraught with drama. Patty Duke, a Hollywood veteran, resented being given second billing to newcomer Barbara Parkins who, for her part, had pursued Duke's role, as a Judy Garland inspired singer. Garland herself was cast as an older performer (in turn inspired by Merman), but the troubled actress was soon replaced by fellow star Susan Hayward. When the much anticipated movie premiered, a combination of projection snafus and the actual film's "rancid dialogue and over-the-top performances" drew ridicule yet over time, the film attained cult status in its own right. Anyone seeking nonfiction escapism will be well served by Rebello's loving dissection of a camp classic's print and screen incarnations.
Customer Reviews
Enjoyable Read!
Having been a fan of the film Valley of the Dolls (and Peyton Place’s Barbara Parkins) since its original release, I found the book both very informative and entertaining. This exhaustively researched book provides the reader with all they need to know about the book and particularly about the making of the movie. More generally, it provides the reader with behind the scenes information about movie making in Hollywood. I also enjoyed the many never before seen photographs. Fans of the movie undoubtedly will enjoy this book.