A passable action film about three close sisters: Dot (Susan Howard), Betty (Claudia Jennings), and Sissy (Maureen McCormick). Since Dot is essentially the leader of the pack, she enlists the help of moonshine hot-rodder J.
First applaudable feature of this movie is the feminist undertones. With no less than three strong leading ladies, accompanied by John Saxon, they are by no means passive character, as often seen in movies from that era the female protagonists are here portrayed with such dignity and respect.
When I started watching "Moonshine County Express" I was expecting a low budget 1970s T&A comedy. While it is low budget, there aren't that many jokes.
Moonshiner Pap Hammer gets bumped off by vicious rival Jack Starkey (robustly played to the slimy hateful hilt by William Conrad). Hammer's three spitfire daughters -- headstrong Dot (a fine'n'feisty performance by Susan Howard), sassy Betty (luminous 70's drive-in goddess Claudia Jennings), and perky Sissy (adorable Maureen McCormick, Marcia on "The Brady Bunch") -- join forces with ace stock car driver J.
The three comely daughters of a backwoods moonshiner are left orphaned after their pappy and his crew are murdered by the goons of their fat cat competitor, who also blow the production still to smithereens in the hopes of running off the girls and taking over the property himself. Unfortunately for him, the ladies discover an underground stash of prime Prohibition-era bootleg whiskey--and they know just the right guy to act as their muscleman, the top-finishing stock car driver at the local speedway who runs "shine" between races.
The moonshiner father of three women is killed by a rival bootlegging syndicate, and the three daughters carry on the family business. In this movie are Susan Howard from Petrocelli and Dallas, Maureen McCormick from The Brady Bunch, and Claudia Jennings from some rather trashy movies.
Take some gorgeous gals, good 'ol boys, creepy villains, fast car chases, and throw in some gratuitous sex scenes. Put it all together, and you have another classic Roger Corman 70s B movie.
The Hammer Sisters are the kind of tough Southern girls that deal with their daddy's murder by taking over his moonshine business, grabbing some weapons and being way tougher than any of the men they battle. Is that enough to get you to watch this movie?
MOONSHINE COUNTY EXPRESS is a long-forgotten 'hillbilly' adventure full of illicit alcohol and car-chasing mayhem. The plot is simple in the extreme and involves a moonshiner being offed by a dastardly rivals.
.jpg)
