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.
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):
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).
There is some tension over whether Jennings will see the error of her ways and return to loyalty with her mother:
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
- The surreal musical interlude “There’d Be No Truck Drivers If It Wasn’t For Us Trucks”
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).