Jacqueline Susann a radical departure from the works which made her famous. During the 1970s, Susann had spoken of future works. They included a novel about brothers who have their show business start in vaudeville, to be called "The Comedy Twins"; a novel about a poetess, "The Heroine"; a continuation of the story of Neely O'Hara's sons; and her autobiography. Jacqueline Susann enjoyed the fame which her books brought. "Confrontational, sassy, [and] entertaining," she appeared frequently on television, especially on talk shows. When asked what Ethel Merman thought of "Valley of the Dolls", Susann responded, "We didn't speak before the book came
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls 2001, the "Village Voice" named the film #87 on its list of the 100 Greatest Films of the Century. Jacqueline Susann later sued Fox for $10 million for damaging her reputation by making the film, saying it was "sex exploitation film, employs total nudity and is scandalous of content." As a result, the studio placed a disclaimer at the beginning of the film informing the audience that the two films were not intended to be connected. Posters for the movie read, "This is not a sequel—there has never been anything like it". The suit did not go to trial until