Valley of the Dolls (novel): Difference between revisions

Valley of the Dolls
	First hardcover edition cover
Author	Jacqueline Susann
Language	English
Published	1966
Publisher	Bernard Geis Associates
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardback and paperback)
Pages	442 pp (hardcover edition)
ISBN	978-0802135193

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Valley of the Dolls is the first novel by American writer Jacqueline Susann. Published in 1966, the book was the biggest-selling novel of its year.^[1] By 2016 it had sold more than 31 million copies,^[2] making it one of the all-time best-selling fictional works in publishing history.^[3]

Plot

In 1945 beautiful ingenue Anne Welles moves to New York City to escape the ennui of her Massachusetts hometown. She finds work as a secretary to Henry Bellamy, an entertainment lawyer, and befriends Neely O'Hara, an ebullient vaudevillian and aspiring stage actress. Henry's employee, Lyon Burke, returns to the agency after World War II, and Anne quickly falls in love with him despite Henry's warning. Meanwhile Anne goes on some dates with a small-time salesman named Allen Cooper. Allen suddenly reveals that he is a millionaire pretending to be a normal person in order to make sure Anne's feelings are genuine. He proposes to Anne and their love story becomes a media sensation.

Anne befriends Helen Lawson, a brilliant, ruthless, unhappy Broadway legend. Neely is hired for Helen's latest show but Helen takes a dislike to her and minimizes her role. Anne uses her friendship with Lyon to secure Neely a bigger role, and Neely becomes a breakout star; Helen cruelly rejects Anne by revealing she was only interested in Anne's friendship for the chance at a sexual relationship with Allen's father. Anne also befriends Jennifer North, a kindhearted young actress famous for her attractive figure.

On the night of the show's opening, Anne and Lyon consummate their feelings, and Anne and Allen break up. The production is a massive success. Neely enjoys a meteoric rise to fame and moves to California to begin a film career. Anne's mother dies and she returns to her hometown with Lyon, who wants to quit the agency, live in Anne's family home, and write novels. Though Anne loves Lyon deeply, she refuses to move back to Massachusetts. Lyon breaks up with Anne and moves to England to write, leaving Anne heartbroken. Though Anne takes years to move on, she eventually becomes a model for beauty products and starts dating the cosmetics company owner, the older, wealthy Kevin Gillmore.

Meanwhile Jennifer begins a relationship with the childish, sex-obsessed singer Tony Polar, but their romance is frequently interrupted by his domineering older sister, Miriam. Jennifer pressures Tony into marrying her and quickly falls pregnant. After reuniting with an increasingly unsympathetic Neely, who is in the midst of an affair, Jennifer becomes dependent on 'dolls', amphetamines and barbiturates, to calm her frayed nerves. Finally Miriam reveals why she opposed Jennifer and Tony's relationship: Tony has developmental disabilities and the baby will likely inherit them. Devastated, Jennifer has an abortion and agrees to divorce Tony. Jennifer then moves to Europe and finds work in art house films, which, owing to her nudity, are considered softcore pornography in the United States.

By 1950 Neely has become a celebrated actress enjoying a lucrative film career and twin sons with her second husband. However long workdays and the stress over her husband's infidelity (with both men and women) keep her dependent on 'dolls' and she is becoming increasingly unpopular with the studio because of her tantrums and walkouts. Neely accidentally overdoses on pills but makes a full recovery. Still, the studio fires her from the production and replaces her with the boss's young lover. Anne reconnects with Neely; Kevin suggests resurrecting Neely's career by having her sing on a televised spectacular for his brand. Neely at first refuses but following a successful supper-club performance and a run-in with a belligerent Helen she agrees. Unable to cope with the demands of the rehearsals, she overdoses to avoid performing. To Anne's distress Neely disappears to Europe.

Jennifer, in Europe, is pressured to undergo plastic surgery; as she has always lied about her true age she is now ten years older than her claimed age of 27. Unhappy with her European career and boyfriend, she returns to the United States. Three years later she becomes engaged to an older senator, who she believes loves her for more than her body, and she is excited to get married and have a child. But a routine test reveals that she has breast cancer and will require a mastectomy and the treatment will likely render her infertile. After her fiancé says he doesn't want children and makes a comment suggesting he's only interested in her body Jennifer becomes convinced that she will never be loved for who she is. She leaves the hospital and commits suicide.

Neely reappears in the midst of Jennifer's funeral. She has lost her voice, apparently from psychological issues. After bungling a self-harm attempt Neely becomes institutionalized, which a guilty Anne pays for. Meanwhile Lyon returns to New York and reconnects with Anne, much to the chagrin of Kevin. Anne is unable to overcome her passion for Lyon and the two begin an affair. Kevin eventually learns of this and breaks up with Anne. Some time later Neely finds her voice again after an impromptu sanitarium performance with a now-incompetent Tony Polar. Anne works with Henry to get Lyon to abandon his non-starter career as a writer and become a partner at the agency, with Henry lending Lyon money that secretly comes from Anne.

Lyon is initially put off by Neely, who has become obese, but successfully plots her career comeback. Anne and Lyon get married and Anne quickly becomes pregnant, but her happiness is short-lived when Neely demands that Lyon escort her everywhere on her comeback tour. Lyon learns from Neely about how Anne secretly lent him money and feels outraged and emasculated. He and Neely begin a brazen public affair. Henry persuades Anne to wait out the humiliation and pretend she knows nothing, assuring her that Lyon will grow tired of Neely and return to her. The affair stretches out for years, with Neely pressuring Lyon to end his marriage. Anne becomes dependent on the 'dolls' to relax, but Lyon reluctantly stays with Anne. After repaying Anne's loan he breaks off the affair (losing Neely as a client in the process) but quickly begins a new one with a teenaged up-and-coming singer. Though Anne finally admits to herself that Lyon will never stop having affairs, she assures herself that she will eventually fall out of love and become numb to all of her pain before reaching for her 'dolls' again.

