Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:
- Claudia Jennings Films
- Gangsters
- Prostitutes and Gigolos
- Strong Females
- Truckers
Review:
Playmate-turned-actress Claudia Jennings starred in this unusual exploitation film featuring truckers, prostitutes, the mafia, cattle, and plenty of violence.
![](http://filmfanatic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Truck-Stop-Women-Jennings3-1024x458.png)
Unfortunately, all the characters are unlikable, so there’s no one here to sympathize with — and the plot is mostly incomprehensible, other than understanding this is a stand-off between feisty Mama Anna (Dressler):
![](http://filmfanatic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Truck-Stop-Women-Dressler2-1024x457.png)
and the mafia (grinning Martino is a true sociopath who’s shown killing in cold blood with a grin on his face in the opening scene).
![](http://filmfanatic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Truck-Stop-Women-Grinning-1024x460.png)
There is some tension over whether Jennings will see the error of her ways and return to loyalty with her mother:
![](http://filmfanatic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Truck-Stop-Women-Mother-Daughter-1024x456.png)
but otherwise this flick is simply an excuse to show off plenty of t&a and aggressive trucking. Watch for a truly bizarre musical interlude sung from the perspective of the trucks themselves, arguing that there would be no such thing as trucking without them (no kidding!).
Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
- Lieux Dressler as Anna
![](http://filmfanatic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Truck-Stop-Women-Dressler-1024x463.png)
- The surreal musical interlude “There’d Be No Truck Drivers If It Wasn’t For Us Trucks”
![](http://filmfanatic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Truck-Stop-Women-Theres-Be-No-1024x456.png)
Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re curious.
Links:
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One thought on “Truck Stop Women (1974)”
First viewing (9/8/20). Not must-see.
This is the kind of not-exactly-terrible semi-exploitation flick that might have played 3rd on a drive-in triple-bill of similar films. (It’s apparently also part of Peary’s unofficial series ‘I’ll Watch Anything That Has Claudia Jennings In It’ .) Some may consider it a camp / cult classic but it falls short of being either. It all-but-completely lacks the kind of dialogue that would make it fit comfortably with camp and its overall tone (which is closer to being a regular drama than souped-up exploitation) makes its qualification as a cult item a stretch.
It’s mildly watchable if not all that memorable. As Jennings’ brothel-running mom, Dressler gets points for showing a certain gutsiness that adds a bit more energy. And for a film of its low-budget type, it was shot surprisingly well (by DP John Morrill).