A question for the people who lived in the 70's

When this film (and firstly, the book it was based on) came out most of North America (so, the US & Canada) was still dealing with the tail end of the sexual revolution .. the full swing of the revolution had already peaked in the late 60s. I don't know where you figure only the rich and attractive were enjoying it; revolutions don't impose limits with such parameters. Revolutions aren't usually that picky!
So, to answer this thread's question, and refute the above suggestion: "It didn't mean that the average Joe or Jane was getting laid easily." ... speaking solely from the average Jane's POV, it was supremely easy to get laid, any day of the week, in any watering hole. And yes, lots of drugs were prevalent, available in any city, big or small, just depended what you were looking for. I suspect that hasn't really changed.
For those who say they settled down and changed their wild ways for various reasons (this movie, deaths, etc..), that's what worked for them. I knew many (and still do) who maybe shifted gears only a bit. Some settled down since you can party for only so long before the body wears out, some moved on, got bored of the scene, life changed. And for some the party never ended, they just took breaks, or modified their party scenes. But it was definitely a defining era that shaped many mindsets.
I read the book & saw the movie when it came out (I was around 18-19). I wasn't aware then that it was based on a real incident. But I echo some of the other comments that the mental anguish that was going for the real young woman who inspired the story seemed to not really be captured by the movie (nor the book from what I recall...but it's been many, many, many years!!lol) Still, I remember thinking at the time of it as bleak morality tale, and I think that still holds. In fact, maybe it could be seen in hindsight as a metaphor for the clampdown on the sexual revolution due to the coming tide of 'new STDs' (herpes, hpv, AIDS) although even that wasn't in full swing really 'til the mid-late 80s.
One thing for certain, the sexual freedom both men & women experienced, and often enjoyed, from that time can't be replicated or known by anyone who has since grown up in the post-AIDS years where everyone is afraid of sex. I'm not advocating going back to a time of such incredible irresponsibity. Our society has gone through a serious wake-up call which sadly isn't resolved yet in some parts of the world. But it is somewhat sad that it may be many generations if ever when some of the freedoms we enjoyed as sexual beings back in the free-wheelin' 70s could ever be re-experienced. And that is very evident when watching how we interracted in roles in the movies from those decades (mid-late 60s to the early 80s). Many of those parts and storylines could never be remade today because we all now think so differently. Sorry for the long ramble, but to make a long answer even longer, yes, life was like that in the movie. Maybe bleaker for some, but I have really great memories from that time.

Never blame the victim

She, the victim, had mental and emotional problems that were not being addressed properly. The actual incident took place in the 60's when many men were staging their own counter women's movement by saying horrible things about women they came in contact with regarding things as petty as "open your own door" to "oh, you don't want to go out with me, you must be one of those lesbians". She was raised Catholic, and as a woman raised Catholic that came of age in the 70's and had a outrageously misspent youth doing many of the things she did I can tell you that Catholic guilt can make you crazy even after you quite going to church! Plus, birth control became available and the church was freaking out about that since it was a sin at that time. Add to that the amount of men who now feared that "their women" could cheat on them and not worry about getting pregnant by another man! - That was a HUGH Issue for many men.
Women were facing a lot and as individuals many didn't really have anyone to guide them -- pre 60's there was Mrs. Cleaver, or Donna Reed, or whatever other apron clad domestic queen was on TV at the time, moms and aunts and such were most likely not up to speed on what second gen feminist wave was about..........
Yeah, acting wild is taking a risk and they call it a risk for a reason -- buy maybe she didn't even realize what risk she was taking?
My point I guess is that time period we were all in a place no one had been in before and no one had written the rule book yet.......flying by the seat of our pants most of us simply got lucky to make it through without too much damage, Some lucky to make it through with some spicy memories to take to the nursing home with us ;)

Finally saw this film. It had been in my watch list for quite some time. Had no idea it was based on a true story. For those who want to know more about the real life story found this online which even shows a picture of the killer and her apartment...

http://crimefeed.com/2015/11/a-crime-to-remember-quinn/

~What if this is as good as it gets?!~

It is a different world... Though there's certainly a "hookup culture" today, it's nowhere near as large as the media would like us to believe, and it gets an inordinate amount of attention because it does seem so alluring and dangerous and, well, sexy. "Hookup culture" is much more of a subculture today, as opposed to something more like the cultural norm it was in the 70s. Statistically speaking, older Millennials have had fewer sexual partners by the time they turn 30 than Gen X did, and a higher proportion of older Millennials report monogamy at a higher rate than Gen-Xers at the same age.

Also, statistically speaking, crime rates HAVE dropped from the 1970s, especially in New York and LA. The only major city seeing a spike is Chicago, which has essentially turned into a third world country. '77 was a rough year for NY, with the blackout, riots, heat wave, Son of Sam Murders, and what have you. Looking at crime reports, the 80s was NY's worst decade for crime, which peaked in the early 90s before a sharp dropoff. LA "enjoyed" a slightly more violent early-to-mid 90s before its' crime rate began to drop as well.

True, the world didn't have as many mass shootings then, but in terms of "run of the mill" crime, things HAVE gotten better.

One of them found a rich husband that way; so I guess that sometimes it worked out

But, sometimes you don't know a man you just met is violent until it is too late.