Background

Susann had apparently been thinking about the novel for some time. Some years earlier, she had begun Underneath the Pancake, a show-business novel, with her actress friend Beatrice Cole (c. 1910–1999).^[4] Later, she considered writing a novel about drug usage in show business to be called The Pink Dolls.^[5]

Valley of the Dolls is considered a roman à clef, with its characters based on famous figures such as Judy Garland, Carole Landis, Dean Martin, and Ethel Merman.^[6] In 1973, after the publication of her third novel, Susann said: "They can keep calling it that roman à clef. It'll only make my books sell. I don't care".^[7] Susann insisted that she began each book with a theme: "Then I start asking, what kind of a personality? And because I have a good ear, I unconsciously pick up certain people".^[7]

Susann dedicated the book to her poodle Josephine, and to her husband Irving Mansfield.^[8]

Reception

The book was published by Bernard Geis Associates on February 10, 1966, and "took off like a Cape Canaveral space shot".^[9]

Publishers Weekly, in an advance review, called the novel "big, brilliant and sensational", if "poorly written".^[10] The book received largely negative reviews. Feminist Gloria Steinem criticized the book in the New York Herald Tribune,^[11] as did The New York Times.^[12] Time magazine called it the "Dirty Book of the Month", and said: "It might more accurately be described as a highly effective sedative, a living doll".^[13]

Despite the poor reviews, the book was a runaway commercial success. On May 8, 1966, in its ninth week on the list, the book reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List, where it remained for 28 consecutive weeks.^[14] With a total of 65 weeks on the list, the book became the best-selling novel of 1966.^[1] By the time of Susann's death in 1974, it had entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling novel in publishing history, with more than 17 million copies sold.^[15] By 2016, the book had sold more than 31 million copies.^[2]

In popular culture

In Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, when Billy Pilgrim is brought to Tralfamadore for the first time and asks for reading material, he is given The Valley of The Dolls, which is the only physical copy of an English-speaking book the Tralfamadorians have aboard their spaceship.^[16]

In Black Mirror season 6 episode 3, "Beyond the Sea", the character of Lana is seen reading the book.^[17]

In the Stephen King novel Billy Summers, the character Alice Maxwell makes reference to the book.

In State of Grace Season 2 Episode 12, main characters Hannah and Grace are at a bookstore looking at the book's cover and pondering what it's about. Just as they're starting to take a peek inside the book to find out, Grace's mother Tattie snatches the book away and scolds them, saying the book is a "trashy" one for adults and "not for children!"

In Malcolm in the Middle season 3 episode 5, Eric's bunk-mate criticizes the book's ending.

In 2012, Marina and The Diamonds released her Electra Heart album, the tenth trackon the album is named 'Valley of the Dolls', one of the lyrics is as follows; "in the valley of the dolls, we sleep, got a hole inside of me."

In the 2023 tactical first-person shooter game Ready or Not, one of the levels involving a child sexual abuse sting bears the name of the novel.

Marlo Thomas and Ted Bessell play Charades in a November 27, 1969 episode of THAT GIRL (season 4, episode 11, "Kiss That Girl Goodbye"). He correctly guesses "Valley of the Dolls" after she's only given him the clues of it being a four-word book title.

Adaptations and character portrayals

In 1967, the book was adapted into a film of the same name, directed by Mark Robson (Peyton Place), and starring Barbara Parkins as Anne, Patty Duke as Neely, Paul Burke (Lyon), Sharon Tate (Jennifer), and Susan Hayward (Helen). The screenplay was written by Helen Deutsch (National Velvet) and Dorothy Kingsley (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), and produced by Robson and David Weisbart. Like the book, although the reviews were scathing,^[18] the film was an enormous box-office hit, becoming the sixth most popular of the year with $44 million at the domestic box office.^[19] Susann, who had a cameo in the film as a news reporter, hated the film.^[20] The film became a celebrated cult classic in later years, often cited as a key example of camp in cinema.^[21]

Because of the success of the film adaptation, a sequel was rushed into development by Fox in early 1968.^[22] Susann provided a title for the film, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls,^[22] and a treatment that involved Anne Welles moving into television journalism while attempting to raise her teenage daughter, Julie, as a single mother following another rocky love affair with Lyon Burke.^[22] After a year's work by two screenwriters did not result in a script Fox executives wanted to produce, Susann and her husband, Irving Mansfield, who was attached as producer, were removed from the project.^[23] Beyond the Valley of the Dolls was instead made and released in 1970 as an unofficial sequel/musical-comedy parody of the first film.^[23] Sexploitation filmmaker Russ Meyer produced and directed Beyond from a screenplay by his friend, Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert.^[23] While a modest box-office hit and later a cult classic, the X-rated film resulted in an ultimately successful lawsuit from Susann and varying levels of embarrassment from future Fox regimes over the film's uses of nudity and violence.^[23] Because of the legal issues with Susann, the characters of Anne and Lyon were renamed and recast without Parkins and Burke.^[23]

The novel was re-adapted by Fox for television in 1981 as Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls, a mini-series executive-produced by Susann's widower, Irving Mansfield, and directed by Walter Grauman. This version stars Catherine Hicks, Lisa Hartman, and Veronica Hamel. In 1994 a late-night, syndicated television soap opera, Valley of the Dolls, ran for one season and 65 episodes. The premise was a loose adaptation of the novel.^[24] BBC Radio 4 broadcast a 15-episode dramatisation scripted by Yvonne Antrobus over three weeks in August and September 2005. It was part of the Woman's Hour programme's ongoing fifteen-minute daily drama slot,^[25] and has been rebroadcast several times on BBC Radio 4 Extra in three 70-minute omnibus episodes.^[26]

The creation of the novel, film and the never-made film sequel meant to star Parkins and Burke are the subjects of an acclaimed 2020 non-fiction book written by Stephen Rebello, Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: Deep Inside Valley of the Dolls, the Most Beloved Bad Book and Movie of All Time.

Character	Valley of the Dolls (1967)	Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls (1981)	Valley of the Dolls (1994)
Helen Lawson	Susan Hayward	Jean Simmons	Sally Kirkland
Neely O'Hara	Patty Duke	Lisa Hartman	Melissa De Sousa
Jennifer North	Sharon Tate	Veronica Hamel	Colleen Morris
Anne Welles	Barbara Parkins	Catherine Hicks	Sharon Case

References

^ ^a ^b The 20th-Century American Bestsellers Database: 1960s. University of Virginia, via Publishers Weekly, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Symonds, Alexandria. 'Valley of the Dolls', by the numbers. T: The New York Times Style Magazine. February 9, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
^ Best Seller. Encyclopedia Britannica. February 23, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
^ Seaman, Barbara. Lovely Me: The Life of Jacqueline Susann. 2nd ed. (New York: Seven Stories Press, 1996), p. 197.
^ Seaman. Lovely Me, p. 251-252.
^ Collins, Amy Fine. Once Was Never Enough. Vanity Fair, January 2000. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Kasindorf, Martin. Jackie Susann Picks Up the Marbles. The New York Times, August 12, 1973. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
^ Susann, Jacqueline. Valley of the Dolls. New York: Bernard Geis Associates, 1966.
^ Daniels, Mary. Susann's Best Love Story a Private Affair. Chicago Tribune. August 15, 1976. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
^ Mansfield, Irving and Jean Libman Block. Life with Jackie. New York: Bantam Books, 1983, p. 132.
^ Seaman, Lovely Me, p. 314.
^ Fremont-Smith, Eliot. Thank You, Franz Kafka! The New York Times. February 4, 1966. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
^ Books: Dirty Book of the Month. Time. April 22, 1966. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
^ Adult New York Times Best Seller Lists for 1966. Hawes Publications. [n.d.] Retrieved January 10, 2017.
^ Johnston, Laurie. Jacqueline Susann Dead at 53; Novelist Wrote 'Valley of Dolls'. The New York Times. September 23, 1974. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
^ Bloom, Harold. Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-five. p. 72.
^ "Black Mirror Season 6 Episode 3 Review: Beyond the Sea". Den of Geek. 15 June 2023.
^ Seaman. Lovely Me, p. 349.
^ Top Grossing Films of 1967. Listal. June 24, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
^ Green, David B. This Day in Jewish History 1974: Jacqueline Susann, Who Knew What You Really Want to Read, Dies. Haaretz. September 21, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
^ Rebello, Stephen (2020). Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: deep inside Valley of the dolls, the most beloved bad book and movie of all time. [New York, New York]. pp. xi–xiv. ISBN 978-0-14-313350-6. OCLC 1127541604.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c Rebello, Stephen (2020). Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: deep inside Valley of the dolls, the most beloved bad book and movie of all time. [New York, New York]. pp. 275–276, 280. ISBN 978-0-14-313350-6. OCLC 1127541604.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Rebello, Stephen (2020). Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: deep inside Valley of the dolls, the most beloved bad book and movie of all time. [New York, New York]. pp. 285–289. ISBN 978-0-14-313350-6. OCLC 1127541604.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Gardner, Eriq (March 16, 2012). "Lawsuit Threatens Lee Daniels' 'Valley of the Dolls' TV Series". The Hollywood Reporter.
^ Radio Listings
^ BBC Radio omnibus edition catalogue entry

