The "Dolls" Are Not Alright
About the Series: In this 7-week series, I will review and analyze films specially curated for the theme “Women on the Verge (Of a Nervous Breakdown).” Enjoy analyses and thoughts on our cinematic favorites, underrated gems, and discover what makes the featured women protagonists, “On the Verge.”
Love it or hate it, Valley of the Dolls became a salacious and sensational pop culture phenomenon in 1967. Adapted from the 1966 novel of the same name written by Jacqueline Susann, and directed by Mark Robson, this film remains controversial and bleak. A peek into the life and customs of the late-60s American woman, the three protagonists face the uncertainty and destruction that their irregular personal lives bring.
Anchored by Anne Welles (Barbara Parkins), the film follows the doe-eyed and innocent brunette as she leaves her sleepy New England town to follow dreams that can only be made in New York City. She quickly lands a job as a secretary for a high-powered Broadway agent and eventually rises to stardom as a successful model. On her rise to fame, she befriends Neely O’Hara (Patty Duke) and Jennifer North (Sharon Tate). Facing a series of romantic, professional, and personal challenges, all three women are pushed to the brink of insanity, relying on “dolls” or prescription pills to ease their pain. The film leaves audiences without a happy ending, with Jen, whose character was inspired by Marilyn Monroe, succumbing to death, Neely, an obvious stand-in for Judy Garland, facing full-blown addiction, and Anne, based on the novelist Jacqueline Susann herself, returning home to New England, leaving all her trauma behind in New York City.