"Hustling"

It's set in New York City and has some nice midtown location footage. But most of "Hustling" (Filmways/Lillian Gallo Productions, 1975) was shot in Los Angeles including many of scenes on Broadway and Main St. Here we're on the 8th St. side of the Tower Theatre with ladies coming out of the alley behind the theatre as if they were exiting from a matinee. Notice the show ads on the corner of the Tower. 

 

It's the story of journalist Lee Remick as she investigates the prostitution business and tries to figure out who benefits from it financially. Joseph Sargent directed the film, shot for TV, which also stars Jill Clayburgh, Alex Rocco, Monte Markham, Melanie Mayron, Burt Young and Paul Benedict. It's based on a book by Gail Sheehy and used a screenplay by Fay Kanin. Cinematography was by Bill Butler. 

 

The bus parked alongside the Tower -- waiting to take the ladies back to suburbia. 

 

The ladies are appalled to see hookers across the street. The driver offers to ask what the rate is. 

 

 

Bus driver Burke Byrnes after getting hit by a hooker played by Jill Clayburgh. She had come over to the bus to harass the ladies -- saying that their marriages were just another form of prostitution. When the driver tried to drag her back across the street, she started hitting him. She ends up in court. 

 

 

 

Lee Remick and Jill Clayburgh are in a cab, supposedly in midtown Manhattan. Out the window we get a shot of the Los Angeles Theatre, 615 S. Broadway. Remick had paid the bail for Clayburgh's character to get her to talk about the business. 

 

 

 

A later view of the Los Angeles as we look south toward 6th St.  

 

Remick and boyfriend Paul Benedict are driving by the State Theatre. Nope, not the one in Times Square. This one's at 7th & Broadway. He tells her: "Everybody hustles. Some of us just don't get arrested for it." This ride will be the end of their relationship. He's trying to talk her out of naming various property owners who benefit from the prostitution business as it'll jeopardize an upcoming business deal. 

 

 

 

After Remick sees Clayburgh off on a bus (with the Sheraton at 7th & Hope as the terminal) she gets in a cab and leans out the window looking at the street action. We get a nice New York street shot of a hooker and a potential john. Then this shot as we drive north showing a bit of the Palace Theatre, 630 S. Broadway. This is followed by a view of the east side of Broadway looking north toward 6th St. 

 

Then back to another snippet of the Palace. Note the Skouras-style squiggles on the wall in the ticket lobby. 

 

And a glimpse to the boxoffice the Palace had at the time.

Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting the theatres in the film and getting screenshots. See the pages about the Tower, Los Angeles and State and Palace theatres on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the buildings and hundreds of photos.

On IMDb: "Hustling"   The full film can be seen on YouTube.