External links

Valley of the Dolls The official website, run by the estate of Jacqueline Susann.

[1960s-1] The 20th-Century American Bestsellers Database: 1960s. University of Virginia, via Publishers Weekly, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.

[Numbers-2] Symonds, Alexandria. 'Valley of the Dolls', by the numbers. T: The New York Times Style Magazine. February 9, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.

[3] Best Seller. Encyclopedia Britannica. February 23, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2017.

[4] Seaman, Barbara. Lovely Me: The Life of Jacqueline Susann. 2nd ed. (New York: Seven Stories Press, 1996), p. 197.

[5] Seaman. Lovely Me, p. 251-252.

[6] Collins, Amy Fine. Once Was Never Enough. Vanity Fair, January 2000. Retrieved January 5, 2017.

[Marbles-7] Kasindorf, Martin. Jackie Susann Picks Up the Marbles. The New York Times, August 12, 1973. Retrieved January 5, 2017.

[8] Susann, Jacqueline. Valley of the Dolls. New York: Bernard Geis Associates, 1966.

[9] Daniels, Mary. Susann's Best Love Story a Private Affair. Chicago Tribune. August 15, 1976. Retrieved January 10, 2017.

[10] Mansfield, Irving and Jean Libman Block. Life with Jackie. New York: Bantam Books, 1983, p. 132.

[11] Seaman, Lovely Me, p. 314.

[12] Fremont-Smith, Eliot. Thank You, Franz Kafka! The New York Times. February 4, 1966. Retrieved January 10, 2017.

[13] Books: Dirty Book of the Month. Time. April 22, 1966. Retrieved January 10, 2017.

[14] Adult New York Times Best Seller Lists for 1966. Hawes Publications. [n.d.] Retrieved January 10, 2017.

[15] Johnston, Laurie. Jacqueline Susann Dead at 53; Novelist Wrote 'Valley of Dolls'. The New York Times. September 23, 1974. Retrieved January 9, 2017.

[16] Bloom, Harold. Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-five. p. 72.

[17] "Black Mirror Season 6 Episode 3 Review: Beyond the Sea". Den of Geek. 15 June 2023.

[18] Seaman. Lovely Me, p. 349.

[19] Top Grossing Films of 1967. Listal. June 24, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2017.

[Haaretz-20] Green, David B. This Day in Jewish History 1974: Jacqueline Susann, Who Knew What You Really Want to Read, Dies. Haaretz. September 21, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2017.

[21] Rebello, Stephen (2020). Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: deep inside Valley of the dolls, the most beloved bad book and movie of all time. [New York, New York]. pp. xi–xiv. ISBN 978-0-14-313350-6. OCLC 1127541604.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[OriginalFilmSequel-22] Rebello, Stephen (2020). Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: deep inside Valley of the dolls, the most beloved bad book and movie of all time. [New York, New York]. pp. 275–276, 280. ISBN 978-0-14-313350-6. OCLC 1127541604.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[RussMeyerSequel-23] Rebello, Stephen (2020). Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: deep inside Valley of the dolls, the most beloved bad book and movie of all time. [New York, New York]. pp. 285–289. ISBN 978-0-14-313350-6. OCLC 1127541604.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[THR-24] Gardner, Eriq (March 16, 2012). "Lawsuit Threatens Lee Daniels' 'Valley of the Dolls' TV Series". The Hollywood Reporter.

