Valley of the Dolls is one of my favourite books of all time. And yeah, I know that makes me sound vapid, but you have to balance the intellectual with the trashy don't you? It's camp and it's brilliant; everyone should read it.
Written by Jacqueline Susann and released in 1966, the book follows three friends as they climb the showbiz career ladder and quickly come crashing down as their lives are torn apart by addiction to pills, or 'dolls' as their nicknamed in the book. Anne Wells is a small town girl who moves to the big bad city, and eventually becomes a pill-addicted model with a cheating husband. The young and somewhat naive Neely O'Hara (a character that is said to be based on Judy Garland) eventually becomes a spoilt and difficult Oscar winning superstar, with a dangerous addiction to uppers and downers. And Jennifer North is a buxom blonde showgirl who thinks men only want her for her breasts. Her story is probably the most tragic, but I won't spoil the surprise.
The book was turned into a film starring Sharon Tate, Barbara Parkins and Patty Duke, but there are differences to the book (notably the ending), therefore the book is so much better. What it does have going for it though is the fashion: gigantic beehives, glamorous twinsets, dramatic makeup. The Fall 2008 collection from Christian Dior was clearly inspired by the film.
Also on my must-see film list? Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, a musical spoof of the original.
