Claudia Jennings Movies
Playboy magazine's "Playmate of the Year" for 1970, actress/model Claudia Jennings was at first cast in decorative bits in mainstream films like 40 Carats (1971). It was in her athletic, self-reliant roles in such drive-in action fare as Gator Bait, Truck Stop Women and Unholy Rollers that Jennings truly came into her own. Generally clad in little more than a halter top and cutoff jeans, Jennings presented quite an imposing figure (in every sense of the word) as she battled various and sundry thugs of both sexes, armed with bazooka, bowie knife and bare fists. Claudia Jennings was elevated to true cult status after her untimely death in a head-on car collision in 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
David Carradine romps around in a loin-cloth as Kaz Oshay, a good-guy biker who hops on his destructocycle to participate in a sport to the death, in Roger Corman's futuristic gladiator motorcycle film. The film takes place 1000 years after the "Neutron Wars" have decimated civilization, except for pockets of domed cities. Surrounding the cities are vast wastelands called "ranges." Kaz is a "ranger guide" who roams the range riding horses and wielding sabers. The sabers are necessary to fend off the "Statesmen" -- roving hordes under the thrall of Lord Zirpola (David McLean). Zirpola captures Kaz and throws him into a cell, where he meets Deneer (Claudia Jennings), who tells Kaz that a group of mutants have abducted her daughter. Kaz and Deneer escape and set off in search of her daughter as they dodge the Statesmen and their high-decibel motorcycles called "Death Machines." Kaz is finally forced to participate in the "Death Sport" -- a mad free-for-all inside a tunnel in which only one contestant can emerge alive. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Claudia Jennings, (more)
Amidst such formative shockers as Shivers, Rabid and The Brood, writer/director David Cronenberg dashed off this semi-documentary. Fast Company relates the life story of race car champion Lonnie Johnson. The ubiquitous William Smith, veteran of many a low-budget cycle flick, is quite convincing as Johnson. The film does not shirk in its depiction of the principal character's womanizing, which in itself is surprisingly endearing. Cronenberg also offers an indictment against corporate sponsors who tend to squeeze drivers like Johnson dry of all their salability. And, of course, we're offered plenty of breathtaking racing scenes, some of them real, others skillfully reenacted. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Smith, John Saxon, (more)
- 1977
- PG
Banking on his renewed "leading man" status vis-a-vis Enter the Dragon, John Saxon plays J. B. Johnson in Moonshine County Express. The villain is racketeer Starkey (William Conrad), who has bumped off likeable moonshiner Pap Hammer (Fred Foresman). Now Starkey must do away with Hammer's toothsome daughters Dot, Betty and Sissy (Susan Howard, Claudia Jennings and Maureen McCormick). The girls receive unexpected help from Starkey's flunkey J.B. Moonshine County Express represents perhaps the best screen work of the late Playboy model Claudia Jennings, who evinces an intuitive acting ability. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Saxon, Susan Howard, (more)
- 1976
Officer Dan Segal (Robert Drivas) makes it his mission in life to avenge the death of his gambler brother (Harry Davis), who was murdered by a professional hit man. In order to expose the "brains" behind the murder, Segal goes undercover, posing as a bookie and infiltrating an unusually nasty gambling ring. Featured in the cast is the late Claudia Jennings, the well-proportioned leading lady of many an R-rated action flick of the 1970s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
In this "B" movie that falls between the cracks of mainstream vs. cult production (not rich enough for the former or sick enough for the latter), Claudia Jennings stars as Desirée, a tough Cajun huntress looking out for her younger brother and sister when three men and two of their sons come hunting for her, believing she killed the son of one of them. In the process of avoiding capture, Desirée's sister is victimized by the hunters, and the Cajun woman vows revenge -- first by luring them ever deeper into the swamp, and then by exacting her own deadly justice when the opportunity arises. In an era in which women had very few leading action roles in films, Jennings was setting a pattern for the future wave of female action stars. She was already a cult figure before her 1979 death at the age of 29 in a car crash. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudia Jennings, Sam Gilman, (more)
When five sorority sisters gather together for a reunion, they discover that the deadly secret they share has come back to haunt them. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1976
- R
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Exploitation film vixen Claudia Jennings stars with Jocelyn Jones in this all-trash rip-off of Bonnie and Clyde with Jennings and Morgan playing a pair of sexy bank robbers who blast their way into countryside banks with a carload of fresh dynamite. The story literally begins with a bang as Candy Morgan (Claudia Jennings) dynamites her way out of jail and proceeds to blow up a bank where Ellie-Jo Turner (Jocelyn Jones) has just lost her job. Candy and Ellie-Jo team up and go on a bank-robbing crime spree. When Ellie-Jo is detained for shoplifting, the outlaw girls take Slim (Johnny Crawford) as a hostage. Slim and Ellie-Jo become lovers and Slim joins the merry band, playing the role of hostage during the gals' bank robberies. However, the law is slowly closing in on them. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudia Jennings, Jocelyn Jones, (more)
- 1974
- R
Mark L. Lester directed this exploitation feature that treats sex, violence, and sensationalism with love and affection. The story concerns a bloody turf battle between Smith (John Martino), a mob hit man, and independent gun moll Anna (Lieux Dressler) over Anna's prostitution and theft operation, originating out of a highway truck stop. Helping Anna to fight for her right to promote thievery and debauchery is her well-endowed daughter Rose (Claudia Jennings). As the plot and plenty of flesh is revealed, Rose is coaxed to Smith's side of the field with the incitement of some long green, while the body count on both sides continues to rise. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudia Jennings, Lieux Dressier, (more)
