Page "Sharon Tate" Paragraph 28

Later in the year, Valley of the Dolls opened to almost uniformly negative reviews.

Bosley Crowther wrote in The New York Times, " all a fairly respectful admirer of movies can do is laugh at it and turn away ".

Newsweek said that the film " has no more sense of its own ludicrousness than a village idiot stumbling in manure ", but a later article read: " Astoundingly photogenic, infinitely curvaceous, Sharon Tate is one of the most smashing young things to hit Hollywood in a long time.

" The three lead actresses were castigated in numerous publications, including The Saturday Review, which wrote, " Ten years ago ... Parkins, Duke and Tate would more likely have been playing the hat check girls than movie-queens ; they are totally lacking in style, authority or charm.

" The Hollywood Reporter provided some positive comments, such as, " Sharon Tate emerges as the film's most sympathetic character ... William H. Daniels ' photographic caress of her faultless face and enormous absorbent eyes is stunning.

" Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praised Tate as " a wonder to behold ", but after describing the dialogue in one scene as " the most offensive and appalling vulgarity ever thrown up by any civilization ", concluded that, " I will be unable to take her any more seriously as a sex symbol than Raquel Welch.