I first saw "The Lonely Profession" as a teenager in 1969, when it aired as a movie of the week on NBC. It cannot on any level be classified as a great movie, but I responded viscerally to its main character, Leo Gordon, brilliantly portrayed by the underrated Harry Guardino.
Especially affective is the opening, with Leo walking in a mass of people down a San Francisco street, the camera slowly closing in on him and his tired, lonely face as those in the background fade into a blur. On the soundtrack as the opening credits roll we hear the beautiful and magnificent Barbara McNair singing the sixties pop hit" (If You're Going to) San Francisco."
I've tried unsuccessfully for years to locate a copy of the movie and a recording of McNair's rendition. Perhaps it's just as well. Both live fondly in my memory and the revisit may be disappointing.
