If you were browsing a video rental store in the mid-eighties, you probably saw it. Sitting right there on the shelf with a title that promised way more than the actual film delivered. The Happy Hooker Goes to Hollywood is one of those bizarre artifacts of late-seventies and early-eighties cinema that feels like it belongs to a completely different universe. It’s the third entry in a trilogy that most people didn’t even realize was a trilogy, following the massive cultural footprint of Xaviera Hollander’s memoir.
It's weird.
The movie stars Martine Beswick, who took over the role from Lynn Redgrave and Joey Heatherton. Think about that for a second. You go from an Oscar nominee like Redgrave to a Bond girl like Beswick. It’s a lateral move in terms of talent, maybe, but the tone shifted wildly. By the time the production landed in Los Angeles for this third installment, the gritty, pseudo-biographical feel of the first film was long gone. It was replaced by something that felt more like a "Police Academy" knockoff with a lot more skin and significantly less logic.
What Actually Happens in the Plot?
The story is basically a thin excuse to parody the film industry. Xaviera Hollander, the world’s most famous madam, heads to Tinseltown to sell the film rights to her life story. Honestly, the irony is thick here. You have a movie about a woman trying to make a movie about her life, which is itself a movie based on her life. It’s meta before meta was a thing, though I doubt the writers were thinking that deeply about it.
The conflict? It’s mostly Xaviera dealing with sleazy studio executives. They want to change her story. They want to exploit her. (Again, the irony.) She spends the runtime outsmarting the "sharks" of Hollywood while her entourage of girls gets into various "hijinks" that feel ripped straight out of a low-budget sitcom.
Beswick plays the role with a surprising amount of dignity. She’s charming. She’s sharp. But she’s trapped in a script that wants to be a sex comedy but forgets to be particularly funny or particularly sexy by modern standards. It’s rated R, but it occupies that strange "softcore" space where it's too raunchy for TV but too silly for serious adult cinema.
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The Casting Carousel of Xaviera Hollander
One of the reasons The Happy Hooker Goes to Hollywood remains a point of trivia for film buffs is the weird lineage of the lead actress.
- Lynn Redgrave played her in the original 1975 film. That was a big deal. Redgrave was acting royalty.
- Joey Heatherton took the reins for The Happy Hooker Goes Washington in 1977.
- Martine Beswick stepped in for the Hollywood trip in 1980.
Why does this matter? Because it shows how Hollywood viewed the "Happy Hooker" brand. It wasn't a character study. It was a franchise. By the time Beswick got the part, the character of Xaviera Hollander had been distilled into a generic "classy but naughty" archetype. Beswick, who had been in From Russia with Love and Thunderball, brought a certain European sophistication that actually fits the real Hollander better than Heatherton did, even if the movie around her was crumbling into slapstick.
It’s also worth noting the supporting cast. You’ve got Adam West. Yes, Batman himself. He plays Lionel Lamely. Then there’s Phil Silvers and Richard Deacon. Seeing these old-school TV legends ham it up in a movie about the world’s most famous madam is jarring. It’s like watching a weird fever dream of 1970s variety show stars who accidentally wandered onto the wrong set.
Why the Critics Hated It (and Why Some Still Watch It)
The reviews at the time were, frankly, brutal. Most critics felt the joke had run dry. The original book was a sensation because it was scandalous and seemingly honest about the sex industry in New York. By the third movie, the "scandal" was gone. People were used to it.
But there’s a reason this movie still pops up in late-night streaming rotations. It captures a very specific version of 1980 Hollywood. The fashion. The cars. The incredibly dated "disco-adjacent" soundtrack. It’s a time capsule. If you look past the weak jokes, you see a city that was transitioning from the gritty seventies into the neon-soaked excess of the eighties.
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Some film historians point to this movie as the end of an era. It was one of the last "sex comedies" to get a wide-ish theatrical release before the home video boom changed everything. Once VCRs became common, movies like The Happy Hooker Goes to Hollywood didn't need to be in theaters. They went straight to the "Adult" or "Special Interest" section of the local rental shop.
The Real Xaviera Hollander vs. The Movie
If you’re looking for factual accuracy regarding the real Hollander, this movie isn't the place to find it. The real Xaviera was a complex, often controversial figure who eventually left the U.S. after legal troubles. The movie treats her like a glamorous superhero of the bedroom.
In reality, the Hollywood transition for Hollander wasn't about funny misunderstandings with Adam West. It was about a woman navigating a massive media brand while the authorities were constantly trying to shut her down. The film ignores the darker edges of her life in favor of a bright, sun-drenched aesthetic.
Interestingly, Hollander herself has been vocal over the years about how her image was used. She became a brand. Books, movies, columns—she was everywhere. The Happy Hooker Goes to Hollywood is perhaps the most "corporate" version of her story, irony intended.
Production Trivia and Weird Facts
- Martine Beswick’s Career: Beswick often cited this as a job that was "fun but forgettable." She was a veteran of Hammer Horror films and Bond movies, so she knew how to handle a campy script.
- The Director: Alan Roberts directed this. He was a veteran of the "exploitation" genre. He knew exactly what he was making—a movie designed to sell tickets based on a title and a poster.
- The Adam West Connection: This was during the period where West was struggling to distance himself from Batman. He took many roles that leaned into camp, and this was definitely one of them.
The film's budget was relatively low, even for 1980. You can see it in the sets. A lot of the "Hollywood" offices look like they were filmed in actual low-rent office buildings in the Valley. It adds to the charm, I guess, if you're into that sort of low-fi aesthetic.
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How to Watch It Today
Tracking down The Happy Hooker Goes to Hollywood today is actually easier than it used to be. For years, it was stuck in licensing limbo. Now, it occasionally surfaces on cult-movie streaming platforms like Shout! Factory or Tubi.
Don't expect a 4K remaster. The film stock used for these types of productions was often cheap, and the colors have a tendency to look a bit "muddy" or overly orange. It just adds to the vintage vibe.
Is It Worth Your Time?
Honestly? It depends on what you're looking for.
If you want a high-brow comedy or a deep look at the life of Xaviera Hollander, stay away. You will be bored and probably a little annoyed. However, if you love "B-movies," 1980s nostalgia, or seeing Adam West act like a goofball in a softcore comedy, it's a fascinating watch. It represents a moment in time when "sex sells" was the only marketing strategy a studio needed.
Actionable Takeaways for Film Buffs
If you're planning on diving into this trilogy, here is how you should actually approach it to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch in Order: Start with the 1975 original. It’s actually a decent film with a much more serious tone. It provides the context you need to see how ridiculous the Hollywood sequel eventually becomes.
- Look for the Cameos: Keep an eye out for character actors from the 60s and 70s. Half the fun is saying, "Wait, is that the guy from that one show?"
- Check Out the Book: Read Xaviera Hollander’s original memoir. It is significantly more interesting (and much darker) than any of the movies. It gives you a real sense of why she became a cultural phenomenon in the first place.
- Contextualize the "Camp": Understand that by 1980, the "Happy Hooker" was a parody of herself. If you view the movie through the lens of a satire—even if it's an accidental one—it’s much more enjoyable.
The legacy of the film isn't the plot or the acting. It's the fact that it exists at all. It stands as a testament to a time when a "scandalous" memoir could be spun into a trilogy of films starring Bond girls and Batman. It’s a piece of Hollywood history that is as messy as it is memorable.