User reviews

I can't think of any titles that fit 1970s drive in movies better than "Truck Stop Women". It immediately brings to mind women, trucks, and bad acting. If it were not for Claudia Jennings, this film would have been long buried with the thousands like it. Besides the snappy title and Claudia Jennings, the movie does have some lively country and western songs, but that's about it. You get the expected nudity and truck chases, but surprisingly no explosions (guess it wasn't in the budget). "Truck Stop Women" is truly a 1970s curiosity, that has somehow survived. This will never be confused with a good movie, but is watchable right up to the surprise ending, due to the presence of Claudia Jennings. - MERK

When there's 3 murders and 2 nude women before the opening credits end, you know you're in for a treat. This was the first movie I saw in a long time where they re-used a chase scene. I always love when that happens. This movie is definitely worth watching.

This is a pretty decent 70's drive-in flick featuring the undisputed queen of 70's drive-in cinema, Claudia Jennings. Claudia and her hard-as-nails mother run a truck-stop brothel in New Mexico which they use as a base to get information on valuable loads that they can later hijack by pretending to be stranded female motorists (the sight of Jennings in short-shorts or hot pants is obviously enough to make any male driver slam on his brakes), hitting the poor guys over the head, and stealing their trucks. Jennings grows tired of her domineering mother, however, and teams up with a slick East Coast Mafioso who is trying to take over the operation. This leads to a violent show-down between the rural hicks and the "citified" urban mobsters.

This movie contains a lot of violence, exciting car chases (actually semi-truck chases) and general rural mayhem. There is plenty of topless-ness (if an unfortunate dearth of bottomless-ness) by Claudia and her female cohorts. For some reason the main mobster played by John Martino is named "Smith" (perhaps because this was the era of the so-called "Italian-American Anti-Defamation League",ironically created by infamous mob boss Joe Colombo), but he is nevertheless still the complete Italian Mafia stereotype("Fuggedbaboutit"!). Busty bimbo Uschi Degert has her best role ever--she isn't fully dressed for one minute of it but doesn't utter a word of dialogue (lest viewers wonder what a thickly-accented Swedish immigrant is doing in rural New Mexico). Director Mark Lester does a good Cormanesque job of combining feisty feminism with gratuitous sexism (and frankly it's a lot more believable to see a woman like Jennings use her feminine wiles so she can conk a guy over the head with a crowbar than it is to see Peta Wilson or some other 100 lb. fashion model beating up musclebound guys three times their size with martial arts like in today's version of these faux feminist movies).

I would recommend ANY movie with Claudia Jennings, but this is one of her best

"Anna" (Lieux Dressler) operates a truck stop in rural New Mexico which doubles as a small brothel. She and her daughter, "Rose" (Claudia Jennings) have also taken up hijacking some of the trucks and selling the cargo to some organized racketeers in Los Angeles. However, because they are so successful other racketeers decide to move in and take over. And they won't take "no" for an answer. What they fail to realize is just how adamant Anna is about keeping what is hers and the plans that Rose has for the truck stop once her mother finally relinquishes it to her. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie I will just say that it was a bit heavy on action but rather light on reality. Of course, as a grade-B, drive-in movie it was never meant to be taken seriously anyway so I guess that's okay. Be that as it may, the acting wasn't great and it was clearly lacking in badly needed drama and suspense. Even so, Claudia Jennings looked great and the surprise twist at the end certainly didn't hurt either. Unfortunately, neither of these assets were enough to adequately zero-out the balance sheet and I have rated this movie accordingly. Slightly below average.

When I sat down to watch the 1974 movie "Truck Stop Women" from writer and director Mark L. Lester here in 2023, it was without ever having heard about the movie. So I had no expectations to the movie, nor did I know what I was in for. So in a sense, writer and director Mark L. Lester had every opportunity to impress and entertain me.

However, I have to say that "Truck Stop Women" was a swing and a miss. I saw no point to the storyline, as it felt like a random jumble of events more than anything else. There wasn't really a noticably red thread throughout the course of the 88 minutes that the movie trotted on for.

The acting performances in the movie were actually fair enough, I will say that much about "Truck Stop Women". However, I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, aside from Len Lesser and Dennis Fimple. Nor can I say that I was overly impressed with what I witnessed, so I don't feel compelled to venture out and track down more of the movie of those participating in "Truck Stop Women".

"Truck Stop Women" was definitely not my cup of tea, and this is not a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time, as the first time around was enough of a struggle to get through.

My rating of "Truck Stop Women" lands on a three out of ten stars.

As these movies go, this one has it all. The basic plot is that a couple monsters are moving on the territory of a Truck Stop Brothel owner/hijacking operation manager and her daughter. Lots of corny dialogue, overacting, gratuitous t & a, and unrealistic shootouts. Strangely, the chase scenes and crashes are actually pretty good. I found it more entertaining than some similar era and style movies like caged heat.

