Unholy Rollers
| The Unholy Rollers | |
|---|---|
 US film poster | |
| Directed by | Vernon Zimmerman |
| Screenplay by | Howard R. Cohen |
| Story by | Vernon Zimmerman Howard R. Cohen |
| Produced by | John Prizer Jack Bohrer |
| Starring | Claudia Jennings Louis Quinn Betty Anne Rees Roberta Collins |
| Cinematography | Michael Shea |
| Edited by | Martin Scorsese George Trirogoff Yeu-Bun Yee |
| Music by | Bobby Hart |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Unholy Rollers is a 1972 American action comedy film directed by Vernon Zimmerman and starring Claudia Jennings.
The film focuses on a team of roller derby skaters whose members are hostile to each other.
Plot[edit]
Karen wants more action out of life and quits her job at the cannery to become a skater in the roller derby. She encounters friction from the other skaters—especially Mickey, the current star of the team. Karen proves herself a feisty competitor but refuses to be a team player. As she skates her way to stardom, she incurs the wrath of jealous team members and the owner of the team.
Cast[edit]
- Claudia Jennings as Karen Walker
- Louis Quinn as Mr. Stern
- Betty Anne Rees as Mickey
- Roberta Collins as Jennifer
- Alan Vint as Greg
- Victor Argo as Vinnie the Trainer
- Candice Roman as Donna
- Jay Varela as Nick
- Charlene Jones as Beverly Brayton
- Joe E. Tata as Marshall
- Terry Wolf as grocery boy
Production[edit]
The film was made to cash in on publicity from MGM's roller derby film, Kansas City Bomber. Roger Corman agreed to produce the film for AIP, even though he had established his own studio, New World Pictures. This was one of the last times Corman collaborated with AIP.
The movie was the first screenplay credit for Howard R. Cohen who went on to have a long association with Corman.[1]
Reception[edit]
Due to delays in editing Kansas City Bomber was released first to cinemas before Unholy Rollers.[2] Martin Scorsese, who had directed Boxcar Bertha for Roger Corman and AIP, was called in to supervise editing. He said the delay in releasing the film caused it to be "destroyed" commercially.[3]
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette called it "a povery row version of Kansas City Bomber."[4]
Take One magazine said Jennings "carries the film. Her characterization of a woman so angry that she becomes, in some strange way, an all-avenging Kali figure, is fascinating."[2]
References[edit]
- ^ Howard R. Cohen Papers at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- ^ a b "Unholy Rollers". Take One. Vol. 3, no. 4. September–October 1971. p. 25.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) - ^ Scorsese, Martin (1989). Scorsese on Scorsese. Faber & Faber. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-571-14103-6.
- ^ "Stage and Screen". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1 December 1972. p. 31.
External links[edit]
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- 1972 films
- 1972 action comedy films
- 1970s exploitation films
- 1970s English-language films
- 1970s sports comedy-drama films
- 1970s action adventure films
- American action comedy-drama films
- Roller derby films
- American International Pictures films
- American sports comedy-drama films
- American action adventure films
- Films directed by Vernon Zimmerman
- 1970s American films
- 1970s comedy film stubs
- 1970s American film stubs