On June 17, 1970, Twentieth Century Fox put out a strange X-rated musical comedy called Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. The film follows a female rock trio as they head to Los Angeles in search of fame and fortune. Once there, they link up with a cross-dressing producer named Z-Man, who helps them achieve the success they’re looking for, but also introduces them to the seedy party scene that comes along with it. That seediness grows to include sex, drugs, a rape accusation, a suicide attempt, and eventually, Z-Man murdering several partygoers in a fit of rage.
We’re sure you’ve got plenty of questions. Like, who would make such a movie? Right, perfectly reasonable place to start. The main person responsible was Russ Meyer, a sexploitation director who was once affectionately known as the “King of the Nudies.” Here’s the kicker: If you can believe it, the screenplay for Beyond the Valley of the Dolls was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert.
Next question: How the hell did that happen? Ebert was a fan of Meyer’s work and had gotten acquainted with him when he became a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967. When Meyer landed a deal to make a movie for a major studio, he enlisted the 27-year-old Ebert to help him write it. Reflecting on the film on its tenth anniversary, Ebert said that he “didn’t really understand how unusual the project was” at the time. The script, intended to satirize an earlier Fox film called Valley of the Dolls, was completed in just six weeks. Ebert and Meyer apparently laughed “maniacally” throughout the process.
Perhaps the most amusing part about this whole situation is the fact that Ebert’s future TV co-host of 24 years, Gene Siskel, reviewed Beyond the Valley of the Dolls when it was released. As you could’ve guessed, he wasn’t a fan. According to Siskel, the movie “unfolds with all the humor and excitement of a padded bra.” He even took a dig at his soon-to-be partner by saying, “Boredom aplenty is provided by a screenplay which for some reason has been turned over to a screenwriting neophyte.” Siskel’s rating for what he called a “cesspool on film”? A whopping zero stars.
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