The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington

Joey Heatherton a sex kitten from the 60"s turns in a great performance as Xavier Hollander (the happy hooker) ! As the great tagline suggests "She served her country the only way she could", Joey makes your blod boil without taking off her clothes as in todays films! This gem of a movie is not available on video but is occasionally shown on cable! Catch it if you can!

Joey Heatherton takes the place of Lynn Redgrave in using the name of the famous Xaviera Hollander as the Happy Hooker. Joey's in some serious trouble, she's being held up as an example of the moral decay in America. A Senate subcommittee consisting of David White, Ray Walston, Phil Foster, and Jack Carter is holding hearings on that issue and Heatherton is her star witness.

But often one hand of the government doesn't know what the other is doing. At the same time she's being pilloried in this Senate committee, the CIA wants her to seduce an Arab sheik played by Jerry Fischer. If only handling Osama Bin-Laden was this easy. Heatherton is nothing if not a patriot though and her duty is clear.

In the end the sheik and Heatherton come to a meeting of minds that solves all their problems.

The film is dopey and God only knows what a whole lot of recognizable faces were doing in this thing. But it's also kind of fun. In fact it would take more than a dozen years before topics like these were discussed in the Halls of Congress. I refer to the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings.

But if you're loving large female breasts, this film is for you.

The world's most famous madame (Joey Heatherton) is called to Washington to testify before Congress.

If you are looking for a high-class film or something artsy, you might want to look or something that does not include "happy hooker" in the title. This is basically one tasteless joke after another, and an ongoing parade of topless women. (Not many nude men, but that just goes to show you what was considered acceptable in the 1970s.) This seems like a good movie to watch with some friends and get drunk with. By no means do I think it deserves the low rating it has on IMDb. While not a great movie, it is too harsh to call it a bad movie.

Director William Levy's film based upon the exploits of Xaviera Hollander and from an insightful script by screen veteran Robert Kaufman. A cultural touchstone of America's Sexual Revolution, this film features an all star cast, including George Hamilton and Ray Walston in excellent supporting roles. It is, however, Joey Heatherton who gives what is nothing less than the performance of a lifetime as The Happy Hooker. She is superb in the role, funny, bright, engaging, and stunningly sexy. There is also subtle pathos in her work, reflecting a certain existential uncertainty that she artfully brings to her portrayal. This is indeed Ms. Heatherton's film and certainly her talent that overall sustains it. It also is an important statement regarding profound changes in the moral view of a nation and an incisive look into a time of massive societal transformations. An under-appreciated and often overlooked film, this remains one of the landmark motion pictures of the era.

The first "Happy Hooker" movie was actually watchable. It kept your interest fairly evenly. As for this piece of trash, it was not all that interesting, and was very horribly acted. You can't even value it for the camp value, or write it off as "well it was made in 1977". Cheesy story, and as I said the acting was less than amateur. The scenes with "The Shiek" were embarrassing, and the perpetually tanned George Hamilton as Xaviera Hollander's lawyer was awful. Billy Barty as a vertically-challanged CIA agent was just wrong. Harold Sakata was billed as Harold "Odd Job" Sakata, and his character was just as the credit suggests. Joey Heatherton looked great, but that's about it. For a film with the words "Happy Hooker" in the title, one would expect to see more nudity. Minor titilation wrapped around one badly-made movie. 0 stars out of 5.