Damn Patty Duke! - Valley of the Dolls (1967) Discussion

[–] SimplemindedSociety 14 years ago

Patty looks good depending on what(low) camera angle they use on her.
However,Patty did not give a good performance because of her overacting,though it wasn't consistent. There were moments when Duke was good,but not enough to compensate for it's entirety.
It probably felt good to Duke when she was acting out all the hysteria and anger,until she saw herself objectively on the screen.
If the audience is laughing at things not meant to be laughed at, soemthing is wrong.

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] williams_kendall 14 years ago

I agree with you on this one, and as for laughing at things that should have been taken seriously, the scene where she is in the sanitarium in the tub with the canvas and she says you stupid ass nurse what are you looking at, she looked so funny with just her head sticking out.

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[–] Quanfa 13 years ago

I will always consider this the quintesential Patty Duke role, even over the Miracle Worker. She made the movie, period. I absolutely love her in this movie - I don't care if it's considered over the top or whatever. She was magnificent!

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[–] stuffic 13 years ago

I couldn't have said it better, aleisterhigen. I don't care either if her performance was hammy (and it was), I loved it. It was exciting and memorable, for better or worse.
It's the same way I feel about Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest, Bette Davis in All About Eve, Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd, etc. These are some of the best characters/performances in cinema - (and one could argue all over-acted). But who cares? Since when is brilliance perfect? lol!

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[–] SimplemindedSociety 13 years ago

'It's the same way I feel about Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest, Bette Davis in All About Eve, Gloria Swanson'
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not quite..
Davis and Swanson were Oscar contenders that given year,and came close to winning; Duke was just mediocre/bad,and her reputation was affected by it

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[–] www-AmuseYourself-dot-com 13 years ago

The most "serious" moment that never fails to crack me up* is the scene in the sanitarium when Nelly is singing Tony's signature song, and -- gasp! -- Tony is there! And he suddenly emerges from his near-catatonic state to sing along with her! (It's a miracle, I tells ya! A miracle!)

The moment reminds me of a bad musical, in which the dead/dying/wounded actor suddenly springs to life to sing (often his last song).

It's much like the very thing Gene Kelly once lamented WRT songs in movies (specifically musicals), and mocked in Singin' in the Rain (in the reprise of "Would You?" screened as The Dancing Cavalier is almost in the can) -- and which he cited as the impetus for prefacing the title song with the "Do-do-do-do-do..." intro.

(I'm counting on somebody here understanding exactly what I'm talking about, but, considering the fan base of VOTD, I'm not too worried. LOL)

* Aside from the unforgettable wig scene, there are two more scenes which always have me torn between uncontrollable laughter and uncontrollable cringing and face-palming: Nelly's rehearsal/exercise/doll-consumption montage, and Anne's slo-mo fashion/lipstick-commercial bit on TV. There's one shot, especially, with Anne (in a classic Carnaby Street hat) with a glassy-eyed, vacant look that reminds me of the empty-headed 1960s modeling "look" resurrected occasionally by Patsy Stone ("...39, international beauty and style guru"), a.k.a. the fabulous Joanna Lumley.

Movie Spoilers: http://www.AmuseYourself.com

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[–] Green-Eyed-Girl31 9 years ago

There's one shot, especially, with Anne (in a classic Carnaby Street hat) with a glassy-eyed, vacant look that reminds me of the empty-headed 1960s modeling "look" resurrected occasionally by Patsy Stone ("...39, international beauty and style guru"), a.k.a. the fabulous Joanna Lumley.

I was hoping someone else would mention that particular moment because it absolutely had me practically spit out my drink it was so hilarious! Could she possibly look more detached from reality?

"You met me at a very strange time in my life"

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[–] communionsong 9 years ago

I enjoyed the Gillian Girl commercial montage. The music was nice. And I thought Barbara Parkins looked very lovely in that sequence. Especially where she is standing on the peak of that taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllll rock and her hair blowing in the wind...very effective.

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[–] snsurone 9 years ago

Uh, I dunno if you're aware of it, but VOTD could stand for VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED as well as VALLEY OF THE DOLLS.
Just thought I'd mention that little thing.
;-)

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[–] Molly-31 13 years ago

Neely's speech calling her husband a F$gg0t is taken almost word for word from the book.

Don't forget your tsvets!

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[–] zephyr-123 13 years ago

Patty Duke is the most interesting person in the movie. The other female characters are so passive and quiet that if she wasn't there doing her thing with the tantrums and intensitiy, the movie would probably be very boring to me.

"You think you know, what you are, what's to come--You haven't even begun." BtVS

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[–] Paul_Ke 13 years ago

Patty Duke looked very pretty to me in this movie too.

