"White Line Fever" was a big hit on the drive-in circuit when it was released. Seeing it today, it's pretty easy to figure out why it appealed to audiences then, having ingredients that appeal even more than 40 years later. The whole trucking industry angle, for one thing, though even more appealing is the irresistible there of the "little guy" against a corrupt system. Jan-Michael Vincent makes for an appealing little guy hero, fighting against some nice bad guys, including the dependable L. Q. Jones. Toss in some good action (there's an awesome stunt at the climax!), and you have a winner of a B movie.As appealing as the movie is, I will admit it's not perfect. Though Vincent is charismatic and you root for his character, his character is a little thin in some details (it's never explained why he's so honest.) It's also a little uncomfortable to see Vincent in several scenes drink alcohol knowing what eventually happened to Vincent in real life. Also, it's not clear if the chief bad guys get punished in the end or not. But if you can overlook minor flaws like those, the movie is still enjoyable to watch.

I Saw White Line Fever many years ago when I was doing my weekend warrior thing and this was playing on the post theater in I believe Fort Stewart, Georgia. This is the kind of film that at best had a limited run in New York City, but played I'm sure to big crowds in every small town in red state America. I wouldn't be surprised, but that back in those days Jan Michael Vincent was a number one star there.It's actually a pretty good film in which Vincent plays a working class hero who stands up to gangsters trying to control the trucking industry. He's an Air Force veteran who marries the girl of his dreams in this case Kay Lenz and buys a big rig which he names the Blue Mule and pronounces himself ready to enter the truck driving game.Some really nasty people are in control of it though and when Vincent proclaims he won't haul illegal cigarettes and slot machines they come down on him like a ton of bricks. They hurt him in every way possible, even people like Slim Pickens who was once his father's best friend.But Vincent is a charismatic figure and the independent drivers rally to him. It all comes at a big price.A nice group of the best character actors around including Don Porter, L.Q. Jones, and R.G. Armstrong are some of the foes he faces as Jan Michael goes up the food chain of villainy.The film owes a lot to some of Frank Capra's work, especially Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. Thirty years earlier I could have Jimmy Stewart doing the part of Carrol Jo Hummer. Nice country music score moves the action along and sets a red state mood. I could see Taylor Lautner doing a remake today.

I think this movie gets better on the second viewing. When I first sat down to watch this, I was expecting a drama. Then it turned into a violent action movie. Then we were back to a drama. Then we were in a labor movie. Then 70's whacka whacka-guitar action moment again. Chase scene through cardboard boxes. Then hospital drama again. Whew!!! Anyway, JMV is great as Carrol Jo Hummer! He's a born action star, and he looks the part in this. His girl friend (Kay Lenz) is adorable. I would have rather had a more basic drama, as these two actors really have great chemistry on screen. Don't get me wrong - the truck chase scenes are great too, but the bad guys in this movie kind of suck. Their wardrobe is horrible, and you don't really know why they are persecuting Carrol Jo so much. There are some pretty violent moments that take you off guard. They kill off a couple of fun characters for no reason. And the end - after the great truck crashing into the sign moment - really makes no sense at all.Just take this for what it is - a strange 70's action movie with good eye candy in it!

This film catapulted Jan-Michael Vincent to stardom level for awhile, and contained a lot of good, exciting action scenes as well as politically correct assessment of some of the problems of independent truckers at the time. Of course, it contained some action and fighting scenes that are somewhat unbelievable, but in the context of the story, they work. Kay Lenz is the believable, not too lovely hero's wife who downplayed her attractiveness displayed in later films. There are lots of eye-pleasing shots of trucks and highway mayhem, and, of course, from a trucker and real-life perspective, lots of technically inaccurate scenes, but, all in all one of the very best trucking movies ever made -- and I've seen 'em all! Good cast, good flick. This $2 million film went on to be a big grosser.