Happy Hooker, The (1975)

This non-pornographic film about a pornographic subject was based on Xaviera Hollander’s autobiography about her life as a prostitute.

Dutch girl Xaviera Hollander (Lynn Redgrave) emigrates to New York to marry but is abandoned by her bad apple fiancé, Carl (Nicholas Pryor), who is obsessed with his mother (Elizabeth Wilson).

Xaviera takes a well-paid secretarial job at the Dutch Embassy and an apartment and starts sampling the local male talent.

After a while, she decides to make her pleasure her business too, and as her reputation grows she graduates to a high-class bordello.

Soon she realises she has the right talents and ambitions – she loves sex and money – to make a real success of a place of her own.

After a while, she becomes the most successful madam in New York City and buys out the business of her former madam, Madeleine (the delightfully named Lovelady Powell) as well.

There is leather, there are chains, there is whipped cream and champagne and even the ingredients of a super sundae – all to keep the customers happy.

All is well until a corrupt cop (Richard Lynch) instigates a raid, sending her to prison. Xaviera’s attorney bails her out of jail and sets her up with a friend of his who is coming in from Montreal.

Two diminishing-returns sequels followed – The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington (1977) and The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood (1980). Lynn Redgrave wisely steered clear of both.

Xaviera Hollander
Lynn Redgrave
Yves St. Jacques
Jean-Pierre Aumont
Madeleine
Lovelady Powell
Carl Gordon
Nicholas Pryor
Mrs Gordon
Elizabeth Wilson
J. Arthur Conrad
Tom Poston
Fred
Conrad Janis
Dick Tracy
Richard Lynch
Lt. Taggart
Owen Hollander
Henry Knowlton
Lee Wallace
Chet
George Dzundza
Steve
Kenneth Tigar
Rosita
Dorothi Fox
Dirty Harry
Barton Heyman
Albert Ruffleson
Matthew Cowles
Aurora
Pal Henry
Nadine
Sharon Laughlin
Lina Jo
Anita Morris
April
Darlene Parks
Chris
Trish Hawkins
Lucille
Donna Mitchell
Cynthia
Denise Galik
Norma
Rochelle Oliver
Rosie
May Olga
Carlos
Guillermo Irizarry
Lo-la
Wilhelmina Ross
Blue Hair
Marilyn Thomas
Cowgirl
Adrian James
Red Hat
Chip Fields
Tinker Bells
Lauren Simon
Carla
Joan T. Scott
Tinch
Inga Bunsch
Ryan
Frank Aldrich
Wilkins
Lou Bedford
Petulia
Florence Tarlow
Suzanne Knowlton
Gwendolyn Saska-brown
Mr. Gordon
Robert Dryden
Alex
John Ramsay
Sonia
Jane Marie Scileppi
Senator
Dan Resin
Benson Garfield
Shanton Granger
John Burden
Alek Primrose

Director
Nicholas Sgarro