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[–] SimplemindedSociety 12 years ago

'Patty Duke looked very pretty to me in this movie too.'
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Depends on the camera angle. Notice she was prettier from a lower angle

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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] smjensen312-158-669840 12 years ago

I'm sure it was not intentional, but since this movie was high camp dreck anyway, it made sense to chew the scenery the way Patty Duke did. Also, she was interview and said that she learned to embrace the film, since the public loved it (even if everyone knows it is trash, and loved it for exactly that reason).

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[–] SimplemindedSociety 12 years ago

'I'm sure it was not intentional, but since this movie was high camp dreck anyway, it made sense to chew the scenery the way Patty Duke did. Also, she was interview and said that she learned to embrace the film'
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I never know when to believe Duke. She is saying that now after her career has come to a standstill and the film is becoming discovered by a new audience that watch it in SanFranciso midnight showings(or whatever)

I don't think it made sense because it didn't do her reputation(or her emotional well-being)any good. But,was it chewing the scenery--or bad/overacting?

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[–] smjensen312-158-669840 12 years ago

I'm not so sure this film wrecked Patty Duke's career. She was a child actress, who made her mark in The Miracle Worker and later in her television series. She never really established herself as an A-list star as an adult, although she worked throughout the late 1960's and 1970's and later became president of the Screen Actors Guild. Lee Grant gave a dignified performance as Miriam Polar in a film that was otherwise savaged by critics, but did it really help her anymore than Patty Duke?

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[–] SimplemindedSociety 12 years ago

Yes, I know Patty's history, and would have to agree that one bad performance would not ruin her career,when you consider 2 more feature-film starring roles followed(ME,NATALIE, YOU'LL LIKE MY MOTHER), but not without painstaking efforts. I don't know if those 2 last feature-films made a profit,though

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[–] FranLovesBetteD 13 years ago

I saw the movie last night for the first time in my life. I purchased the DVD only because I recently saw Patty Duke in "The Miracle Worker" and got so impressed by her acting that I needed to see more of her work. Well, while I absolutely adored every single thing about "The Miracle Worker", unfortunately can't say the same about "Valley of the Dolls". It was entertaining, but the only reason which would make me watch it again is the fabulous Patty Duke. Yes, she was way over the top at times, but I think the movie and her character required that. To me, Patty was just magnificent and now I love and admire her all the more. Oh, and she was very pretty to me, too. There's some very cute, likeable quality in her all-American-girl face that I find just irresistible.

Animal crackers in my soup
Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] jrhpax 9 years ago

Patty Duke has the worst-written role, and she is dreadful in it. No one could have made the role work. (Thank God Jane Fonda, among others, turned it down.)

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[–] InherentlyYours 9 years ago

Actually, Duke said she had the best role and why she heavily campaigned for it; it's what she did with the role.

It's almost as if Duke (and others) assumed this hot property would be gold, without reading the script. For if they had, they must have seen badly it was written. I don't know what the mystery was. I see other actresses turned it down, yet it says others were considered.

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[–] rascal67 9 years ago

I think if Duke had read the script before accepting, in spite of her talent, she appeared to very shortsighted, arrogant and deluded to me and made unwise decisions with her role choices. Did she really know what she wanted to do, or only thought she knew what she was doing?

Exorcist: Christ's power compels you. Cast out, unclean spirit.
Destinata:💩

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[–] SimplemindedSociety 12 years ago

'Patty Duke was funny in this. She couldn't help being over the top, since the part is over the top. If she didn't make it work, her scenes wouldn't be as funny as they were. She isn't bad. The material is.
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The material is bad for everybody,but they didn't push their acting,
Since Patty was stuck with silly lines,she could had underplayed to draw less attention to them--she did the opposite which made the lines more silly. Patty had no desire to be funny in this.

In otber words, she could had "threw lines away"(not literally),unless Mark Robson was telling her to push. If Parkins had played Neely like she wanted, it would had been a different Neely,and more understated.

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[–] TheDanMan1 12 years ago

Patty kicked-ass in this film, 'With Dignity'!

*Love her final scene.. wonder what would have happened to her after.....?

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[–] ilahilda 10 years ago

Did anyone feel bad for Neely during her breakdown in the alley? I didn't since it was only karma.

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[–] Jefbecco-1 9 years ago

Watched it today as a type of memorial. The whole movie is a giant bitch fit. To say it's over the top is an understatement, but Patty gave it her all. She was probably still picking pieces of the movie out of her teeth in 1970.She put Godzilla to shame.

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[–] brendanchenowith 9 years ago

We held our memorial last night. It was a blast to watch the movie again. In fact, the minute I read of her passing, I wanted to watch Valley of the Dolls again.

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked.

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[–] 9 years ago

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