‘Beyond the Valley of the Dolls’ Star Dolly Read Says Russ Meyer Was ‘A Bastard to Work For’

Dolly Reed, Everett Collection, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls — Everett Collection/Mike Pingel

What To Know

Dolly Read starred in the cult classic film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
She described director Russ Meyer as tough but ultimately kind.
Her friendships with entertainment legends and memorable experiences.

Before she became a cult movie icon and the wife of comedy legend Dick Martin of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In fame, Dolly Read, a.k.a. Dolly Martin, was known as the English Bunny who worked at the Playboy Clubs before landing the cover of Playboy’s April 1968 issue. She later found fame as Kelly MacNamara in the cult favorite Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, despite the pic having little connection to the original Valley of the Dolls.

ReMIND caught up with Read during a recent appearance at the Hollywood Show in Burbank, California, to discuss her remarkable career and life in Hollywood.

Dolly Read, Dolly Martin, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Playboy Bunny

Mike Pingel/ReMIND Magazine

**How was it filming Beyond the Valley of the Dolls?**

Russ Meyer directed, Roger Ebert wrote it, and I was the star in it, believe it or not. It was wonderful. This fellow just came up to me, and he’s seen it so many times. He knows every line in the movie. When you think about it, that was in 1970. Today I’ve got stacks of mail at home. They love that movie.

Sounds like it surpassed the first one.

It’s 23 out of 25 of the most famous cult movies of all time.

**What’s your favorite memory of doing Beyond the Valley of the Dolls?**

I went for another part, and I did the audition, and I got the lead. So that was an exciting part. Then my parents came over from England to visit me. Russ Meyer [the director] took us to San Francisco, where his mom lived, and we had the best time in San Francisco, and that was lovely.

BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, Marcia McBroom, Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, 1970

Everett Collection

Meyer was a bastard to work for. He was yelling and screaming, but it was just him. His bark was worse than his bite. He was lovely and a very kind soul. I had a ball with everybody. The filming was during a time that Dick and I were really serious about each other. So I never hung around after we filmed. I wanted to go home to him. It was great.

Did you keep anything from the set?

No. When I was a Playboy Bunny, what an idiot, they told me to give back the bunny costume, and I did. They’re worth $40,000 now! I’m a jerk! [Laughs]

Do you keep any mementos from the work that you’ve done?

I’m going to be 82 in September. I’m trying to get rid of everything before so that poor Laurie [her friend] won’t have a problem when I kick the bucket. [Laughs] I want to see what Dick’s up to [in heaven]. If he’s a naughty boy, I want to know about it. We always say he’s got a great table — he’s got Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

ROWAN AND MARTIN'S LAUGH-IN, Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, 1968-73

Dan Rowan and Dick Martin from Laugh-In. Credit: Everett Collection

Any memories you can share about your husband, Dick Martin?

We went on Dean Martin’s honeymoon. Dick wanted to play golf, Dean wanted to play golf, and Cathy [Hawn] and I were on the beach. We had a ball. We went to Jamaica.

Bob and Ginnie Newhart were my best friends. Their daughter is my godchild. It was the time of Don Rickles, Bob Newhart, and Tim Conway, and these people were all married for so long, and we were all happy together, and now it’s over. My life has been so many wonderful memories.