Plot: An unsuccessful over-the-top actress becomes a successful over-the-top author in this biography of Jacqueline Susann, the famed writer of "Valley of the Dolls" and other trashy novels. Facing a failing career, Susann (Bette Midler) meets a successful promoter who becomes her husband. After several failures to place her in commercials and a television quiz show, he hits upon the idea for her to become a writer. In the early 1960s, her books were looked upon as trash and non-printable. But then the sexual revolution hit and an audience was born for her books. The story shows the hidden behind the scenes story of Susann's life, including her autistic son and her continuing bout with cancer that she hid up to her death.
Alternative Plot: Jacqueline Susann (Bette Midler) had invented a whole new way of writing books, and once she and Irving (Nathan Lane) hit the road, the publishing world would never be the same. Embarking on a book tour from coast to coast, paying calls on regional booksellers and impressing Mom and Pop shops with her intimate knowledge of all their personal lives, Irving saw to it that everyone was clamoring to read "Valley of the Dolls." Together, Jackie and Irving invented a whole new way of selling books.
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