This larger than life garish soap opera helped create the fabric from which TV shows like “Melrose Place” and the most famous of them all “Dallas” were cut. Today it looks like gaudy retaining its guilty pleasure allure. Featuring Patty Duke, the late Sharon Tate and Barbara Perkins as a trio of girls looking for success in show business not realizing that the cost are their souls. The trio spiral down into a world of excess drugs, booze and sex ultimately leading to self destruction. Director Mark Robson can’t overcome the melodramatic and juicy script bas ed on Jacqueline Susann’s novel of the same name. Fans of John Waters’ larger wacked soap operas will certainly enjoy this film which took the melodrama of films (and novels) like “Peyton Place” and upped the ante. If this is a favorite of yours enjoy because Fox has presented in the film in a new deluxe 2 disc set that makes it essential for fans of the film. Director Mark Robson (“Earthquake” does the best he can with the material although his direction isn’t exactly subtle. ---

Image & Sound:

These “Dolls” have never looked better with a transfer with strong color and clarity given the age of the film. Grain is evident in the first part of the film much more so than later (and we’re not talking the digital grain that one often sees due to a poorly realized transfer but the analog type consistent with film exposure, type of film used, etc.). The Dolby Digital soundtrack is presented in a couple of formats with a 2.0 Stereo mix being the best of the three. We also get the film in mono for both English and French.

We get an audio commentary on the first disc with actresses Barbara Perkins (“Peyton Place”, “Asylum”) with a host helping to keep things lively by peppering Parkins with questions, comments, etc. that help elicit trivia and tidbits about the making of the film. There’s also “Trivia Overdose-A Pill Popping Guide to The Valley of the Dolls” that allows a text commentary to appear on screen during the movie. ***

“The Divine Ms. Susann” kicks off the second disc with a portrait of the late author and features plenty of interviews and comments from those who knew her. It’s pretty clear where she got the inspiration for the characters in the book and film once you watch this featurette. Susann also ventured to New York to break into show business and there are many parallels that appear between her and some of the characters of the film. ***

“The Dish on The Dolls” features writer Alonso Duralde who explains the enduring appeal of the film (particularly to the gay community). “Hollywood Backstories: Valley of the Dolls” is a special that was produced for TV on the show giving us the scuttlebutt on how the film compared to reality at the time it was produced. We also find out from Barbara Perkins discussing Judy Garland’s infamous firing from the film due to her own substance abuse problems. ***

“From the Medicine Chest-A Secret Stash of Archival Footage” is an assembly of two promotional shows related to the movie including footage of the world premiere and a TV special that discusses the writing and creation of the film. You can also listen to John Williams’ Oscar nominated soundtrack in a section called “Musical Numbers from ‘Valley of the Dolls’”. Finally we close out with a series of screen tests, TV spots and trailers for the film. If you watch the film and have a bit too much to drink you can also participate in “You’ve Got Talent Karaoke-Follow The Bouncing Doll” where you can sing songs from the movie. ---

Final Words: