Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!

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Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: Deep Inside Valley of the Dolls, the Most Beloved Bad Book and Movie of All Time
Dolls! Dolls! Dolls! (Stephen Rebello).png
Author Stephen Rebello
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreNon-fiction
Publisher Penguin Books
Publication date
June 2, 2020
Media typePrint (paperback)
Pages336 (first edition, paperback)
ISBN 9780143133506

Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: Deep Inside Valley of the Dolls, the Most Beloved Bad Book and Movie of All Time is a non-fiction book by Stephen Rebello. It details the creation of the 1966 novel of the same name by first-time novelist Jacqueline Susann and documents every aspect of the creation of the 1967 motion picture adaptation Valley of the Dolls .

Contents

The book was first published on June 2, 2020, by Penguin Books. Stephen Rebello extensively researched the narrative through the personal records and archives of film director Mark Robson, producer David Weisbart, studio records of the film's distributor 20th Century Fox, court case depositions including those of Darryl F. Zanuck, Richard D. Zanuck, studio executive David Brown, accessing contemporary news accounts through newspaper and magazine archives, as well as through new interviews he conducted with actors, crew members, journalists and others involved in the film and/or active in the entertainment business at the time the film was in preproduction, production and release.

Synopsis

Rebello details the writing, publication, promotion, controversy and international success of the original novel written by Jacqueline Susann as well the discovery of the novel by fledgling film producer Robert Evans and its preemptive sale to 20th Century Fox. From there, the book documents the development of the screenplay by three successive writers Harlan Ellison, Helen Deutsch and Dorothy Kingsley; the intense competition among young actresses wanting to play Susann's young heroines "Anne Welles", "Neely O'Hara" and "Jennifer North"; the hiring of costume designer Travilla and legendary cinematographer William H. Daniels and songwriters Dory Previn and Andre Previn; the details of the hiring and firing of Judy Garland, the hiring of her replacement Susan Hayward and the sometimes-contentious processes of filming, editing, scoring by John Williams; postproduction, promotion and major success at the box-office despite negative reviews by the critics. Dolls! Dolls! Dolls! sheds light on the daily lives of the filmmakers, some of whom believed they were making a frank and honest look at women struggling with prescription pill addiction, betrayal, loneliness and terminal illness as they climb the ladder of show business success.

Publication history

The book was published in paperback on June 2, 2020, by Penguin Books and concurrently became available on Kindle and in an unabridged version for Tantor Media narrated by Paul Boehmer. Less than a month after publication, the book went into a second printing.

Critical reception

The book received considerable media attention and critical praise. The editors of Vogue chose it as one of best books of the summer, praising its "great detail and heavy research" and calling it "as heady and colorful as the pulsating Pucci prints Susann so famously wore". [1] Kirkus Reviews thought the book "written with a cinematic excitement", "meticulously detailed" and "a blissful treasure trove of gossipy insider details that Dolls fans will swiftly devour". [2] Publishers Weekly called it "exuberant" and "loving". [3] Library Journal wrote "Rebello packs tons of information into this loving look at a cultural and cult phenomenon ... Go ahead: indulge yourself. Fans will love! love! love! and newcomers will enjoy the Hollywood insider aspect". [4] The Washington Post called it "full of surprises and even suspense" [5] and The Hollywood Reporter placed it on its list of 20 books of the summer. [6] The Canberra Times book critic called it "hilarious and informative...Stephen Rebello has written two of my favorite books about movies. And now he's written a third ... a must-read for fans of Susann, fans of movies and fans of pop culture". [7] During its first month of publication, the book was listed on Amazon as #1 Best Seller in such categories as: Entertainment Industry; Movie History & Criticism; Literary Criticism & Theory; and on Amazon Kindle, it became #1 in various categories including #1 New Release in "Sports & Entertainment".[ citation needed ]

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Jacqueline Susann was an American novelist and actress. Her iconic novel, Valley of the Dolls (1966), is one of the best-selling books in publishing history. With her two subsequent works, The Love Machine (1969) and Once Is Not Enough (1973), Susann became the first author to have three novels top The New York Times Best Seller List consecutively.

<i>Valley of the Dolls</i> (novel) Novel by Jacqueline Susann

Valley of the Dolls is the first novel by American writer Jacqueline Susann. Published in 1966, the book was the biggest selling novel of its year. As of 2016, it has sold more than 31 million copies, making it one of the all-time fictional best-selling works in publishing history.

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<i>Valley of the Dolls</i> (film) 1967 film

Valley of the Dolls is a 1967 American drama film starring Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, Sharon Tate, Susan Hayward, Paul Burke, and Lee Grant. It was directed by Mark Robson, and produced by David Weisbart. Based on Jacqueline Susann's 1966 novel Valley of the Dolls, it follows three women struggling to forge careers in the entertainment industry, each of them descending into barbiturate addiction—"dolls" being a slang term for depressant pills or "downers".

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<i>Just This Once</i>

Just This Once is a 1993 romance novel written in the style of Jacqueline Susann by a Macintosh IIcx computer named "Hal" in collaboration with its programmer, Scott French. French reportedly spent $40,000 and 8 years developing an artificial intelligence program to analyze Susann's works and attempt to create a novel that Susann might have written. A legal dispute between the estate of Jacqueline Susann and the publisher resulted in a settlement to split the profits, and the book was referenced in several legal journal articles about copyright laws. The book had two small print runs totaling 35,000 copies, receiving mixed reviews.

This is a list of adult fiction books that topped The New York Times Fiction Best Seller list in 1966.

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China Dolls is a 2014 novel by Lisa See. It depicts the largely forgotten world of Chinese American nightclubs and performers of the '30s and '40s. The book opens with a quotation attributed to Buddha: “Only three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” See organizes her narrative around these three elements – The Sun (October 1938 – August 1940; The Moon ; and The Truth. The novel briefly concludes with a reunion of many of the main characters in 1988.

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References

  1. Schama, Chloe (April 23, 2020). "The 23 Best Books to Read This Summer". Vogue . Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  2. "Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: Deep Inside Valley of the Dolls, the Most Beloved Bad Book and Movie of All Time by Stephen Rebello". Kirkus Reviews . April 12, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  3. "Nonfiction Book Review: Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: Deep Inside Valley of the Dolls, the Most Beloved Bad Book and Movie of All Time by Stephen Rebello". Publishers Weekly . May 22, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  4. French, Liz (May 1, 2020). "Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: Deep Inside Valley of the Dolls, the Most Beloved Bad Book and Movie of All Time by Stephen Rebello". Library Journal . Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  5. O'Sullivan, Sibbie (June 12, 2020). "'Valley of the Dolls' may be the best bad movie — and novel. A new book explores Jacqueline Susann's cult hit". The Washington Post . Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  6. Perez, Lexy (May 1, 2020). "Summer Books: 'Bird Box' Sequel, 'Hunger Games' Prequel and More". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  7. Cerabona, Ron (July 25, 2020). "Dolls! Dolls! Dolls! Stephen Rebello's book on Valley of the Dolls is both hilarious and informative". The Canberra Times . Retrieved August 6, 2020.