[Jolly Amaranto]

Growing up in Texas back in the 1960s and early 70s, most everyone was aware of a number of brothels. They were in operation against the law but not much was done to enforce the laws at that time. The most famous of course was the "Chicken Ranch" in La Grange, the story of the closing in 1973 became a Broadway Musical and Hollywood film, The Best Little Whore House in Texas. However there were others that were shut down about the same time in Sealy, Kemah, Dickinson and a few other places. A lot has been written about them since and no connection to organized crime was ever established. Some would say they were their own little crime syndicates because they were all breaking the law. The various writers who interviewed the madams and the girls said there was no coercion and the girls were free to come and go as they pleased. Allegedly many of the girls were University of Texas Coeds working to pick up a little extra cash. There was an "understanding" with the local law enforcement agencies that the girls would get regular checkups. In the end it was Texas Attorney General John Hill who put the pressure on for getting them all closed and enlisted the help of Houston TV personality Marvin Zindler.