Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Russ Meyer

Writers:

Roger Ebert (screenplay)
Roger Ebert (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

17 June 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

This time... they've really gone

Plot:

Three girls come to Hollywood to make it big, but find only sex, drugs and sleaze.

Plot Keywords:

Girl | Drugs | Lesbian | Sex | Fall

Cast

Dolly Read	...	Kelly Mac Namara
Cynthia Myers	...	Casey Anderson
Marcia McBroom	...	Petronella Danforth
John Lazar	...	Ronnie 'Z-Man' Barzell (as John LaZar)
Michael Blodgett	...	Lance Rocke
David Gurian	...	Harris Allsworth
Edy Williams	...	Ashley St. Ives
Erica Gavin	...	Roxanne
Phyllis Davis	...	Susan Lake
Harrison Page	...	Emerson Thorne
Duncan McLeod	...	Porter Hall
James Inglehart	...	Randy Black (as Jim Iglehart)
Charles Napier	...	Baxter Wolfe
Henry Rowland	...	Otto
Princess Livingston	...	Matron
Stan Ross	...	Disciple
Lavelle Roby	...	Vanessa
Angel Ray	...	Girl-in-Tub
Veronica Ericson	...	Blonde Date (as Veronica Erickson)
Haji	...	Cat Woman
Karen Smith	...	Red Head
Sebastian Brook	...	Art Director
Bruce McBroom	...	Photographer (as Bruce V. McBroom)
Ian Sander	...	Boy-in-Tub
Koko Tani	...	Assistant
Samantha Scott	...	Cynthia
Tea Crawford	...	Kathy Page
Heath Jobes	...	Makeup Man
John Logan	...	Escort
Susan Reed	...	Fashion Model
Robin Bach	...	Gay Boy
Ceil Cabot	...	Mother
Mary Carroll	...	Middle Aged Woman
Joseph Cellini	...	Man - Flowered Pants
Jackie Cole	...	First Woman
Frank Corsentino	...	Hippie Boy
Mibb Curry	...	White Haired Gentleman
Coleman Francis	...	Rotund Drunk
Pam Grier	...	Fourth Woman (as Pamela Grier)
T.J. Halligan	...	Science Teacher
Rick Holmes	...	Man with Glasses
Marshall Kent	...	Dr. Downs
Michael Kriss	...	Young actor
Tim Laurie	...	Second Gay Man
Bebe Louie	...	Hippie Girl
Lillian Barb	...	Nurse (as Lillian Martin)
Ashley Phillips	...	Fashion Model
'Big Jack' Provan	...	Father
Joyce Rees	...	Marion Harrisburg
Christopher Riordan	...	Gay Boy (as Chris Riordian)
Bert Santos	...	Taxi Driver
George Stratton	...	Third Gay Man
The Strawberry Alarm Clock	...	Themselves
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Russ Meyer	...	TV cameraman (uncredited)
Garth Pillsbury	...	Man with newspaper (uncredited)
Gordon Wescourt	...	Gordon, TV interviewer (uncredited)

Directed by
Russ Meyer

Writing credits
Roger Ebert		(screenplay)
Roger Ebert		(story) and
Russ Meyer		(story)

Produced by
Red Hershon	....	associate producer
Eve Meyer	....	associate producer
Russ Meyer	....	producer

Original Music by
Stu Phillips

Cinematography by
Fred J. Koenekamp		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Dann Cahn
Dick Wormell

Art Direction by
Arthur Lonergan
Jack Martin Smith

Set Decoration by
Stuart A. Reiss
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
David Hayes

Makeup Department
William Buell	....	makeup artist (as Bill Buell)
Edith Lindon	....	hair stylist
Daniel C. Striepeke	....	makeup supervisor (as Dan Striepeke)
John Chambers	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Norman A. Cook	....	unit production manager (as Norman Cook)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
C.E. Dismukes	....	assistant director
David Hall	....	assistant director

Art Department
Sidney H. Greenwood	....	property master (as Syd Greenwood)

Sound Department
David Bell	....	sound restoration (restored version 2007)
Don Minkler	....	sound
Richard Overton	....	sound

Special Effects by
Jack Harmon	....	special photographic effects
Greg C. Jensen	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Bob Minor	....	stunts (uncredited)

Music Department
Lynn Carey	....	vocal coordinator
Igo Kantor	....	music supervisor
William Loose	....	composer: additional music
Robert Simard	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Chris Haynes	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Manny Diez	....	assistant to producer

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (1993) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Magnetic Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• A&M Records  courtesy of ('The Sandpipers' appear)
• De Graff  fashions by (as De Graff of California)

Also Known As:

Orgissimo (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Blumen ohne Duft (West Germany) [de]
De Volta ao Vale das Bonecas (Brazil) [pt]
De vallei der verdorven zeden (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Hollywood Vixens (France) (reissue title) [fr]
La vallée des débauchés (Belgium: French title) [fr]
Lungo la valle delle bambole (Italy) [it]
Más allá del valle de las muñecas (Venezuela) [es]
Nukkelaakson amatsonit (Finland) (TV title) [fi]
Nukkelaakson tuolla puolen (Finland) (TV title) [fi]
Pera ap' tin koilada me tis koukles (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | UK:18 (2003 re-rating, uncut) | UK:X (cut) | France:-16 | Singapore:R21 | West Germany:18 | Australia:R | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | USA:NC-17 (re-rating) (1990) | USA:X | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-18 (2004)

Filming Locations:

Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Budgeted at a modest $900,000 (approximately $4.5 million in 2005 dollars), the film grossed ten times the amount in the US market, qualifying it as a hit for the beleaguered 20th Century-Fox. Though tame by modern standards, "Dolls" was slapped with an "X" rating, and there was much negative publicity generated by the fact a major studio had allowed a "pornographer", Russ Meyer (labeled "King Leer" by the mainstream press at the time) to make a Hollywood film under its aegis. Grace Kelly, who was a member of the board of directors of Fox, was outraged and lobbied to have the studio's contract with Meyer terminated. After his next Fox film, The Seven Minutes (1971) flopped at the box office (possibly due to its LACK of nudity and titillation), the studio terminated its relationship with Meyer. He never made another film for a studio.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: During "The Carrie Nation" performances horns can be heard in the music. There is no horn section in the band.

