I was startled awake the other night around 3 am by a low-flying helicopter. My guess is it was a medevac chopper.

Unable to fall back to asleep, I fired up the TV and began flipping channels. I was pleasantly surprised find that black-and-white movie classic, They Drive By Night.

George Raft and Humphrey Bogart play two play brothers - Joe and Paul Fabrini, respectively - who own a small trucking company and share the duties of driving their one truck, all the while encountering conflicts from rivals and loan collectors.

There are some dramatic scenes of falling asleep at the wheel, murder, and a screaming courtroom breakdown.

After watching this classic melodrama from 1940, I got to thinking about other memorable trucking movies I had seen. What came to mind was one that was as schlocky as They Drive By Night was great: Truck Stop Women.

I recall the posters promoting this B movie that was released in 1974. They proclaimed: “No rig was too big for them to handle. Double clucthin’ . . . gear jammin’ mammas who like a lot of hi-jackin’ by day . . . a lot of heavy truckin’ by night.”

It was a different time 35 years ago.

The movie told the story of a mother and daughter who operate a brothel and theft ring out of a highway truckstop, and battle the organized crime members who are trying to take over their operation.

The movie featured a Playboy Playmate of the Year, Claudia Jennings, and was filled with tons of nudity, violence, and country and trucking songs

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this was an exploitation movie that treated sex, violence, and sensationalism with love and affection.

You know what’s even more staggering? I can remember all this in the wee hours of the morning but can’t recall what I had for dinner a week ago.

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