Truck Stop Women, A Gratuitous Tragedy

Claudia Jennings! Playboy Playmate and B movie queen! Drive-in audiences of the 1970s owed her so much...alas, they never would be able to repay. Like today's film, her life story is a bitter tragedy leaving all of us to ask, "what might have been?" For more on that, read Eric J. Karell's authorized biography of this beauty in his book (click on this Amazon link Claudia Jennings ). An exploitation Shakespearean tragedy is our film today, 1974's "Truck Stop Women," directed by Mark L. Lester.

Anna (Lieux Dressler) runs a New Mexico truck stop...a nice front for her crime ring. Hijackings and prostitution keep the money flowing. As the film begins, her daughter Rose (Jennings) and Tina (Jennifer Burton) use gratuitous sex to hijack another truck. Uh oh...the New York mob wants the operation and send Smith (John Martino) to the desert to take it over. Smith smooth talks an overly ambitious Rose to help him. Thus, Rose will have to betray her mother and life long friends. Meanwhile, a lot of gratuitous topless action demonstrate the vigorous prostitution efforts at the truck stop. As Anna gets wind of Rose's betrayal a classic scene unfolds involving Rose playing pool in a bikini and Anna walloping her and hauling her out like a sack of potatoes.

Anna's problems are deep as betrayals abound, you'll see. As Smith tries to use Rose to unseat Anna, the mob gets serious. Anna's peeps begin dying and Rose's greedy ambitions are drawn out. Truck chases, more hijackings, gratuitous sex, gun fights, brawls, and Claudia Jennings being sultry are a major part in what ends up being a dark tragedy. Bobby Hart's music keep this film light and frothy...at least on the surface. As Anna's operation is beset on many fronts, including Rose's betrayal, her wisdom and experience...and some loyal whores (all lovely) just may even the odds.

Will the ravishing epitome of seduction and allure, Rose, smarten up and return to Anna? If Claudia Jennings was around in Shakespeare's time would "Romeo and Juliet" been a bigger hit? Did 1970s drive-in audiences flock to this film in order to see a Shakespearean tragedy, or merely a desire to see the Playboy beauty in alluring action? For a relevant exploitation tale from the 1970s that acts as a great companion piece to Ms. Jennings' real life story, see "Truck Stop Women."