Jacqueline Susann (August 20, 1918 – September 21, 1974 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was a Jewish-American author known for her mass-appeal novels. Her most notable book was Valley of the Dolls, a book that broke sales records and spawned a movie and a TV series. August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Philadelphia is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ... State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell (D) Senators Arlen Specter (R) Rick Santorum (R) Official language(s) None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ... A Jewish American (also commonly American Jew) is an American (a citizen of the United States) of Jewish descent or religion who maintains a connection to the Jewish community, either through actively practicing Judaism or through cultural and historical affiliation. ... Valley of the Dolls is the title of a best selling novel by Jacqueline Susann, published in 1966, and the Hollywood film which followed it in 1967. ...

Early Years

As a child, Susann lived in an unusual household. Her philandering painter father would send her to the movies while he met with his mistress; after the movie, he would ask her to summarize the movie for him, so he could then tell his wife about it when they returned home.

At school, Susann was a lazy student, but she scored a 140 on a fifth-grade IQ test. Writing was always something she was praised for, but Susann was determined to become an actress. After she graduated from high school, her mother wanted her to become a teacher, but she moved to New York to become an actress. IQ redirects here; for other uses of that term, see IQ (disambiguation). ... State nickname: The Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York City Governor George Pataki (R) Senators Charles Schumer (D) Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² or 54,556 square miles (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water...

Arriving in New York she got bit parts in movies and commercials. A year after arriving in New York, Susann landed a decent theatrical job playing a lingerie model, earning $25.00 a week. State nickname: The Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York City Governor George Pataki (R) Senators Charles Schumer (D) Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² or 54,556 square miles (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water... State nickname: The Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York City Governor George Pataki (R) Senators Charles Schumer (D) Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² or 54,556 square miles (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water...

After marrying Irving Mansfield, a press agent, she began to get better jobs. She was placed in news columns, and soon was playing a wacky supporting player in The Morey Amsterdam Show. She then got a spot on a Broadway show titled The Temporary Mrs. Smith (later titled Lovely Me) It was canceled after 37 shows.

In 1955, she acquired her pet poodle Josephine and a contract to be the fashion commentator for Schiffli Lace on an all-night show called Night Time, New York which ran 1-7 a.m. weeknights. She wrote, starred in, and produced two live commercials every night. She continued as the "Schiffli Girl" until 1961.

Climbing Mt. Everest

She tried writing a show business/drug exposé that she was going to call The Pink Dolls, but instead she wrote her first successful book, Every Night, Josephine! which was based on her experiences with her poodle, whom she sometimes dressed up in outfits to match her own. Although the book was widely viewed as a novelty, it sold well enough for her to publish her second book, Valley of the Dolls. Valley of the Dolls is the title of a best selling novel by Jacqueline Susann, published in 1966, and the Hollywood film which followed it in 1967. ...

The book was an instant smash, and broke many sales records (at around 19 million copies, it has been cited as the best-selling novel ever.) The book also served as a cultural touchstone; though some people considered Susann's writing style to be loud, bombastic and brash (an assesment Susann herself would have agreed with) and the subject matter inapproporiate, the mixture of soap-opera style storytelling with bold, non-traditional characters - a model, a singer and a bombshell actress - reaped huge sales. It may have also been successful because some of the story was a roman á clef - the character Neely O'Hara was said to be loosely based on Judy Garland, while the character of Broadway legend Helen Lawson appeared to be a take on Ethel Merman. A roman à clef or roman à clé (French for novel with a key) is a novel describing real-life events behind a façade of fiction. ...

Once she was famous, Mansfield devoted himself to supporting and helping her, acting as her agent. Susann went on to publish several more novels, all in a similar vein to "Dolls". She also became a fixture on television, particularly as a guest on talk shows. Her witty, pointed repartee added spice to the programs she was featured on. However, not everyone was a fan; Truman Capote - himself a talk show fixture and controversial figure - created a media malestrom when he appeared on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson and opined that Susann looked like "a truck driver in drag" and then went on to apologize to truck drivers. (Susann was not amused.) Truman Capote photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1948 Truman Capote (September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American writer. ... The Tonight Show is NBCs long-running late-night talk and variety show, currently hosted by Jay Leno in Burbank, CA (near Los Angeles). ...

