Dollapalooza! Exploring the “Valley Of The Dolls”(1967), Part One

Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!

We're climbing Mount Everest today...the Mount Everest of Camp, that is...to reach our ultimate destination, the "Valley of the Dolls" (1967).

In Part One of our two-part "Doll-apalooza", we dive headfirst into "Valley of the Dolls" to explore how a record-shattering novel morphed into a glossy, chaotic cult classic that refuses to fade. From Travilla’s couture and 60s hair architecture to the film’s stubborn 1940s morality, we map the exact fault lines where glamour cracks into melodrama—and why that crack is what keeps fans coming back.

We pull apart the legendary casting carousel, a virtual murderous row of "wanna-bes", "what-ifs" and "if-onlys", to land on the our final triumvirate: Barbara Parkins ,Sharon Tate and Patty Duke’s. Then there’s the ultimate Hollywood what-if: Judy Garland hired as Helen Lawson, acting opposite a character inspired by herself, before being dismissed and replaced by Susan Hayward. Layer in the book’s real-world inspirations—Judy, Ethel Merman, Marilyn Monroe, Carol Landis—and the film becomes a hall of mirrors where gossip, myth, and performance blur.

We also examine the structural problems that make the movie so watchable: a two-decade story squeezed into a breathless sprint, montages standing in for struggle, and addiction rendered as instant meltdown. Yet the music rescues memory; André and Dory Previn’s title theme, immortalized by Dionne Warwick, laces through pop culture and keeps the film’s ache alive.

The men are mannequins, the women are meteors, and somewhere between pills and punchlines the film finds accidental truth about fame, control, and the cost of being marketable. So, press play to hear why this "beloved piece of…” well, you know—continues to be relevant to this day, over 50 years after its debut.

And please you enjoy the show, follow, share with a movie-loving friend, and leave a quick review telling us your favorite "Valley of the Dolls" moment.

Episode Artwork by the incomparable Glen Larson @instaglenhanson

Text us & We'll Respond on an Episode

Episode Artwork by the incomparable Glen Larson @instaglenhanson

Links to Tony's website, and Brad's website at www.goinghollywoodpodcast.com

Follow us on Instagram @goinghollywoodpod

To watch "The True Story of the Barrymores," go to https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CZTHYN6D/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

To watch Tony's WIRED video "Tech Support: Old Hollywood" go to https://youtu.be/6hxXfxhQSz0?si=TO4Xv6q87XhBnqDT

Reach us at [e-mail]

Listen to our Going Hollywood Playlist

Podcast logo by Umeworks