Valley of the Dolls (1967)

I'm not sure if this is the greatest movie of camp that was ever produced but it certainly defines the subgenre. Based on the scandalous novel from Jacqueline Susann, it's the story of three women trying to make it in the entertainment industry. Anne Wells is the just-off-the-bus legal secretary that stumbles into a modeling gig while getting caught up in a romance with a lawyer unwilling to commit. Jennifer North is the untalented bombshell who turns to "Nudies" to help play for her husband's hospital bills to a strange disease. And then there's Neeley O'Hara, the talented girl who becomes a pill-popping (they're called dolls) bitch of a celebrity who learns she's lost everyone she ever loved. Most of this movie is so bad you can't help but be entertained by it. Surprisingly Sharon Tate's Jennifer North character is the most impressive when it comes to acting, with Patty Duke chewing up the screen as Neeley O'Hara with melodrama and over the top dialogue you can't really blame her for the results. You could use this film as a teaching tool for future screenwriters on what not to do. Actors should watch this film so they know what parts not to accept. It's hard to really grade this film because as an entertaining laugh fest it's okay (not always hysterical but smile inducing). As a drama? It sucks a big one. Grade: B-.