Beverly Hills Madam

Last updated
Beverly Hills Madam
Bevery hills madame pic.jpg
Also known asLadies of the Night
GenreDrama
Written byNancy Sackett
Directed by Harvey Hart
Starring Faye Dunaway
Melody Anderson
Donna Dixon
Robin Givens
Music by Lalo Schifrin
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerNancy Sackett
ProducersEverett Chambers
Robert Birnbaum associate producer (as Bob Birnbaum)
Production locations Los Angeles
Beverly Hills
Cinematography Isidore Mankofsky
Running time96 minutes
Production companies Orion Pictures
NLS Productions
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseApril 6, 1986 (1986-04-06)

Beverly Hills Madam (also known as Ladies of the Night) is a 1986 American made-for-television drama film directed by Harvey Hart and starring Faye Dunaway, [1] Melody Anderson, Donna Dixon and Robin Givens. [2] It was originally broadcast on NBC on April 6, 1986. [3]

Contents

Plot

An escort agency caters to wealthy clients in Beverly Hills, California and is run by the elegant Lil Hutton. She has high standards, providing her girls with designer wardrobes and rigorous reading lists so they can easily socialize with high society. Lil has four young women in her employ: Wendy Benton, Claudia Winston, Julie Tyler, and April Baxter. Douglas Corbin is her loyal butler.

Claudia tries to escape the business when her wealthy boyfriend, Steven, proposes. However, a former client exposes Claudia's past. Enraged, Steven breaks off the engagement and a distraught Claudia tries to numb her heartbreak with alcohol. She wants to go back to work, but her drinking and general bad behavior aggravate Lil.

Julie is a naïve teenager who has just arrived from Nebraska. When all her possessions are stolen and the police wrongly arrest her for prostitution, Lil lets Julie stay in her mansion. Enchanted by the luxurious lifestyle of a high-class call girl, she becomes one of Lil's employees. Julie is hired by a father to take the virginity of his son, Justin, as an 18th birthday gift during a yacht trip. She and Justin declare their love for one another, and Julie is devastated when the family won't have anything to do with her after the trip. She tells Lil that she can't handle the emotional coldness of sex work and quits.

Wendy is a law student who struggles to balance school with work. She visits demanding client Len Culver in New York City just before her mid-terms. Unable to study enough, she flunks the test. Wendy then discovers that she's pregnant. When she informs Culver that he's the father, he tries to bribe her to go away. Wendy resists, and Lil tells her to take the payment for the baby if Wendy intends to keep it.

April is a dancer who half-heartedly works for Lil. Her lack of work ethic causes friction between the two women. One night, when Claudia isn't feeling well, April agrees to meet a new client. However, Lil fails to do a proper background check on the client and, as a result, April is murdered. Lil has a breakdown and leaves the business. Claudia, now cold-hearted and numbed by alcoholism, takes over the operation.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faye Dunaway</span> American actress

Dorothy Faye Dunaway is an American actress. She is the recipient of many accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a BAFTA Award. In 2011, the government of France made her an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claudia Christian</span> American actress (born 1965)

Claudia Christian is an American actress, singer, and author, known for her roles as Commander Susan Ivanova on Babylon 5, as Captain Maynard on Fox's 9-1-1, and as the voice of Hera on the Netflix series Blood of Zeus. She is also the voice of Lt. Helga Sinclair in Atlantis: The Lost Empire. She is the founder and CEO of the C Three Foundation, a proponent of the medication-based Sinclair Method for treating alcohol dependence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stella Stevens</span> American actress (1938–2023)

Stella Stevens was an American actress. She is the mother of actor Andrew Stevens.

Tricia Leigh Fisher is an American actress and singer.

<i>Mommie Dearest</i> (film) 1981 film by Frank Perry

Mommie Dearest is a 1981 American biographical psychological drama film directed by Frank Perry and starring Faye Dunaway, Steve Forrest, Mara Hobel, and Diana Scarwid, with supporting performances from Xander Berkeley in his feature film debut along with Rutanya Alda and Jocelyn Brando. Adapted from Christina Crawford's 1978 autobiography of the same name, the film follows her and her brother Christopher's upbringing under their adoptive mother, actress Joan Crawford, depicting her as abusive, controlling, and manipulative, prioritizing her Hollywood career over her family.

