Anne Welles
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Anne Welles was a fictional character in the movie and novel Valley of the Dolls. In the movie, she was played by actress Barbara Parkins.
Anne grew up in the small town of Lawrenceville, Massachusetts. She stunned her family (consisting of her mother and maternal aunt) and her fiancé, Willie, by moving to New York City, to work. Upon her arrival, she stayed at a women's hotel that her Aunt Amy lived in.
She acquired a job immediately at the law offices of Bellamy and Bellows, working for lawyers Henry Bellamy and Lyon Burke. She made friends with Miss Steinberg, the head secretary. Henry became a fatherly figure to her, and in the novel, worked with her on her finances. She proved that she was very good at her job, and helped smooth over the hurt feelings when Helen Lawson insulted her. She also fell deeply in love with Lyon.
Her friendship with aspiring actress Neely O'Hara, was difficult. She was alternately her friend and nemesis. The vindictive Neely attempted to steal Lyon from her, but failed miserably.
Eventually, Anne got into the business herself, billed as the Gillian Girl, the spokesmodel of a cosmetics company owned by Kevin Gillmore. She later made a good fortune from it, but yet, her heart was always with Lyon.
Anne also gained a friend in actress Jennifer North, and was with her, prior to discovering that she had committed suicide. The experience of discovering her friend had killed herself rattled her.
Anne was driven to the dolls by Neely's obsessive desire to get Lyon for her own. She warned Lyon that Neely thrived on trouble, but he wasn't willing to listen to her. He finally discovered that on his own, when she got too egocentric and he quit as her agent.
After her own failed attempt at suicide, she threw the dolls across the room, left California for good, kicked the unfaithful Lyon out of her life, and went home to New England, where her loving Aunt Amy (her mother had since died) helped her to pick up the pieces of her life and to begin anew. This is the ending from the movie.
In the book Anne does not attempt suicide and stays with Lyon, accepting that he will always be unfaithful, and in the last scene takes two "dolls" and lies down.