[25] Radio Listings

[26] BBC Radio omnibus edition catalogue entry

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|1966 novel by Jacqueline Susann}}
-{{Other uses}}
+{{about||the film|Valley of the Dolls (film)|other uses|Valley of the Dolls (disambiguation)}}
 {{infobox book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
 | name         = Valley of the Dolls
@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 | translator   =
 | image        = Valley of the dolls novel first edition 1966.jpg
-| caption      = First Hardcover Edition
+| caption      = First hardcover edition cover
 | author       = [[Jacqueline Susann]]
 | cover_artist =
 | country      = United States
 | language     = English
-| series       =
 | genre        =
-| published    = 1966 ([[Bernard J. Geis|Bernard Geis Associates]])
+| publisher    = [[Bernard J. Geis|Bernard Geis Associates]]
-| media_type   = Print ([[Hardcover|hardback]] & [[paperback]])
+| published    = 1966
+| media_type   = Print ([[Hardcover|hardback]] and [[paperback]])
 | pages        = 442 pp (hardcover edition)
 | isbn         = 978-0802135193
-| preceded_by  = Every Night, Josephine!
-| followed_by  = [[The Love Machine (novel)|The Love Machine]]
 }}
-'''''Valley of the Dolls''''' is the first novel by American writer [[Jacqueline Susann]]. Published in 1966, the book was the biggest selling novel of its year.<ref name="1960s"/> To date, it has sold more than 31 million copies,<ref name="Numbers"/> making it [[List of best-selling books|one of the best-selling works in publishing history]].<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/best-seller#ref1104813 Best Seller.] Encyclopedia Britannica. February 23, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2017.</ref>
+'''''Valley of the Dolls''''' is the first novel by American writer [[Jacqueline Susann]]. Published in 1966, the book was the biggest-selling novel of its year.<ref name="1960s"/> By 2016 it had sold more than 31 million copies,<ref name="Numbers"/> making it [[List of best-selling books|one of the all-time best-selling fictional works in publishing history]].<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/best-seller#ref1104813 Best Seller.] Encyclopedia Britannica. February 23, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2017.</ref>
-==Plot summary==
+==Plot==
+In 1945 beautiful [[ingenue]] Anne Welles moves to New York City to escape the ennui of her Massachusetts hometown. She finds work as a secretary to Henry Bellamy, an [[entertainment lawyer]], and befriends Neely O'Hara, an ebullient [[vaudevillian]] and aspiring stage actress. Henry's employee, Lyon Burke, returns to the agency after [[World War II]], and Anne quickly falls in love with him despite Henry's warning. Meanwhile Anne goes on some dates with a small-time salesman named Allen Cooper. Allen suddenly reveals that he is a millionaire pretending to be a normal person in order to make sure Anne's feelings are genuine. He proposes to Anne and their love story becomes a media sensation.
-In 1945, beautiful [[ingenue]] Anne Welles moves to New York to start a new life, seeking to escape the ennui of her hometown of Lawrenceville, Massachusetts. She quickly finds employment as a secretary at a talent agency, working under Henry Bellamy, and befriends neighboring girl Neely O'Hara, an ebullient vaudevillian and aspiring stage actress. When the nephew of Henry's partner, theatrical attorney Lyon Burke, returns from the war to the agency, Anne quickly befriends and falls in love with him despite already casually dating an apparent small-time salesman, Allen Cooper. Anne is warned, especially by Henry, to not get involved with Lyon, a known heartbreaker. After a short period of dating, Allen reveals to her that he is secretly a millionaire testing her feelings for him, and that he is in love with her, before proposing to her. Despite Anne's protests that she does not want to marry him, Allen alerts the media, and the apparent love story becomes a sensation. Anne befriends [[Helen Lawson]], a brilliant but ruthless Broadway legend, who Anne is drawn to due to her apparent vulnerability and loneliness. Neely and her familial troupe are hired onto Helen's latest production, but Helen takes a dislike to Neely and minimizes her role. Anne uses her friendship with Helen and Lyon to secure Neely a bigger role, and Neely becomes a breakout star; however, Helen cruelly rejects Anne when she reveals that she was only interested in Anne's friendship for the chance at a sexual relationship with Allen's father. Anne also ends up befriending Jennifer North, a kind-hearted actress famous for her attractive figure who is also involved in the production. Jennifer is having her marriage annulled to an impoverished foreign prince, and Anne assists in securing her annulment. On the night of the show's opening, Anne and Lyon consummate their feelings, and Anne and Allen finally break up. Anne moves in with Lyon and sells Allen's engagement ring, investing the money with Henry's help on Jennifer's advice. The production is a massive success, and Neely enjoys a meteoric rise to fame and moves to California with her new husband to begin a film career. Anne's mother dies and she returns to Lawrenceville with Lyon, who wants the two of them to live in the inherited house so that he can start his career as a novelist. Though Anne loves Lyon and wants to be with him, she refuses to live in Lawrenceville and leave New York; Lyon, unwilling to be supported by her, breaks up with her and moves back to England to write, leaving Anne heartbroken. Though Anne takes years to move on, she eventually becomes the face of older, wealthy Kevin Gillmore's line of beauty products, and starts a relationship with Kevin.
+Anne befriends Helen Lawson, a brilliant, ruthless, unhappy [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] legend. Neely is hired for Helen's latest show but Helen takes a dislike to her and minimizes her role. Anne uses her friendship with Lyon to secure Neely a bigger role, and Neely becomes a breakout star; Helen cruelly rejects Anne by revealing she was only interested in Anne's friendship for the chance at a sexual relationship with Allen's father. Anne also befriends Jennifer North, a kindhearted young actress famous for her attractive figure.
-Meanwhile, Jennifer begins a relationship with the childish, sex-obsessed Tony Polar, a well-known singer, but their romantic progression is frequently intercepted by his domineering manager and older sister, Miriam. Jennifer, desiring only to be loved, pressures him into marrying her and quickly falls pregnant despite knowing of his infidelity. After reuniting with an increasingly unsympathetic Neely, who is in the midst of an affair, Jennifer becomes increasingly dependent on "dolls," [[amphetamine]]s and [[barbiturate]]s to calm her frayed nerves. Finally, Miriam reveals the reason for her opposition to the relationship: Tony, already barely mentally competent, has [[Huntington's chorea]], which the baby will likely inherit; Tony himself will likely be committed to a mental asylum within a few decades. Devastated, Jennifer aborts the child and agrees to divorce. Jennifer then leaves for Europe, finding a career breakout in European arthouse films, which due to her nudity are considered softcore pornography in the United States.
+On the night of the show's opening, Anne and Lyon consummate their feelings, and Anne and Allen break up. The production is a massive success. Neely enjoys a meteoric rise to fame and moves to California to begin a film career. Anne's mother dies and she returns to her hometown with Lyon, who wants to quit the agency, live in Anne's family home, and write novels. Though Anne loves Lyon deeply, she refuses to move back to Massachusetts. Lyon breaks up with Anne and moves to England to write, leaving Anne heartbroken. Though Anne takes years to move on, she eventually becomes a model for beauty products and starts dating the cosmetics company owner, the older, wealthy Kevin Gillmore.
