VALLEY OF THE DOLLARS

VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1967)
dir: Mark Robson

VALLEY OF THE DOLLARS
MAD #121, September 1968
w: Larry Siegel
a: Mort Drucker

Based on a book by Jacqueline Susann.

Anne Welles (Barbara Parkins) leaves her small new England town and moves to New York, getting a job as a secretary at a theatrical agency and soon starts dating her boss' partner Lyon Burke (Paul Burke). The agency represents Broadway star Helen Lawson (Susan Hayward, shown later in the parody), who fires Neely O'Hara (Patty Duke) from her upcoming show for fear of being upstaged. Anne and Neely become friends. Anne and Lyon have dinner with Neely and her husband Mel (Marty Milner). At the restaurant is lounge singer Tony Polar (Tonny Scotti) singing to Jennifer North (Sharon Tate), an actress who gets by on looks more than talent.

As the womens' careers rise, Neely finds herself becoming a star just as difficult as the singer that fired her. Jennifer marries Tony and becomes an actress in French art films, though living under the supervision of Tony's domineering sister Miriam (Lee Grant). Anne becomes a TV spokesmodel for perfumes. Lyon leaves Anne to try and become a writer.

Anne (it's Jennifer in the movie) goes to visit Neely, who's addicted to pills and booze, and Mel walks out on her after not being able to stand her belligerence. Tony has a muscular disorder, which his sister has been hiding from Jennifer, so he must he be hospitalized and she's pregnant with their baby. She needs to get an abortion, finds out she has cancer, and overdoses on pills.

Neely has checked into rehabilitation, and while at the hospital sees a disabled Tony Polar and tries to reach out to him with his hit “Come Live With Me” (see clip below).

The parody has an appearance by director Mark Robson with MPAA head Jack Valenti. Jacqueline Susann has a part as a reporter when the press comes to the hotel where Jennifer North is found dead.

Later, Neely O'Hara gets in a fight with Helen Lawson at a charity event, ripping off Helen's wig and flushing it down the toilet.

The movie ends with Anne, after a bout with pill addiction herself and moving back home after realizing the insanity of show business.

There was a sequel to this film in name only, written by Roger Ebert and directed by Russ Meyer, a subtle spoof of the "power corrupts" genre.