The End

Susann experienced several health battles throught her life, including recurring bouts with cancer. She was shocked when she learned in January 1973 that her cancer had returned in a major way. She was determined to finish her last novel, Once Is Not Enough. Like her other books, it too was a roaring success, but she was too sick and drained by chemotherapy to enjoy the success or tour behind the book. When normal cells are damaged or old they undergo apoptosis; cancer cells, however, avoid apoptosis. ...

Susann's health began rapidly failing. When she was admitted to the hospital for the last time, she stayed in a coma for seven weeks before her death on September 21, 1974. Her last words to Mansfield, in true "Jackie style", were "Let's get the hell outta here, doll." September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

In the late 1970's, Susann's romance/science fiction novel Yargo was published posthumously. Written in the late 1950's, the novel is not similar to Susann's other works and was a radical and somewhat bizarre departure, likely published only due to the sustained interest in Susann. Yargo is a science fiction romance novel by Jacqueline Susann. ...

In 1996, a biography of Susann's life (the source for the citations of this article) was published: "Lovely Me" by Barbara Seaman. The book was, in part, the basis for the 1999 feature film Isn't She Great?, starring Bette Midler as Jacqueline and Nathan Lane as Irving. Films are produced by recording actual people and objects with cameras, or by creating them using animation techniques and/or special effects. ... Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945), is a singer, actress, and comedian. ... Nathan Lane (born February 3, 1956) is a contemporary, award-winning American actor of the stage and screen. ...

Facts

• Susann typed her manuscripts on a hot-pink IBM Selectric typewriter.
• She spent 7 to 8 hours a day working on the plots of her books. She used a blackboard and color co-ordinated chalks to keep track of where her book was heading.
• Her most famous book, Valley of the Dolls, was so rough in manuscript form her editor had to spend six weeks with her rewriting it.
• When her books were coming out, Susann would rise at dawn to take coffee and doughnuts to the truck drivers who were delivering her books. She and Mansfield would also drive around the country to meet sales clerks at the bookstores. She would keep track of everyone's birthdays, their kids' names, and their pets, so she could talk to them more personally. Susann's shrewdness ensured her book would be prominently displayed and enthusiastically recommended by booksellers.
• Susann also made a point of appearing regularly on TV talk shows, and even game shows, to promote her latest book. She continued to do this even into her last months; Susann never talked about her illness.
• After her death, Susann was cremated and her ashes placed in a special container styled like a hardcover book, with "Jacqueline Susann 1918-1974" stamped on the front-cover side.
• Soap writer Robert Soderbergh has cited Susann as being the basis for the character Felicia Gallant on the soap opera Another World.

The IBM Selectric typewriter (occasionally known as the IBM Golfball typewriter) is the electric typewriter design that brought the typewriter into the electronic age starting in 1961. ... Valley of the Dolls is the title of a best selling novel by Jacqueline Susann, published in 1966, and the Hollywood film which followed it in 1967. ... Felicia Gallant as played by actress Linda Dano in Another World. ... Another World is a book by Pat Barker. ...

Books

• Every Night, Josephine! () ISBN 0143034340
• Valley of the Dolls: A Novel (1966) ISBN 0802135196
• The Love Machine () ISBN 0802135447
• Once Is Not Enough (1973) ISBN 0802135455
• Dolores (1976) ISBN 0553209582
• Lovely Me: The Life Of jacqueline Susann, by Barbara Seaman ISBN: 1888363371

See also

• List of bestselling novels in the United States

This is a list of bestselling novels in the United States, as determined by the New York Times. ...

External links

• Swingin' Chicks of the '60s