-Years later, in 1950, Neely has become an established, celebrated actress enjoying a lucrative film career and twin sons with her second husband, who she had been having the affair with. However, long workdays and the stress over her husband's infidelity (with both men and women) also keep her dependent on the "dolls," and she is becoming increasingly unpopular with the studio due to her [[primadonna]] antics, tantrums and walkouts running her films over budget. Neely's second husband leaves after she discovers his affair with a younger actress, and her studio head threatens to end her career if she walks out of another take, citing her new status as box office poison. A stressed Neely accidentally overdoses on the "dolls," but makes a full recovery; however, the head still manages to get her fired from the production by ordering the director to put extra pressure on her, and Neely is replaced with the head's young [[Casting_couch|lover]]. A sympathetic Anne reconnects with her; Kevin hatches a plot to resurrect Neely's career by having her sing on a televised [[wikt:spectacular#Noun|spectacular]] for his brand. Neely at first refuses, but following a successful supper club performance and a belligerent run-in with a downturning Helen, she agrees to it. However, she is unable to cope with the demands of the rehearsals and overdoses to avoid performing; due to union rules that she has breached, she is unable to work for another year. To Anne's distress, Neely disappears to Europe.
+Meanwhile Jennifer begins a relationship with the childish, sex-obsessed singer Tony Polar, but their romance is frequently interrupted by his domineering older sister, Miriam. Jennifer pressures Tony into marrying her and quickly falls pregnant. After reuniting with an increasingly unsympathetic Neely, who is in the midst of an affair, Jennifer becomes dependent on 'dolls', [[amphetamine]]s and [[barbiturate]]s, to calm her frayed nerves. Finally Miriam reveals why she opposed Jennifer and Tony's relationship: Tony has [[developmental disabilities]] and the baby will likely inherit them. Devastated, Jennifer has an abortion and agrees to divorce Tony. Jennifer then moves to Europe and finds work in [[art house films]], which, owing to her nudity, are considered softcore pornography in the United States.
-Jennifer, in Europe, is pressured to undergo surgery to hide her age; though she has always lied about her true age, she is now ten years older than her claimed age of 27. She agrees to the surgery, after losing weight in a drastic "sleep cure" treatment. However, unhappy with her European career and boyfriend, she returns to the United States to continue acting. Three years later, she becomes engaged to an older senator who she believes loves her for more than her body, and she is excited to get married and have a child; however, a routine test reveals that she has breast cancer and will require a [[mastectomy]], and though the treatment will likely save her, it will render her infertile. After her unaware fiance assures her that he didn't want children and makes a comment suggesting he's only interested in her body, a despondent Jennifer becomes convinced that she'll never be loved for who she is, and she will be nothing without her body. Escaping from the hospital, Jennifer returns to her hotel room and commits suicide.
+By 1950 Neely has become a celebrated actress enjoying a lucrative film career and twin sons with her second husband. However long workdays and the stress over her husband's infidelity (with both men and women) keep her dependent on 'dolls' and she is becoming increasingly unpopular with the studio because of her tantrums and walkouts. Neely accidentally overdoses on pills but makes a full recovery. Still, the studio fires her from the production and replaces her with the boss's young lover. Anne reconnects with Neely; Kevin suggests resurrecting Neely's career by having her sing on a televised spectacular for his brand. Neely at first refuses but following a successful supper-club performance and a run-in with a belligerent Helen she agrees. Unable to cope with the demands of the rehearsals, she overdoses to avoid performing.  To Anne's distress Neely disappears to Europe.
-In 1961, Neely reappears in the midst of Jennifer's funeral after a drug-ridden venture through Europe, but her career resurrection is halted when she loses her voice, apparently from psychological issues. After bungling a self-harm attempt, Neely becomes institutionalized, which a guilty Anne pays for. Though Neely initially chafes under the hospital's oppressive rules, she begrudgingly submits to them in order to be able to eventually leave. Meanwhile, Lyon returns to New York and reconnects with Anne, much to the chagrin of Kevin, who has been in a relationship with Anne for over a decade; weakened due to an earlier heart attack, he fears losing Anne. Anne is unable to overcome her passion for Lyon, and the two begin an affair. Though Kevin alternates between lashing out at Anne in jealousy and pleading with her to return, he eventually breaks up with her, and Anne and Lyon reunite. Some time later, Neely finds her voice again, after an impromptu sanitarium performance with a now-incompetent Tony Polar. Anne works with Henry, who is retiring from the agency, to get Lyon to abandon his nonstarter career as a writer and become a partner at the agency, with Henry loaning Lyon money secretly funded by Anne (who has become wealthy due to her prior investments).
+Jennifer, in Europe, is pressured to undergo plastic surgery; as she has always lied about her true age she is now ten years older than her claimed age of 27. Unhappy with her European career and boyfriend, she returns to the United States. Three years later she becomes engaged to an older senator, who she believes loves her for more than her body, and she is excited to get married and have a child. But a routine test reveals that she has breast cancer and will require a mastectomy and the treatment will likely render her infertile. After her fiancé says he doesn't want children and makes a comment suggesting he's only interested in her body Jennifer becomes convinced that she will never be loved for who she is. She leaves the hospital and commits suicide.
-Lyon is initially put off by Neely, who has become obese, but successfully plots her career comeback after her release. Anne and Lyon get married and Anne quickly becomes pregnant, but her happiness is short-lived when Neely demands that Lyon escort her everywhere on her lucrative comeback tour; furthermore, Lyon learns from Neely about Anne's deception, and is outraged by her help, feeling emasculated and possessed by her. Lyon begins a brazen affair with the rejuvenated, newly slim Neely despite his new baby with Anne; Anne is increasingly left alone as he and the now-possessive and cruel Neely (who has become self-centered and arrogant due to her newfound success and resentful of Anne) spend every night together. Henry convinces Anne to wait out the humiliating, public affair and pretend she knows nothing, assuring her that Lyon will grow tired of Neely and return to her. The affair stretches out for years, with Neely pressuring Lyon to end his marriage and Anne becoming dependent on the "dolls" to relax, but Lyon reluctantly stays with Anne. After repaying Anne's loan, he breaks off the affair (losing Neely as a client in the process), but quickly begins a new one with a teenaged up-and-coming singer. Anne overhears their affair while throwing a New Year's party in 1965, and though she finally admits to herself that Lyon will never stop having affairs, she assures herself that she will eventually fall out of love and become numb to all of her pain before reaching for her "dolls" again.
