Saturday, February 24, 2018

“(Theme From) Valley Of The Dolls” #2 2/24/1968

Today’s Hollywood shenanigans are nothing new. A movie about the seamier side of Tinseltown, based on a Jacqueline Susann book, had problems on and off screen. Ms. Susann said the movie was “a piece of s**t.” Judy Garland was fired for being drunk on the set. Raquel Welch turned down a starring role, not wanting to be cast as just a sexpot. Co-star Sharon Tate...well, we know what happened there soon enough. André and Dory Previn (who composed the score) soon divorced, partly due to Dory’s mental issues. Yet this troubled project became a cult hit. Dionne Warwick had to re-record the title song because of contractual issues; this re-do became the B-side of “I Say A Little Prayer,” turning into a huge double-sided hit months apart. I had to Google the sheet music to figure out the song’s timing - it’s kind of convoluted.


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