Valley of the Dolls

Neely finds a reminder in her home around midnight that it is her twin sons’ birthdays, which she had forgotten. She feels terrible, though her schedule is so hectic that such an omission is not surprising. When the sleeping pills she takes have little effect, she goes downstairs to find some liquor to blend with them and hears Ted in the swimming pool. She sees him naked in the water with Carmen, a young singer who has earned a screen test with the studio. Turning on the floodlights, she confronts them about their affair. She has an extended argument with Ted about the way he feels marginalized by Neely’s neglect and only feels manly in Carmen’s arms. Neely gives him an ultimatum, and Ted leaves with Carmen and doesn’t return.

Over three years, Neely’s movie career soars, even as she tries to get Ted to come back to her. The head of the studio does not want Ted and Neely to get a divorce: “The head didn’t care how they felt about each other, just as long as it looked good to the public” (273). When Neely wins an Oscar, Ted still does not come home with her. She demands a divorce and that he be fired by the studio.