+Neely reappears in the midst of Jennifer's funeral. She has lost her voice, apparently from psychological issues. After bungling a self-harm attempt Neely becomes institutionalized, which a guilty Anne pays for. Meanwhile Lyon returns to New York and reconnects with Anne, much to the chagrin of Kevin. Anne is unable to overcome her passion for Lyon and the two begin an affair. Kevin eventually learns of this and breaks up with Anne. Some time later Neely finds her voice again after an impromptu sanitarium performance with a now-incompetent Tony Polar. Anne works with Henry to get Lyon to abandon his non-starter career as a writer and become a partner at the agency, with Henry lending Lyon money that secretly comes from Anne.
+Lyon is initially put off by Neely, who has become obese, but successfully plots her career comeback. Anne and Lyon get married and Anne quickly becomes pregnant, but her happiness is short-lived when Neely demands that Lyon escort her everywhere on her comeback tour. Lyon learns from Neely about how Anne secretly lent him money and feels outraged and emasculated. He and Neely begin a brazen public affair. Henry persuades Anne to wait out the humiliation and pretend she knows nothing, assuring her that Lyon will grow tired of Neely and return to her. The affair stretches out for years, with Neely pressuring Lyon to end his marriage. Anne becomes dependent on the 'dolls' to relax, but Lyon reluctantly stays with Anne. After repaying Anne's loan he breaks off the affair (losing Neely as a client in the process) but quickly begins a new one with a teenaged up-and-coming singer. Though Anne finally admits to herself that Lyon will never stop having affairs, she assures herself that she will eventually fall out of love and become numb to all of her pain before reaching for her 'dolls' again.
 == Background ==
-Susann had apparently been thinking about the novel for some time. Some years earlier, she had begun ''Underneath the Pancake'', a show business novel, with her actress friend Beatrice Cole (c. 1910–1999).<ref>Seaman, Barbara. ''Lovely Me: The Life of Jacqueline Susann''. 2nd ed. (New York: Seven Stories Press, 1996), p. 197.</ref> Later, she considered writing a novel about drug usage in show business to be called ''The Pink Dolls''.<ref>Seaman. ''Lovely Me'', p. 251-252.</ref>
+Susann had apparently been thinking about the novel for some time. Some years earlier, she had begun ''Underneath the Pancake'', a show-business novel, with her actress friend Beatrice Cole (c. 1910–1999).<ref>Seaman, Barbara. ''Lovely Me: The Life of Jacqueline Susann''. 2nd ed. (New York: Seven Stories Press, 1996), p. 197.</ref> Later, she considered writing a novel about drug usage in show business to be called ''The Pink Dolls''.<ref>Seaman. ''Lovely Me'', p. 251-252.</ref>
-''Valley of the Dolls'' is considered to be a ''[[roman à clef]]'', with its characters based on famous figures such as [[Judy Garland]], [[Carole Landis]], [[Dean Martin]], and [[Ethel Merman]].<ref>Collins, Amy Fine. [http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2000/01/jacqueline-susann-valley-of-the-dolls-books Once Was Never Enough.] ''Vanity Fair'', January 2000. Retrieved January 5, 2017.</ref> In 1973, after publication of her third novel, Susann said, "They can keep calling it that [''roman à clef'']. It'll only make my books sell. I don't care."<ref name=Marbles>Kasindorf, Martin. [https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/12/archives/jackie-susann-picks-up-the-marbles-ravenhaired-deeply-tanned-and.html Jackie Susann Picks Up the Marbles.] The New York Times, August 12, 1973. Retrieved January 5, 2017.</ref> Susann insisted that she began each book with a theme: "Then I start asking, what kind of a personality? And because I have a good ear, I unconsciously pick up certain people."<ref name=Marbles/>
+''Valley of the Dolls'' is considered a ''[[roman à clef]]'', with its characters based on famous figures such as [[Judy Garland]], [[Carole Landis]], [[Dean Martin]], and [[Ethel Merman]].<ref>Collins, Amy Fine. [http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2000/01/jacqueline-susann-valley-of-the-dolls-books Once Was Never Enough.] ''Vanity Fair'', January 2000. Retrieved January 5, 2017.</ref> In 1973, after the publication of her third novel, Susann said: "They can keep calling it that ''roman à clef''. It'll only make my books sell. I don't care".<ref name=Marbles>Kasindorf, Martin. [https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/12/archives/jackie-susann-picks-up-the-marbles-ravenhaired-deeply-tanned-and.html Jackie Susann Picks Up the Marbles.] The New York Times, August 12, 1973. Retrieved January 5, 2017.</ref> Susann insisted that she began each book with a theme: "Then I start asking, what kind of a personality? And because I have a good ear, I unconsciously pick up certain people".<ref name=Marbles/>
-Susann dedicated the book to her poodle Josephine, and to her husband Irving Mansfield.<ref>Susann, Jacqueline. ''Valley of the Dolls''. (New York: Bernard Geis Associates, 1966).</ref>
+Susann dedicated the book to her poodle Josephine, and to her husband Irving Mansfield.<ref>Susann, Jacqueline. ''Valley of the Dolls''. New York: Bernard Geis Associates, 1966.</ref>
 ==Reception==
-The book was published by [[Bernard J. Geis|Bernard Geis]] Associates on February 10, 1966, and "took off like a Cape Canaveral space shot." <ref>Daniels, Mary. [http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1976/08/15/page/107/article/susanns-best-love-story-a-private-affair Susann's Best Love Story a Private Affair.] ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. August 15, 1976. Retrieved January 10, 2017.</ref>
+The book was published by [[Bernard J. Geis|Bernard Geis]] Associates on February 10, 1966, and "took off like a Cape Canaveral space shot".<ref>Daniels, Mary. [http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1976/08/15/page/107/article/susanns-best-love-story-a-private-affair Susann's Best Love Story a Private Affair.] ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. August 15, 1976. Retrieved January 10, 2017.</ref>
+''[[Publishers Weekly]]'', in an advance review, called the novel "big, brilliant and sensational", if "poorly written".<ref>Mansfield, Irving and Jean Libman Block. ''Life with Jackie''. New York: Bantam Books, 1983, p. 132.</ref> The book received largely negative reviews. Feminist [[Gloria Steinem]] criticized the book in the ''[[New York Herald Tribune]]'',<ref>Seaman, ''Lovely Me'', p. 314.</ref> as did ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>Fremont-Smith, Eliot. [https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/06/22/reviews/hollywood-dolls.html Thank You, Franz Kafka!] ''The New York Times''. February 4, 1966. Retrieved January 10, 2017.</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine called it the "Dirty Book of the Month", and said: "It might more accurately be described as a highly effective sedative, a living doll".<ref>[http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,899193,00.html?iid=sr-link1 Books: Dirty Book of the Month.] ''Time''. April 22, 1966. Retrieved January 10, 2017.</ref>
+Despite the poor reviews, the book was a runaway commercial success. On May 8, 1966, in its ninth week on the list, the book reached #1 on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller List, where it remained for 28 consecutive weeks.<ref>[http://www.hawes.com/1966/1966.htm Adult New York Times Best Seller Lists for 1966.] Hawes Publications. [n.d.] Retrieved January 10, 2017.</ref> With a total of 65 weeks on the list, the book became the best-selling novel of 1966.<ref name=1960s>[http://bestsellers.lib.virginia.edu/decade/1960 The 20th-Century American Bestsellers Database: 1960s.] University of Virginia, via Publishers Weekly, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.</ref> By the time of Susann's death in 1974, it had entered the ''[[Guinness World Records|Guinness Book of World Records]]'' as the best-selling novel in publishing history, with more than 17 million copies sold.<ref>Johnston, Laurie. [https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/01/04/home/susann-obit.html Jacqueline Susann Dead at 53; Novelist Wrote 'Valley of Dolls'.] ''The New York Times''. September 23, 1974. Retrieved January 9, 2017.</ref> By 2016, the book had sold more than 31 million copies.<ref name=Numbers>Symonds, Alexandria. [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/09/t-magazine/valley-of-the-dolls-book-by-the-numbers.html?_r=0 'Valley of the Dolls', by the numbers.] ''T: The New York Times Style Magazine''. February 9, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.</ref>