- 1974
A young Harvey Keitel chews the scenery as Ernie Cahn, an arrogant hoodlum who aspires to emulate his movie idols Cagney, Bogart and Robinson. To this end, Ernie masterminds the biggest robbery of his career, first stealing explosives from a National Guard Armory, then hijacking an armored car. Needless to say, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) intends to show Ernie the error of his ways. Featured in the cast is former "Playboy" model and future action-film icon Claudia Jennings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this "guilty pleasure" outing by B-budget director Denis Sanders (Shock Treatment), William Smith plays an FBI man investigating reports of a coven of "bee-girls" -- women who have taken on the characteristics of bees, and who kill men upon making love. A cute device throughout the film allows us to see the action from a bee's-eye view. The script, by no less than Nicholas Meyer, pokes gentle fun at the conventions of the cheapo-horror genre without ever stooping to cheap parody. Invasion of the Bee Girls was also released as Graveyard Tramps. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Smith, Claudia Jennings, (more)
- 1973
- R
Single Girls was also released as Private School. When that didn't work, it was shipped out as Bloody Friday, which pretty much summed things up. The late Claudia Jennings costars in this R-rated farrago, which deals with a group of sex-obsessed swingers who go on a Carribean holiday-cum-orgy. The revellers eventually tire of trading partners and thinking up new positions, so they turn to murder. "Murder" is right. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
- PG
Adapted by Jay Presson Allen from the French farce by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy, Forty Carats is a standard-issue sex comedy elevated by the performances of its stars. Fortyish Realtor Ann Stanley (Liv Ullman) finds herself attracted to Peter Latham (Edward Albert) - a man literally half her age. After a summer fling in Greece, Ann and Peter come to a parting of the ways, and that, Ann supposes, is that. Imagine her surprise when Peter comes to visit her back in New York. Though at first dismissed as a fortune hunter, Peter turns out to a financial whiz with a lot more in the bank than his lady friend. Both Ann's mother (Binnie Barnes, whose husband Mike Frankovich produced the film) and daughter (Deborah Raffin) are delighted at the prospect of Ann's romance with Peter -- the only one unsure is Ann herself. Lending his considerable comic expertise to Forty Carats is Gene Kelly as Liv Ullman's ex-husband-who also takes a liking to the personable Edward Albert and encourages the May-December romance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Ullmann, Edward Albert, (more)
- 1972
- R
Claudia Jennings stars as Karen Walker, a woman who sets her sights for roller derby success. Released a few months after Raquel Welch's Kansas City Bomber, Unholy Rollers gives the Welch film a run for its money, despite its exploitation budget, by adding nudity and lesbianism. After being sexually harassed by her loutish boss at the factory, Karen walks out of her job and tries out for the roller derby. She quickly wins a spot on the team and rises to the top, intent on ignoring the violence and grandstanding and concentrating on winning games. Although her teammates dislike her, Karen becomes a hit with the roller derby fans. But soon, her desire for victory becomes an obsession and she ends up losing not only her cool but also most of her clothes. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudia Jennings, Louis Quinn, (more)
- 1972
- R
Victoria Vetri, who has also acted under the name of Ahna Capri, stars in Group Marriage. The plot is inherent in the title of this combination sex farce and social satire. Six affluent young couples decide to live together for economy's sake. They also decide to exchange mates now and then, just to remain up-to-date with contemporary mores. Soon, however, all 12 participants realize that monogamy has its charms, too. Featured in the cast of Group Marriage is the late, great Claudia Jennings, whose ample physical attributes are shown to excellent advantage. The film also stars comedian Milt Kamen, who evidently had a few extra bills to pay that week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- R
Based on the novel The Love Machine, by Jacqueline Susann, this movie concerns the machinations, in the boardroom and in the bedroom, of a group of people--from the chairman of the board down--who are involved in network television. Through his own guile and the sponsorship of his mistress (Dyan Cannon), the wife of the chairman of the board, a lowly television newsman (John Phillip Law) becomes the head of the network in a very short time. He leaves behind very few friends on his climb to the top, however, and he will need some. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Phillip Law, Dyan Cannon, (more)
- 1971
Somewhere in San Francisco there lurks a phony cab driver who is setting his male customers to be drugged, mugged and robbed. The faux cabbie is a member of a clever gang of credit-card thieves, and Ironside (Raymond Burr) is determined to stop him--especially after one of the victims turns up dead. Following the suspect, Ironside and his assistants are able to locate the gang, only to find that the crooks are a lot more dangerous--and a lot more resourceful--than first suspected. James Drury, formerly the upright leading man of the TV western The Virginian, delivers a startling performance in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- R
In this drama, an architect drives himself mad thinking that his wife is cheating on him and ends up killing two of his colleagues and framing another man for the crime. His honest, faithful wife cannot deal with the stress and ends up drinking heavily and seducing her stepson. More trouble ensues when the husband finds out about the affair and follows the lovers up to their remote trysting place. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- PG
Joseph Kaufmann stars as Jud, a Vietnam vet who returns to America only to face scorn and ridicule. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
