"Beyond The Valley of the Dolls" is one of those movies that really needs to be experienced. Don't confuse it with "Valley of The Dolls", it has nothing to do with the 1967 Sharon Tate movie or the 80's re-make with Catherine Hicks and Lisa Hartman. Nope, this one was different.

Written by big boobie king Russ Meyer with the help of now-famous movie reviewer Roger Ebert, BTVOTD was one of the the few films released by 20th Century Fox with an X rating. It came out in 1970 and is not only reccomended viewing for anyone with a sense of humor and an appreciation for fine cinema... it is required.

I made this tarot set of the major arcana based on characters from the movie back in 1993 and made one full set of prints. I sent those to Russ Meyer. He called me from his house in Palm Springs and loved them so much he wanted me to come by and have lunch with him. He told me to bring my girlfriend too... especially if she had big tits. Unfortunately, I still haven't made it up his way.

About 2 years later I put the images on the web, which prompted Roger Ebert to actually write me and say "Loved the tarot deck... Thumbs up!" Holy shit. Roger Ebert gave me a positive review! Wish I still had the original AOL e-mail...

Finally, in 2006, 2 months before the DVD was released, marketing firm Bender Helper Impact had me re-do the tarot cards as a special promo they sent out to 300 industry people. These designs are what are now featured on this page. I re-did the stills and think the new cards greatly improved the design, but you can still see the earlier set if you want old school.

Beyond The Valley of The Dolls has finally been released on DVD! You can get it at Amazon and all the other places you get DVDs. Russ Meyer's web site has DVDs of his other movies, which are not for the faint of heart, but cinematic masterpieces of their genres. Roger Ebert, who also collaborated with Russ on his films "Up!" and "Beneath The Valley of The Ultravixens" has a web site, as do BTVOTD cast members Cynthia Meyers ("The Sun"), Edy Williams ("Lust"), Erica Gaven ("The Moon"), Charles Napier ("The Emperor"), and Haji ("The Universe").There's a few BTVOTD web sites around, including one that owns the domain name beyondthevalleyof thedolls .com that has a petition to get it out on DVD. Others include a movie summary at Sky High Picture Show and Roger Ebert's commentary on his own work. It should also be pointed out that this is the movie that marks the debut of Pam Grier, the queen of blacksploitation and quite an actress to boot.

WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE ON THE MOVIE

GREAT QUOTES FROM BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS:

(From IMDB)

Z-Man Barzel: This is my happening and it freaks me out!

Ashley St. Ives: Come in to my den, said the spider... et cetera...

Lance Rock: You're a freak Barzel! A stoned freak! I'll get you back in spades Barzel!

Z-Man Barzel: You will drink the black sperm of my VENGEANCE!

Kelly Macnamera: You've made me a whore.
Lance Rock: And you dig it, you little freak!

Harris Allsworth: I can feel my legs! I can feel my legs!

Emerson Thorne: This ain't no welfare line!
Petronella Danforth: Then why are you standing in it?

Kelly MacNamara: Come on, man. I doubt if you'd recognize a hippie. I'm a capitalist, baby. I work for my living, not suck off somebody else.

Casey Anderson: There's juice freaks, and pill freaks, and then everybody's a freak! What you need is grass or a downer or something.

Ashley St. Ives: You're a groovy boy. I'd like to strap you on sometime.

Kelly MacNamara: In a scene like this you get a contact-high!

Petronella Danforth: Don't bogart the joint!

Partygoer #1: You're a moonchild.
Partygoer #2: And you're a bitch!

Harris Allsworth: I want it, I need it, I love it when a beautiful woman licks between my toes.
Ashley St. Ives: People who wear sandals must not get very many requests...

Petronella Danforth: C'mon, Casey. The principal's supposed to hit me with a coupla caps of acid.

Ashley St. Ives: We made it in a bathtub full of mayonnaise!
Partygoer: MAYONNAISE!

Susan Lake: I guess liquor's considered pretty square.
Petronella Danforth: Same as grass. Depends on how you use it.

Kelly Macnamera: When does ANY party start?! When you get there!

Haji: What I see... is beyond your dreaming...

Webmaster Howard Hallis meets BTVOTD scribe Roger Ebert at The Sundance Film Festival 2005