Honky Tonk Nights (1978)

Director: Charles Webb

Writers: Arthur Chance, Charles Webb

Composer: Allyn Rosenberg

Starring: Carol Doda, Jack Elliott, Georgina Spelvin, The Hotlikcs, Serena, Dan Carter, Jim Haynie, Brmuda Schwartz, Chris Cassidy, De Wood, Mike Smith, Amanda Blake, Naomi Eisenberg, Maryann Price

More info: IMDb

Tagline: They Thought They Were Hard Men ... But She Became Too Hot to Handle

Plot: Former stripper turned aspiring country singer Bette Barnette gets a gig performing at a seedy tavern run by the no-nonsense Georgia. However, poor Bette can't get the rowdy male patrons to take her seriously as a singer. Meanwhile, evil local businessman Sam Diamond plots to get his greedy hands on Georgia's place, feisty and ambitious younger singer Dolly Pop doesn't take it lightly that Bette has taken her job, and Bette's sister Doris Ann has problems of her own with her wannabe daredevil boyfriend Danny.

My rating: 6.5/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

So I knew nothing about this except for the poster and IMDb said this was an action/comedy/drama.  They got the drama right.  Now I figured this was the 70s so I could be in for some outrageous fun.  Well...it was kind of fun.  I don't know how someone could consider this a comedy or an action flick.  It's not funny (nor is it trying to be) and there's some bar fight and another fist fight so that's weak to say it's an action movie.  But there are two things this movie is loaded with and that honky tonk style country and western music (and some of the tunes are good, too) and...

YOWZA!  The nudity in this picture is top drawer!  After the movie I started reading up about the cast and director and it suddenly made sense.  A lot of these folks (including director/writer Webb) worked in porn.  The only name I recognize is Georgina Spelvin.  But here's the kicker, everyone involved with this picture were earnest and made a good, mainstream movie...with a little bit leaning to the exploitation side of the drive-in movie crowd.  The nudity is sprinkled about but it doesn't feel all that gratuitous.  Where the boobs are on display there's a logical story-driven reason why.  It works.  I was pulled into this under false pretenses but I ended up enjoying it.  I don't listen to C&W music and you don't have to to enjoy this. 

The poster says Doda was the 1979 winner of the Dolly Parton look alike contest.  I believe it.

And here she is from her glory days as a stripper at the Condor in the 60s...