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Released by: Scorpion Releasing
Released on: May 28th, 2019.
Director: Alan Roberts
Cast: Martine Beswick, Adam West, Phil Silvers, Richard Deacon, Chris Lemmon
Year: 1980
Purchase From RoninFlix
Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood - Movie Review:
The third and final film in the Happy Hooker series was produced by none other than Menaham Golan and Yoram Globus, better known to children of the eighties as the two men who run Cannon Films! Normally that'd be a stamp of approval right? Right! But this film… well, actually it's pretty fun even if it isn't as 'good' as its predecessors.
This time around, Xaviera Hollander is played by Martine Beswick of Cyclone and From A Whisper To A Scream (Lynn Redgrave played her in 1975's The Happy Hooker while in 1977's The Happy Hooker Goes To Washington she was played by Joey Heatherton). This last film actually tells the origins of the character as we see how Xaviera became a writer and subsequently, once her book was published and became a hit, how it was chased by a film producer named Warkoff (Phil Silvers). When the deal falls apart, Warkoff's own grandson snags the title and talks Xaviera into letting him do the picture as an independent film.
Because the film doesn't have the financial backing that a major studio could provide, Xaviera decides to raise some money on her own by doing what she does best and before you know it she's got her girls working overtime to raise the cash. While this is going on, her relationship with sleazy film producer Lionel Lamely (Adam West of TV's Batman) begins to go very sour...
Even goofier than the first two films in the series, The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood throws sense out the window and is almost slapstick in spots. It's played completely for laughs with almost the entire cast hamming it up for the camera. The script provides ample opportunity for 'wink-wink-nudge-nudge' sex jokes and the pacing is handled in such a way that the gags, as corny as they are, come quickly. There's a fair bit of nudity in the film and Beswick's fan base will appreciate seeing her show off a bit in the picture. She's not bad at all in the role, clearly in on the joke like the rest of the cast. Adam West steals most of the scenes that he's involved with, melding suave and sleazy rather wonderfully in the film. Supporting work from Phil Silvers is notable, he's pretty funny here, while Chris Lemmon (of Just Before Dawn) shows up here in a decent part.
But what about Xaviera's girls? Look out for Tanya Boyd of Black Shampoo and Ilsa Harem Keeper Of The Oil Shieks, Alexandra Morgan of Spellbinder and Deadly Games, Lisa London of Andy Sidaris films Savage Beach and Guns and Susan Kiger of Andy Sidaris' Seven and Angels' Brigade to show up in the film adding to the fun.
Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood - Blu-ray Review:
The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood looks great on this AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer framed at 1.78.1 widescreen on a 25GB Blu-ray disc. Colors are very nice in that garish sort of way and black levels are definitely solid. Detail is also quite strong and nicely improved, texture as well. Sometimes the picture looks a bit soft but that's clearly how it was shot. Otherwise, no complaints at all - no problems with noise reduction, edge enhancement or compression artifacts.
The English language DTS-HD 2.0 Mono track sounds just fine, offering up clear dialogue without any noticeable background hiss or noise and the incredibly eighties sounding score has pretty impressive range. The levels are well balanced, the score sounds good and there are no problems here to complain about. Optional English subtitles are provided.
The main extra on the disc is a thirteen-minute interview with Martine Beswick who starts out by explaining how she got into acting after doing modelling work, not getting the part in Dr. No but then appearing in From Russia With Love and Thunderball. From there she talks about getting the lead in The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood, what it was like working with Adam West (who she speaks quite fondly of), the gags that are featured in the film with the johns and the prostitutes, the Los Angeles locations used for the film, some of the more memorable scenes in the film, what it was like on set and more.
The disc also includes an interview with Chris Lemmon that also runs thirteen-minutes in length. In this piece, he speaks about how he got into the industry after aspiring to become a classical pianist. He then goes on to talk about some of his early roles, how this was a 'break' for him by appearing in the film, going into the movie without a clue who Xaviera Hollander was, being happy to be cast alongside Beswick who he was already friends with before making this movie, the 'naughtiness and frolicking' featured in the film, how he got along with his co-stars and what it was like on set, working with director Alan Roberts and quite a bit more.
Aside from that, we get trailers for the feature, Act Of Vengeance/Rape Squad, Bucktown, California Dreaming, the awesome Henry Silva movie Johnny Cool (which hopefully means this one is coming to Blu-ray soon!), Lone Wolf McQuade and The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane. Menus and chapter selection are also included.
Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood - The Final Word:
Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood might not be deep but it's a fun 'R-rated' sex comedy made all the better because of a strong cast. Scorpion's Blu-ray release features some good extras and offers a very solid presentation for the feature.
Click on the images below for full sized Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood screen caps!
