The “world’s oldest profession” has long been a favorite subject in novels, plays, films and television. Real-life madams such as Sydney Biddle Barrows, a.k.a. the Mayflower Madam, and Heidi Fleiss, the Hollywood Madam, have captured the attention of the media and filmmakers for decades.
Now Oscar winner Helen Mirren teams up with her director husband Taylor Hackford for the melodrama “Love Ranch,” which opened Wednesday. Set in the early days of legalized prostitution in Nevada in the 1970s, the film revolves around a squabbling married couple, Grace (Mirren) and Charlie ( Joe Pesci), who own Nevada’s first legally licensed brothel. They were inspired by Sally and Joe Conforte, who ran the Mustang Ranch brothel in the 1970s.
Full story: Movie madams – latimes.com