Martha Anne Smith is an American actress, television personality, real estate broker, and former model.

<i>The Thomas Crown Affair</i> (1968 film) 1968 heist film by Norman Jewison

The Thomas Crown Affair is a 1968 American heist film directed and produced by Norman Jewison and starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, winning Best Original Song for Michel Legrand's "The Windmills of Your Mind". A remake was released in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melody Anderson</span> Canadian-American actress

Melody Anderson is a Canadian retired actress, social worker and public speaker specializing in the impact of addiction on families. As an actress, her most high-profile role was playing Dale Arden in the 1980 adaptation of Flash Gordon. She later starred in the 1986 film Firewalker, with Chuck Norris. While singing, she also trained as an actress, leading to roles in films and television during the late 1970s and 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Mengers</span> American talent agent

Sue Mengers was a talent agent for many filmmakers and actors of the New Hollywood generation of the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s.

Louise Catharine Wooster, better known as Lou Wooster, was a famous madam in Birmingham, Alabama. Her colorful character and her care for the sick and dying during the cholera epidemic of 1873 endeared her to the Birmingham community. The shocking true story of the Birmingham Madam The "Lou Wooster Public Health Award" is named in her honor.

Kazuko Yanaga was a Japanese actress and voice actress who worked for 81 Produce. She was the wife of fellow voice actor Hōchū Ōtsuka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deborah Jeane Palfrey</span> American escort agency operator (1956–2008)

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, dubbed the D. C. Madam by the news media, operated Pamela Martin and Associates, an escort agency in Washington, D. C. Although she maintained that the company's services were legal, she was convicted on April 15, 2008, of racketeering, using the mail for illegal purposes, and money laundering. Slightly over two weeks later, facing a prison sentence of five or six years, she was found hanged. Autopsy results and the final police investigative report concluded that her death was a suicide.

Theadora Van Runkle was an American costume designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jourdan Dunn</span> English model and actress

Jourdan Sherise Dunn is a British model. She was discovered in Hammersmith Primark in 2006 and signed to The Squad Management in London. She began appearing on international runways in early 2007. In February 2008, she was the first black model to walk a Prada runway in over a decade.

<i>The Temp</i> (film) 1993 American film

The Temp is a 1993 American neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by Tom Holland and starring Timothy Hutton, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Faye Dunaway. Its plot follows a troubled businessman whose life is upturned after the arrival of a mysterious female temp worker in his office. Oliver Platt, Dwight Schultz, Steven Weber, and Maura Tierney appear in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrienne Maloof</span> American businesswoman and television personality

Adrienne Maloof is an American businesswoman, television personality, shoe designer, and co-owner of the various business holdings of Maloof Companies, which include a stake in the Sacramento Kings (NBA), the Vegas Golden Knights (NHL), The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada; Maloof Productions, Maloof Music and the retired Maloof Money Cup skateboarding event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faye Resnick</span> American TV personality (born 1957)

Faye Denise Resnick is an American television personality, author, and interior designer. She is best known for her involvement in the O.J. Simpson murder trial and for her appearance on the reality television series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faye Dunaway filmography</span>

Faye Dunaway is an American actress who appeared in over seventy films, thirty television shows, thirteen plays and two music videos. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses of her generation, she was one of the leading actresses during the golden age of New Hollywood. After her film debut The Happening, she starred in the gangster film Bonnie and Clyde, in which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She starred with Steve McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). In 1969, she co-starred with Kirk Douglas in Elia Kazan's drama The Arrangement. The following year, she starred with Dustin Hoffman in Little Big Man. In 1970, her performance in Jerry Schatzberg's experimental drama Puzzle of a Downfall Child earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama. She portrayed Milady de Winter in Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anastasia Soare</span> Romanian-American business executive

Anastasia Soare is a Romanian-American businesswoman, and the CEO and founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills, known as the "Eyebrow Queen". As of 2022, Forbes estimated her net worth at $660 million.

Elizabeth Adams, known as Madam Alex and sometimes Alex Adams was an American madam and prostitute.

References

  1. Bobbin, Jay (April 5, 1986). "A 'Beverly Hills Madam' plies her trade in NBC drama". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  2. Fetherston, Drew (April 4, 1986). "Sordid Affairs of a Beverly Hills Madam". Newsday. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  3. Beverly Hills Madam at Monsieur Louis Jourdan