White Line Fever

The real stars of White Line Fever

Jonathan Kaplan's White Line Fever, from 1975, is an above average B picture. Kaplan's liberal populism, best expressed in Heart Like a Wheel and The Accused, meshes well with this tale of independent truckers fighting the powers that be. Kaplan, rather than being hamstrung by the formulaic plot, uses the gnarled southwest settings to accurately portray blue collar struggles. The picture captures the area and the era well. Kay Lenz has little to do and Jan Michael Vincent is always a liability, but the supporting cast is strong: L.Q. Jones, R.G. Armstrong, Slim Pickens. Dick Miller plays a character named Corman and Joe Dante gets a shout-out. No claims of artistic significance can be staked to White Line Fever, but auteurist leaning aficionados will appreciate Kaplan's efforts to elevate this genre film. Too bad they couldn't afford the great Merle Haggard song.