A 16 year old girl turns to prostitution to support her baby and encounters a treacherous underworld of pimps, hookers and johns while doing her best to maintain her hopes and dignity.
Ruby Star is a runaway teenage mom facing many problems: a baby, no family and no job. When all else fails, she turns to prostitution in the streets of Hollywood and soon discovers a hierarchy of pimps and hookers who rule with iron fist and won't allow her to work as an independent. After a series of brutal lessons in both the legitimate and illegitimate world, Ruby reluctantly agrees to a strictly business arrangement with Carla, a thirty year old black prostitute who takes her under her wing, and Easy, her charismatic but gambling white pimp. This arrangement however undermines Easy's standing in the pimp community and triggers a series of dramatic ripples and upheavals. A revealing, heartfelt portrait of life in the underbelly of America where racism still flourishes, 'welfare' is a dirty word to those who need it most, and monetary gain the cold priority, be it Ruby's fruitless consult with the Women's Vocational Institute...
Written by Rose-Martie Turko
Many of the songs in this film were written and performed by Kim Fields, who at the time was playing Tootie on the TV show
The Facts of Life.
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Quotes
Ruby:
My mother thinks I'm the devil and that God is a UFO. See more »