For nine months in my early 20's, I ran a hardware store next to one of the largest truck stops in the US. I'd regularly come across stuff that would make me feel physically ill.

Truck Stop Women was, for me, a little too reminiscent of those sights/experiences. Maybe it was the casting that hit a little too close to home, the prostitutes in this movie definitely looked like lot lizards.

The story would have been interesting had there been any character development to support it. Instead, this movie is propelled by mounds of greasy, hairy, unappealing human flesh undulating to the brink of hardcore, without the slightest attempt at generating any pathos towards the central characters.

This was pretty much the kind of movie I was looking for when I went down my 70's Drive-In / Exploitation rabbit hole. Now that I've experienced it, I kinda wish I hadn't.

Four stars for being shot in the beautiful state of New Mexico.

A great piece of early 70's film: this gem has it all.

Some special moments:

•The beautiful Claudia Jennings in go-go boots or naked throughout most of the film!

•The truckin' music video inserted about mid film!

•The overt violence peppered throughout (from the opening execution in a bathtub, to the final battle featuring machine gun toting hookers and lots of tragic death)... all set to some great CB-era country music and a few bit that they had left over from "Land of the Lost"!

•The southern New Mexico locations that cradle our heroes in their struggle!

•The turncoat, Seago, getting trampled by 30 head of cattle in the back of a weaving truck!

Any way you slice it, this movie has it all. Sex, violence, bad acting, found locations, and a wacky plot that just keeps coming. I watch it often and inflict it on friends as a sort of, "bad-movie baptism".

As long as I can watch Truck Stop Women, Gator Bait, and Unholy Rollers, Ms. Jennings will not be forgotten.

This is a cola and popcorn movie, to be enjoyed, not criticised for its 'artistic' quality. It is one to pass time with, not scrutinise.

The plot was simple and plausible. While some say the acting was bad, I would disagree. The characters were portrayed well. Besides, the actors were from 1974, not 2009. I assume the acting was up to the standards of the days, especially so for a mindless action movie.

There was a bit of suspense, too, although not enough to change the genre of the movie. We more or less knew who was on which side.

The chase sequences were picturised well. Of course, being a 1974 film, the action was of a class of that era, not today's. So, no hi-fi gadgetry here. Pure rustic truck-boy action.

Enjoy!

Normally I am a huge fan of low-budget 70s nonsense, but this hasn't aged well, in my view.

Terrible script, even worse acting and - despite major contributions from the legendary Bobby Hart - a *very* irritating soundtrack. After the Monkees and his many other successes, one does have to wonder what led him to this low point? The occasional bursts of jaunty, sub-Dukes-of-Hazzard music were I'm sure supposed to indicate that the truck chases were exciting and/or humorous, despite being neither. Furthermore, I guess that the frequent toplessness would have been some kind of draw in the pre-internet days, but not today. That kind of audience would be much better off with Deathstalker and its ilk, I think.

Finally, as I was waiting for it to end, I kept wondering why anyone would make this kind of thing so *long*? And then I found out it was only 80 minutes. It felt much longer.

Don't waste your time.

this movie falls in to the"its so bad its good catergory" bad acting,terrible corny dialog,a first class laugh riot!! pick it up if you get a chance.

this film is blessed by the presence of the great john martino, and i couid never figure out why he disapeared after just a handful of movies,i thought he was great in this film,and as joey amato in capone, and of course paulie gatto in the godfather.

Coming from the same man who would later give us 'Commando,' and 'Poseidon Rex,' I guess I shouldn't be surprised at what this 1974 movie quickly proves itself to be. It's a B-movie, have no doubt, with heaps of camp and tinges of exploitation to go along with its nudity. These are so prominent, in fact, prioritized over anything else, that it would take little for this to be a film of not Mark L. Lester, but instead Russ Meyer. Alternatively, if the stunts and chase sequences were played up more, it would fit in neatly with contemporary fare that was a smidgen more earnest and a smidgen less hokey - though that might also mean excising eyebrow-raising music (some instances better than others), including country songs of the type that make "the real thing" indistinguishable from parodies. Plot development varies from gauchely direct to "wait, what was the plot again?" All told I don't think 'Truck stop women' is altogether bad, but from one scene to the next it feels decidedly unfocused, as if Lester wasn't sure what he wanted to do, or maybe he just forgot at times.