Quotes:

Kelly MacNamara: Come on, man. I doubt if you'd recognize a hippie. I'm a capitalist, baby. I work for my living, not suck off somebody else.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Soundtrack:

Sweet Talkin' Candy Man

Ah, Russ Meyers!

There are two kinds of bad movies: 1.) the kind so awful and bad that you wonder how it ever got approved to be filmed (i.e. '95 version of SCARLET LETTER, SPICE WORLD, SPEED 2, etc.) 2.) the kind that is trying to be serious but it winds up being hysterical (i.e. BATTLEFIELD EARTH, SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND, MYRA BRICKENRIDGE). But with a Russ Meyer's film, it does have bad acting and a weak plot, that it appears to be a "bad" movie. But with it's sharp dialogue, rapid editing, good cinematography, and nice shots of women's assests, a Russ Meyer film is one to watch at a party or in the theater. I recently saw his most acclaimed film in the cinema a few weeks ago, BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. And seeing it with an audience made the film more enjoyable and entertaining than watching it at home alone. Not anything to do with the trashy Jacqulin Susan bestseller and the terrible 1967 film with Patty Duke, BEYOND is similar tale of three young female talents from Smallville U.S.A. who all go to Hollywood to make it big, and experience the cruel world of show business. There's leader red-head Kelly MacMamara (Dolly Read) on lead gituar, brunette Casey (Cynthia Myers) on rhythm and African-American Pet (Marcia McBroom) on drums. Their manager and Kelly's boyfriend is Harris Allsworth (David Gurian) a man who looks like a older version of Greg Brady. They get an offer to go to Hollywood and make it big, so they hop in their Volkswagon Bus and go on Route 66 to Hollywood (ah, the early seventies, it seemed so groovy). Once there, the four meet Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell (John Lazar) who owns and runs pretty much all of the young talent in the city. Z-Man signs the group on a contract, which means less time and involvement for Harris and Kelly. Kelly then has an affair with movie stud Lance Rocke (Michael Blodgett) a golden hair actor who thinks he's gods gift to the world. Meanwhile, Harris has an affair with porno starlett Ashley St. Ives (a very buxom and sexy Edy Williams "former Mrs. Russ Meyers). Ashley loves sex, and only wants to have sex anywhere but in the bedroom, the backseat of a Jaguar, Rolls Royce, in a boat, on the beach, etc. While Casey becomes very close and falls in love with clothing desingner Roxanne (VIXEN star Erica Gavin). And Pet falls in love with struggling law student and good guy Emerson (Harrison Page). But, Emerson has to compete with Randy Black (James Inglehart) a boxer who uses philosphies like Mahummah Ali, yet their horrible. Finally, there's Kelly's rich and friendly aunt, Susan Lake (Phyllis Davis) who is giving thoughts on marrying nice gentleman Baxter Wolfe (Charles Napier) against her attorney's Porter Hall (Duncan McLeod) advice. And the plot thickens which includes Nazis, transexuals, abortions, drugs, Martin Borman, and sex sex sex! BVD is a film that appears to be dramatic, but it's actually a funny satire. It pokes fun of those cliched stories that has young Alice going into the world of the corrupt and bad. I know that Paul Verhoven was doing the same thing with SHOWGIRLS, however, the film going public was too stupid to realize that. With such corny but funny dialogue like "I want to strap you on!" and "Up yours Ratso!" One cannot help but laugh. Seeing it in a full theater, the audience was laughing at not only the dialogue but also the scenes. With an abortion doctor wearing far sighted glasses, it shows that this film shouldn't be taken seriously. People think that Meyers was trying to be serious with this film, and he wasn't. Co-writer Roger Ebert (the same film critic Roger Ebert) admitted that BVD is just a satire of the over dramatic films of that time. If Meyers was trying to make a serious film (and I can't see that) then the mood would have been different. Meyers is know for his satire, but he's more known for his big girls. And when I say big girls I mean Double D's. He casts his women (at least the important ones) by the size of their chest, than their talent. That is why none of the actresses are that good. And the actress are already use to baring it all like Playboy models Cynthis Myers and Edy Williams. This is a cult movie that was made before the midnight showcase of the overrated ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. With the ROCKY HORROR, the audience has to yell out dialogue to make the corny dialogue in the film to be more funnier. But with BVD, all the audience has to do is just to sit back and laugh. And it's fun to watch it more than once. After laughing at the bad dialogue and hilarious events in the film, then one can oogle over the heaving beauties. I wouldn't call this Meyer's best film (that's for UP!) but I can see why Meyers picks this film as his favorite. It's because it's the first film that people don't take Meyers serious. If you're going to watch it, invite a group of people (at least five) both men and women, grab the popcorn and laugh your head off with this cult classic. **** (out of five)