+== In popular culture ==
+In [[Kurt Vonnegut]]'s ''[[Slaughterhouse-Five]]'', when [[Billy Pilgrim]] is brought to [[Tralfamadore]] for the first time and asks for reading material, he is given ''The Valley of The Dolls,'' which is the only physical copy of an English-speaking book the Tralfamadorians have aboard their spaceship.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bloom |first1=Harold |title=Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-five |page=72}}</ref>
+In ''[[Black Mirror]]'' season 6 episode 3, "[[Beyond the Sea (Black Mirror)|Beyond the Sea]]", the character of Lana is seen reading the book.<ref>{{cite web |title=Black Mirror Season 6 Episode 3 Review: Beyond the Sea |date=15 June 2023 |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/black-mirror-beyond-the-sea-review/ |publisher=[[Den of Geek]]}}</ref>
+In the [[Stephen King]] novel ''[[Billy Summers]]'', the character Alice Maxwell makes reference to the book.
+In ''[[State of Grace (TV series)|State of Grace]]''  Season 2 Episode 12, main characters Hannah and Grace are at a bookstore looking at the book's cover and pondering what it's about. Just as they're starting to take a peek inside the book to find out, Grace's mother Tattie snatches the book away and scolds them, saying the book is a "trashy" one for adults and "not for children!"
+In ''[[Malcolm in the Middle]]'' season 3 episode 5, Eric's bunk-mate criticizes the book's ending.
+In 2012, [[Marina and The Diamonds]] released her [[Electra Heart]] album, the tenth trackon the album is named 'Valley of the Dolls', one of the lyrics is as follows; "in the valley of the dolls, we sleep, got a hole inside of me."
+In the 2023 tactical [[first-person shooter]] game [[Ready or Not (video game)|Ready or Not]], one of the levels involving a [[child sexual abuse]] sting bears the name of the novel.
+Marlo Thomas and Ted Bessell play Charades in a November  27, 1969 episode of THAT GIRL (season 4, episode 11, "Kiss That Girl Goodbye"). He correctly guesses "Valley of the Dolls" after she's only given him the clues of it being a four-word book title.
+== Adaptations and character portrayals==
+In 1967, the book was adapted into a [[Valley of the Dolls (film)|film of the same name]], directed by [[Mark Robson (film director)|Mark Robson]] (''[[Peyton Place (film)|Peyton Place]]''), and starring [[Barbara Parkins]] as Anne, [[Patty Duke]] as Neely, [[Paul Burke (actor)|Paul Burke]] (Lyon), [[Sharon Tate]] (Jennifer), and [[Susan Hayward]] (Helen). The screenplay was written by [[Helen Deutsch]] (''[[National Velvet (film)|National Velvet]]'') and [[Dorothy Kingsley]] (''[[Seven Brides for Seven Brothers]]''), and produced by Robson and [[David Weisbart]]. Like the book, although the reviews were scathing,<ref>Seaman. ''Lovely Me'', p. 349.</ref> the film was an enormous box-office hit, becoming the sixth most popular of the year with $44 million at the domestic box office.<ref>[http://www.listal.com/list/top-grossing-films-1967 Top Grossing Films of 1967.] Listal. June 24, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2017.</ref> Susann, who had a cameo in the film as a news reporter, hated the film.<ref name=Haaretz>Green, David B. [http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/this-day-in-jewish-history/1.743206 This Day in Jewish History 1974: Jacqueline Susann, Who Knew What You Really Want to Read, Dies.] ''[[Haaretz]]''. September 21, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2017.</ref> The film became a celebrated cult classic in later years, often cited as a key example of [[camp (style)|camp]] in cinema.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rebello |first=Stephen |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1127541604 |title=Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: deep inside Valley of the dolls, the most beloved bad book and movie of all time |date=2020 |isbn=978-0-14-313350-6 |location=[New York, New York] |pages=xi-xiv |oclc=1127541604}}</ref>
+Because of the success of the film adaptation, a sequel was rushed into development by Fox in early 1968.<ref name="OriginalFilmSequel">{{Cite book |last=Rebello |first=Stephen |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1127541604 |title=Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: deep inside Valley of the dolls, the most beloved bad book and movie of all time |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-14-313350-6 |location=[New York, New York] |pages=275–276, 280 |oclc=1127541604}}</ref>  Susann provided a title for the film, ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'',<ref name="OriginalFilmSequel" /> and a treatment that involved Anne Welles moving into television journalism while attempting to raise her teenage daughter, Julie, as a single mother following another rocky love affair with Lyon Burke.<ref name="OriginalFilmSequel" /> After a year's work by two screenwriters did not result in a script Fox executives wanted to produce, Susann and her husband, Irving Mansfield, who was attached as producer, were removed from the project.<ref name="RussMeyerSequel">{{Cite book |last=Rebello |first=Stephen |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1127541604 |title=Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: deep inside Valley of the dolls, the most beloved bad book and movie of all time |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-14-313350-6 |location=[New York, New York] |pages=285–289 |oclc=1127541604}}</ref> ''[[Beyond the Valley of the Dolls]]'' was instead made and released in 1970 as an unofficial sequel/musical-comedy parody of the first film.<ref name="RussMeyerSequel" /> [[Sexploitation film|Sexploitation]] filmmaker [[Russ Meyer]] produced and directed ''Beyond'' from a screenplay by his friend, ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' film critic [[Roger Ebert]].<ref name="RussMeyerSequel" /> While a modest box-office hit and later a cult classic, the [[X rating#United States|X-rated]] film resulted in an ultimately successful lawsuit from Susann and varying levels of embarrassment from future Fox regimes over the film's uses of nudity and violence.<ref name="RussMeyerSequel" /> Because of the legal issues with Susann, the characters of Anne and Lyon were renamed and recast without Parkins and Burke.<ref name="RussMeyerSequel" />
-Although ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'', in an advance review, called the novel "big, brilliant and sensational", if "poorly written",<ref>Mansfield, Irving and Jean Libman Block. ''Life with Jackie''. (New York: Bantam Books, 1983), p. 132.</ref> the book received largely negative reviews. Feminist [[Gloria Steinem]] panned the book in ''[[The New York Herald Tribune]]'' <ref>Seaman, ''Lovely Me'', p. 314.</ref> as did the The New York Times.<ref>Fremont-Smith, Eliot. [https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/06/22/reviews/hollywood-dolls.html Thank You, Franz Kafka!] ''The New York Times''. February 4, 1966. Retrieved January 10, 2017.</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine called it the "Dirty Book of the Month", and said, "It might more accurately be described as a highly effective sedative, a living doll."<ref>[http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,899193,00.html?iid=sr-link1 Books: Dirty Book of the Month.] ''Time''. April 22, 1966. Retrieved January 10, 2017.</ref>
+The novel was re-adapted by Fox for television in 1981 as ''[[Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls]]'', a mini-series executive-produced by Susann's widower, [[Irving Mansfield]], and directed by [[Walter Grauman]]. This version stars [[Catherine Hicks]], [[Lisa Hartman]], and [[Veronica Hamel]]. In 1994 a late-night, syndicated television soap opera, ''[[Valley of the Dolls (TV series)|Valley of the Dolls]]'', ran for one season and 65 episodes. The premise was a loose adaptation of the novel.<ref name="THR">{{cite web|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/valley-of-the-dolls-tv-series-lee-daniels-301111|title=Lawsuit Threatens Lee Daniels' 'Valley of the Dolls' TV Series|date= March 16, 2012|first=Eriq|last=Gardner}}</ref> [[BBC Radio 4]] broadcast a 15-episode dramatisation scripted by [[Yvonne Antrobus]] over three weeks in August and September 2005. It was part of the [[Woman's Hour]] programme's ongoing fifteen-minute daily drama slot,<ref>[http://www.radiolistings.co.uk/programmes/v/va/valley_of_the_dolls.html Radio Listings]</ref> and has been rebroadcast several times on [[BBC Radio 4 Extra]] in three 70-minute omnibus episodes.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mgxzm BBC Radio omnibus edition catalogue entry]</ref>
-Despite the poor reviews, the book was a runaway commercial success. On May 8, 1966, in its ninth week on the list, the book reached #1 on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller List, where it remained for 28 consecutive weeks.<ref>[http://www.hawes.com/1966/1966.htm Adult New York Times Best Seller Lists for 1966.] Hawes Publications. [n.d.] Retrieved January 10, 2017.</ref> With a total of 65 weeks on the list, the book became the best selling novel of 1966.<ref name=1960s>[http://bestsellers.lib.virginia.edu/decade/1960 The 20th-Century American Bestsellers Database: 1960s.] University of Virginia, via Publishers Weekly, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.</ref> By the time of Susann's death in 1974, it had entered the ''[[Guinness World Records|Guinness Book of World Records]]'' as the best selling novel in publishing history, with more than 17 million copies sold.<ref>Johnston, Laurie. [https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/01/04/home/susann-obit.html Jacqueline Susann Dead at 53; Novelist Wrote 'Valley of Dolls'.] ''The New York Times''. September 23, 1974. Retrieved January 9, 2017.</ref> By 2016, the book had sold more than 31 million copies.<ref name=Numbers>Symonds, Alexandria. [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/09/t-magazine/valley-of-the-dolls-book-by-the-numbers.html?_r=0 'Valley of the Dolls', by the numbers.] ''T: The New York Times Style Magazine''. February 9, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.</ref>
+The creation of the novel, film and the never-made film sequel meant to star Parkins and Burke are the subjects of an acclaimed 2020 non-fiction book written by [[Stephen Rebello]], ''[[Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!|Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: Deep Inside Valley of the Dolls, the Most Beloved Bad Book and Movie of All Time]]''.
-== Adaptations ==
-In 1967, the book was adapted into a [[Valley of the Dolls (film)|film of the same name]], directed by [[Mark Robson (film director)|Mark Robson]] (''[[Peyton Place (film)|Peyton Place]]''), and starring [[Barbara Parkins]] as Anne, [[Patty Duke]] as Neely, [[Paul Burke (actor)|Paul Burke]] (Lyon), [[Sharon Tate]] (Jennifer), and [[Susan Hayward]] (Helen). The screenplay was written by [[Helen Deutsch]] (''[[National Velvet (film)|National Velvet]]'') and [[Dorothy Kingsley]] (''[[Seven Brides for Seven Brothers]]''), and produced by Robson and [[David Weisbart]]. Like the book, although the reviews were scathing, <ref>Seaman. ''Lovely Me'', p. 349.</ref> the film was an enormous box-office hit, becoming the sixth most popular of the year with $44 million at the domestic box office. <ref>[http://www.listal.com/list/top-grossing-films-1967 Top Grossing Films of 1967.] Listal. June 24, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2017.</ref> Susan, who had a cameo as a news reporter, hated the film, reportedly telling director Robson that it was "a piece of shit." <ref name=Haaretz>Green, David B. [http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/this-day-in-jewish-history/1.743206 This Day in Jewish History 1974: Jacqueline Susann, Who Knew What You Really Want to Read, Dies.] ''[[Haaretz]]''. September 21, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2017.</ref>
+{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; width: 99%;"
-The novel was adapted for television in 1981 as ''Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls'', a mini-series executive-produced by Susann's widower [[Irving Mansfield]] and directed by [[Walter Grauman]]. This version stars [[Catherine Hicks]], [[Lisa Hartman]], and [[Veronica Hamel]]. In 1994 a late-night, syndicated television [[soap opera]], ''[[Valley of the Dolls (TV series)|Valley of the Dolls]]'', ran for one season and 65 episodes. The premise was a loose adaptation of the novel.<ref name=THR>{{cite web|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/valley-of-the-dolls-tv-series-lee-daniels-301111|title=Lawsuit Threatens Lee Daniels' 'Valley of the Dolls' TV Series|date= March 16, 2012|first=Eriq|last=Gardner}}</ref> [[BBC Radio 4]] broadcast a 15-episode dramatisation scripted by [[Yvonne Antrobus]] over three weeks in August and September 2005. It was part of the [[Woman's Hour]] programme's ongoing fifteen-minute daily drama slot,<ref>[http://www.radiolistings.co.uk/programmes/v/va/valley_of_the_dolls.html Radio Listings]</ref> and has been rebroadcast several times on [[BBC Radio 4 Extra]] in three 70-minute omnibus episodes.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mgxzm BBC Radio omnibus edition catalogue entry]</ref>
+! scope="col" style="width: 15%;"   | Character
+! scope="col" style="width: 16.8%;" | ''[[Valley of the Dolls (film)|Valley of the Dolls]]''<br>(1967)
+! scope="col" style="width: 16.8%;" | ''[[Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls]]''<br>(1981)
+! scope="col" style="width: 16.8%;" | ''[[Valley of the Dolls (TV series)|Valley of the Dolls]]''<br>(1994)
+|-
+! scope="row" | Helen Lawson
+| [[Susan Hayward]]
+| [[Jean Simmons]]
+| [[Sally Kirkland]]
+|-
+! scope="row" | Neely O'Hara
+| [[Patty Duke]]
+| [[Lisa Hartman Black|Lisa Hartman]]
+| [[Melissa De Sousa]]
+|-
+! scope="row" | Jennifer North
+| [[Sharon Tate]]
+| [[Veronica Hamel]]
+| Colleen Morris
+|-
+! scope="row" | Anne Welles
+| [[Barbara Parkins]]
+| [[Catherine Hicks]]
+| [[Sharon Case]]
+|-
+|}<section end="Cast" />
 ==References==
-{{reflist|30em}}
+{{reflist}}
 ==External links==
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 {{Jacqueline Susann}}
+{{Valley of the Dolls (novel)}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Valley Of The Dolls}}
 [[Category:1966 American novels]]
-[[Category:American LGBT novels]]
+[[Category:American LGBTQ novels]]
 [[Category:American novels adapted into films]]
-[[Category:Debut novels]]
 [[Category:Feminist literature]]
 [[Category:Hollywood novels]]
 [[Category:Novels about actors]]
+[[Category:Roman à clef novels]]
 [[Category:Novels by Jacqueline Susann]]
+[[Category:1966 debut novels]]
+[[Category:Third-person narrative novels]]
+[[Category:American novels adapted into television shows]]

v t e Jacqueline Susann
Books	Every Night, Josephine! (1963) Valley of the Dolls (1966) The Love Machine (1969) Once Is Not Enough (1973) Dolores (1976) Yargo (1979)
Adaptations	Valley of the Dolls (1967) The Love Machine (1971) Once Is Not Enough (1975) Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls (miniseries, 1981) Valley of the Dolls (TV series, 1994)
Related articles	Isn't She Great Jacqueline Susann's Open Door Just This Once Beyond the Valley of the Dolls Irving Mansfield

v t e Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls (1966)
Adaptations	Valley of the Dolls (1967 film) Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls (1981 TV miniseries) Valley of the Dolls (1994 TV series)
Film parody	Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)
Related	Dolls! Dolls! Dolls! (2020 book)