The strength of the acting trips and stumbles across a spectrum, to the point that I think it reflects less on the cast and more on Lester's direction. The screenplay whipped up between Lester and Paul Deason is baseline satisfactory, but for as very unevenly as the material is treated throughout these almost ninety minutes, it can often be hard to discern that value. In fact, while at some points the picture manages to attain a basic level of entertainment, at far too many other points the proceedings are so blase, nearly apathetic, that they actively drain away any fun that could be had. All the component parts are here for what could have been a decent feature, including strong production design, admirable cinematography, capable editing, and so on. When 'Truck stop women' is at its best, in fact, it's so well done that I can only wonder what happened elsewhere that it flounders so dully. There was real potential here, and too much of it just gets lost amidst not abjectly poor craftsmanship, but just meek execution that makes it all too easy to check out.

I'm glad for those who get more out of this than I did. It does provide a good time in at least some measure, and the more action-oriented sequences are almost certainly the most solid elements on hand. Would that the same care had been applied across the board, though - that is, especially to the writing and direction - for if it had then the end result would be more appreciable, and remembered more fondly. As it stands I still think this movie is suitably worthwhile for a lazy day, when you want to watch something that doesn't require major engagement, but even at that, don't get your hopes up. 'Truck stop women' isn't terrible, but what it does well is outweighed too much by what it does meagerly, and that might be worse than if it had just been pure schlock from the start.

This movie is as authentic as it gets, as far as 70s B movies go. It's got plenty of gratuitous nudity, violence, tacky locales, slimy bad guys, and ubiquitous vulgarity. In other words, everything that makes these sorts of movies such a guilty pleasure.

The setting for this film, takes place in a dusty, out-of-the way town in New Mexico. A woman named Anna, runs a truck stop/diner/motel there. It's just a front though, for Anna's smuggling operation. With the help of her bodacious daughter Rose (played by Claudia Jennings), Anna and her henchmen waylay truckers on the road, steal their trucks, and then repaint them.

Anna does okay, running her smuggling ring for a while. But then some east coast mafia types, decide that they want to take over Anna's territory. The head mobster takes an interest in Rose, and tries to seduce her away from working with Anna. Rose is tempted by the city-slicker mobster, and his offer of a lucrative partnership with her.

Rose tries to undermine Anna and rebels against her, as Rose gets in deeper and deeper with her mobster beau. It's up to Anna and her partners, to try and turn Rose back to Anna's side, while fighting to keep the mobsters from taking over her smuggling ring.

Claudia is in a supporting role as Anna's daughter Rose. It's not her best movie. But Claudia sure has the physique and the fiery charisma, to portray the sexy, renegade Rose. Only Lieux Dressler as Anna, gives as compelling a performance as Claudia does. The rest of the cast is basically forgettable.

Truck Stop Women is tacky, campy, 70s B movie fun. It's a real loose-cannon, of a 70s low-budget film. Fans of Claudia Jennings, won't be disappointed.

Don't expect this sleazy Drive-in gem to show up at a high-brow awards ceremony. Nonetheless, it's got everything needed for a camp classic: naked women, non-stop action, monster trucks, some high-speed fornication, and even a few surprises. And, wow, where did actress Dressler (Anna) come from. Her gargoyle boss-woman dominates the screen like none of the many ugly guys, and kept me wishing for more of Jennings' lovely eye relief. And how about all that dry New Mexico scenery with its ghost-town from heck- I sure hope the crew took a canteen with them. So, will Anna be able to keep her truck-stop brothel locally owned or will the eastern Mafia gobble it up. After all the long-haul guys do need occasional relief. More importantly, which side will Rose, Anna's rebellious daughter, end up taking, now that she's charmed by a snazzy eastern suit. Anyway, I didn't see the ending coming and a provocative one it is. In my little book, a zany flick like this is hard to rate, but if you're in the mood to dodge monster trucks, duck flying bullets, shower with naked girls, and follow a pacing that never drags, then give it a try.

After the infamous bubble bath slaughter sequence, TRUCK STOP WOMEN begins.

Rose (Claudia Jennings) is just a fun-loving gal, working for her mom, Anna (Lieux Dressler) at her truck stop / brothel.

Uh oh!

Mob types are trying to muscle in for a piece of the action! They can't resist the allure of the truck stop industry. Also, it seems that Rose has joined forces with these gangsters!

Now, it's the sex-starved country folk vs. The malevolent mafia! Much naked frivolity ensues.

If topless lasses are your forte, then you've just pulled into heaven! If instead, you're looking for a deep film, full of philosophical discussions, then you should have looked more closely at the title!

Fans of Ms. Jennings rejoice! She appears, and the angels doth sing! Is it hot in here?

PLUS: The theme song and soundtrack music are toe tapping awesomeness! And, who among us would pass up a chance to see any movie with Dennis Fimple in it?

EXTRA POINTS FOR: Anyone who can count the number of times the mobster known as Smith says, "Fuggettaboutit!"...

I had fun watching this flix. Some good actresses/actors having fun with each other. Worth a watch to see them honing their acting skills. One's gotta keep working as s/he waits for better roles/movies. Enjoy a no-brainer with beautiful women.