The Unholy Rollers (1972)

Director: Vernon Zimmerman

Writers: Vernon Zimmerman, Howard R. Cohen

Composer: Kendall Schmidt

Starring: Claudia Jennings, Louis Quinn, Betty Anne Rees, Roberta Collins, Alan Vint, Candice Roman, Jay Varela, Charlene Jones, Joe E. Tata, Maxine Gates, Kathleen Freeman, John Harmon, Karl Rizzo, Mike Miller

More info: IMDb

Tagline: A locker room look at the toughest broads in the world!

Plot: 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 number one star of the team. Karen proves herself a feisty competitor but refuses to be a team player. As she skates her way to roller stardom, she incurs the wrath of jealous team members and the owner of the team.

My rating: 6.5/10

Will I watch it again? No.

Even though this is more drama than exploitation roller derby action, it's got some 'sploitation to do.  There's enough nudity to keep grindhouse fans happy but there's a ton of roller derby goings-on to satisfy fans of the sport.  I'm surprised it was as good as it was and Claudia Jennings is, as it turns out, a pretty good actress.  She did a ton of B-movies back in the 70s before her untimely death in '79.  When she loses her shit at the end of this it's balls-out insanely fun.  I'd love to have been at that game.  This is much better than it deserves to be so if you're remotely interested, find it and watch it.  It won't blow you away but you'll be entertained for an hour and a half.