Trivia for
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) More at IMDbPro »

• Originally intended as a sequel to Valley of the Dolls (1967). Jacqueline Susann submitted a screenplay for a sequel, but when Fox found it unsatisfactory, their contract gave them the right to produce a separate version. Susann was reportedly so offended by the results that she threatened to sue 20th Century-Fox. As part of a settlement, Fox inserted the disclaimer "This is not a sequel to VALLEY OF THE DOLLS" in all advertising.
  
  
• The ending was not in the script. Roger Ebert and Russ Meyer came up with the idea on the day of shooting, based on the recent Manson Family murders.
  
  
• In the original script, the Susan Lake and Baxter Wolfe characters were called Anne Welles and Lyon Burke.
  
  
• The character of Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell was based loosely on legendary record producer Phil Spector. While neither Russ Meyer nor Roger Ebert had ever met Spector, they were told by acquaintances of his that they'd caught his essence very well.
  
  
• Two women wear costumes in the film inspired by another hit production of 20th-Century-Fox, "Batman" (1966).
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• Director Russ Meyer once said he considers this film to be his "most important".
  
  
• While frequently touted as Pam Grier's film debut (she received an on-screen credit and a photo of her in a party scene was prominently featured in a 1970 Playboy layout on the film), her role in the film is non-existent and she can't even be spotted as an extra.
  
  
• During a bedroom scene, Kelly wears the same filmsy red nightgown worn by heroines of at least two earlier Russ Meyer pictures (Vixen! (1968) and Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers! (1968)).
  
  
• This film is listed among The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made in Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson's book THE OFFICIAL RAZZIE® MOVIE GUIDE.
  
  
• The outfit that Kelly borrows from her Aunt Susan to wear to the party at the beginning of the film is the one-piece pants suit that Sharon Tate wore in Valley of the Dolls (1967). Sharon wears it in the scene where she is watching Neely on television and Tony comes home to tell her (and sister Miriam) that the studio has dropped his option. Sharon is also wearing it (sans the metal link belt Kelly will add) in the photo on the cover of the Valley of the Dolls soundtrack LP.
  
  
• The Robin costume worn by Casey was actually one of the costumes worn by Burt Ward on the "Batman" TV series.
  
  
• According to Roger Ebert's audio commentary on the DVD, 'Russ Meyer' was unaware that this film would get an X rating. Roger says that Russ would have added more nudity and sex to the film if he knew beforehand.
  
  
• This title was released a week before 20th Century Fox's other X rated film Myra Breckinridge (1970).
  
  

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