The Queen of B Movies' Best Work - Unholy Rollers
She’s the Queen of “B Movies” and her character, Karen Walker, is the Queen of the roller derby rink in this amazing piece of ‘70s film, Unholy Rollers. Who are we talking about? The late Claudia Jennings is B movie royalty and holds the title “B Movie Queen.” Chalice, robe, and crown upon her head, her B films are just about guaranteed to be B gold. I’ve only seen one that I didn’t care for and that was Gator Bait from 1973. Unholy Rollers must be Jennings’ best work in my opinion though. Let’s talk about why I think so and what cool things 1972’s Unholy Rollers has to offer. Hop in the Silver Screen Time Machine set the dial to 1972 and let’s go have a conversation.
Finger to the Man - Unholy Rollers
We’ll talk about the character she plays first. Karen Walker is a take-no-crap, give the finger to the man, hellraiser, strong female type personality that Claudia Jennings captures so well. The plot called for her character to be in fistfights, stand up to bullies, spite a gang singlehandedly, and rise to fame while stepping on a lot of enemies. Karen Walker accomplishes all of this. What bad character doesn’t have a bad car? Batman had the Batmobile and Karen Walker had a 1972 Dodge Charger with a Zebra striped top, huge horse hood ornament, and custom airbrushing. You can see plenty of photos of her power ride here. Such a strong muscle car lined up well with the personality of Karen Walker – the custom ’72 Charger was her spirit animal, no doubt. Claudia Jennings’ character is aggressive in the roller rink and the streets.
Middle finger to the man – she stands up to gangs of jealous women, corporate America, disrespectful and unappreciative bosses, and other females who aim to take her place in the limelight and on the track. This really sums up the plot of Unholy Rollers, which as usual, I’m not really going to touch. It’s odd but, it seems that her aggressive personality is what is intriguing to the roller rink boss who eventually is offended by it. How often do we find this in life? The sayings “The grass is greener on the other side” and “Get more than what you bargain for” come to mind for me. Once Karen Walker is in, the crowd loves her, and the money rolls in, she is put in an odd position with her boss. Her buck authority personality turns against him. It’s really a simple everyday tale.
Simple Everyday Story, The Man Who Raised the Flag in Belton Square
I think Unholy Rollers being a “simple everyday tale” is one of the things that is most alluring to me. I remember that in my hometown there was an older fellow who lived very meagerly but, he raised the American flag in the town square every morning. Every day my family and I passed the square, the red, white, and blue of Old Glory was there to see. I never thought about it, never expected anything less, and never questioned who had raised it that morning. Simply, I took this for granted. The fellow that did this and his daily habit is a simple everyday story. Some people win Noble Peace Prizes and others raise the American flag in the town in which they live. Both are stories and both are important. Unholy Rollers is more of the flag raiser story, simple and small but still significant.
Unholy Rollers allows you to see a picture of life in the city which offers a lot. First, the “simple” piece illustrates a small piece of the 70’s subculture. The adventurous daily life of a young woman who becomes independently wealthy takes us to the world of the roller derby. Even though Karen Walker’s character is aggressive, she takes time to be king and help her friends. Unholy Rollers has great visuals for those who time travel via the silver screen. You see tattoo parlors, bars, skating rinks, shooting ranges, skirts, shorts, jumpsuits, boots, and a lot of cars including a tour bus. You can see a better list of vehicles here. If you dig the ‘70s like I do, this is a visual goldmine. Give Unholy Rollers a watch and take roller skate ride, on the wild side of 1972 life.
Unholy Rollers & Surrealism of Karen Walker Commercials
Unholy Rollers has both seriousness and realism to it but, there are some surreal elements in the movie as well. The one that stood out the most to me was that Claudia Jennings’ character becomes a celebrity both on and off the track. Karen Walker is so popular that local businesses use her in their commercials to advertise for them. When her commercials would play, the movie would cut to what looked like an old TV set and the commercial would play. Even though you are actively watching a movie and realize it, it almost makes you feel like you have stepped into the movie and are watching her advertisements on a second TV screen. It’s hard to articulate this but, the effect is cool. At least, this is how it made me feel.
Roller Skating into the Next Blog & Sunset
For some of you, you will recognize this as a re-blog. When I first built my page, I had the blog structured differently and this movie, Unholy Rollers, was the subject of my second blog. With a new layout and understanding, I went ahead and wrote about it again. After all, this is my 3rd or 4th time watching this film. In fact, I would watch it every month if I could – I like it that much. Unholy Rollers is one of my personal favorite movies. The ‘70s snapshot is among the best I’ve seen, the pace is consistent and good, the plot/story is unique, acting is on point – I really don’t have anything bad to say. This film picks you up, puts you in a set of roller skates, and takes you to 1972. When it comes to watching Unholy Rollers, pop the popcorn and hit play.
Has anyone reading this ever been to a roller derby? Fred Sandford loved them, and this movie is awesome so, I’m curious. I plan to attend one with my family some time and see what it’s like. Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever been, what your experience is, and what to expect. I’d love to know. If you’ve seen this movie and want to talk about it, leave me a comment. While you’re on my page, check out my artwork gallery here. You can also hit my Linktree here and get everything in one place. All likes, shares, subs, and follows are appreciated.