The Mini-Skirt Mob

Actress Diane McBain plays Shayne, the leader of a group of female bikers, who call themselves the Miniskirt Mob. Shayne's ex-beau, rodeo star Jeff Logan (played by John Wayne clone Ross Hagan), dumps her to marry another woman. Crazy with jealousy, Shayne is hellbent on harassing Jeff and his new bride. And she enlists the help of her motorcycle gang, which includes her younger sister, to accomplish this.

This film is brimming-over with campy, late-60s energy. The women in the Miniskirt Mob, all wear the shortest of miniskirts, that women wore back then. They all have drop-dead gorgeous bods, and wear mile-high hair-sprayed 'dos, go-go boots, and heavy facial make-up. These women look more like 60s Vogue models, rather than tough biker chicks. Their boyfriends, who are allowed to ride with the gang, are all one dimensional oafs. These dudes drink copious amounts of beer, belch, and generally act like crude goons.

Diane McBain as Shayne, is the only cast member that truly conveys a menacing personality. The other characters seem milquetoast by comparison. Ross Hagan as Jeff Logan, gives a particularly stilted performance. Patty McCormick as Shayne's sister Edie, does gives a decent performance. She really makes the toxic sibling rivalry between Edie and Shane, seem credible. The only other cast member who gives an interesting performance, is Harry Dean Stanton. Harry plays the dim-witted cowboy, called Spook. He infuses Spook with a haunting, pathetic, yet smarter-than-he-looks quality.

The scenery in the film is gorgeous, but the lighting is a bit garishly bright. There's lots of vivid color contrasts, which gives the film quite a visual punch. The viewer can really get a sense of how uncomfortably hot the characters felt, as they sped down the highways on their bikes in the scorching, southwestern sunshine. There's also plenty of panoramic camera angles. Especially when the characters are racing around hairpin curves, while biking along deserted back roads.

This film is hilarious at times, and can also be downright annoying in some scenes. The camp factor is definitely there though, for those who like these sorts of 60s B movies. Overall, it's an entertaining film, and definitely worth a watch, especially for Diane McBain fans.

The name of the production company - whose product nowadays regularly features in Incredibly Strange film festivals - alone should be enough warning as to what to expect in this silly, unintentional parody. "The Mini-Skirts" consist of four girl bikers, the brevity of whose skirts is compensated by the length of their eyelashes - plus, it seems, an equal number of chromosome-challenged boyfriends. The plot mostly consists of them "terrorizing", with varying degrees of enthusiasm, the pack leader's ex-boyfriend because he is now on his honeymoon in a caravan with another gal. Much of it naturally is an excuse for shots of the females riding around the wilds of Arizona on their Triumph motorbikes. Hmmm. Wouldn't it be rather cold dressed like that, how long would those hair-do's last? You also get regular glimpses of panties. As Leonard Maltin says in his movie guidebook, those who like the title should like the film.

Our story concerns a pack of females known as "The Mini-Skirts" and their accompanying rough riders in mountain terrain looking for trouble against an innocent trailer couple. The only things you'll appreciate from this hopelessly dated film are some nice pairs of legs and an appearance by Harry Dean Stanton as one of the rodeo rednecks. Everything else, the bad lighting, the fragmented story, leaves an awful lot to be desired, and even the title of this "biker" picture doesn't fully live up to anyone's expectations. To add even more scorching embarrasment is the opening theme song by Patty McCormack, also one of the gang members. Those who are looking hard to find this hidden cult movie will see the light as a limited cable TV offering, but remember, you get what you deserve! RATING: *

"The Mini-Skirt Mob" is no classic (which, given that title, should come as no surprise) but it delivers enough action to make it worthwhile. Diane McBain stars as the leader of a female motorcycle gang, who is determined to punish the guy who jilted her. With the aid of her companions, including biker film veteran Jeremy Slate and future cult actor Harry Dean Stanton, she proceeds to harass both her ex-boyfriend (Ross Hagen) and his mousy new bride (Sherry Jackson). Along for the ride, and good in a sympathetic role, is ex-child star Patty McCormack, as McBain's little sister. The photography is excellent as is the color, and the movie doesn't take forever to make it's point. McBain is terrific as "Shayne". Very watchable. Incidentally, McCormack sang the title song, but, on the ''MGM Midnite Movies''DVD, her vocals have been re-dubbed by an unknown male vocalist. Nevertheless, picture and sound are both excellent, and the companion feature ''Chrome And Hot Leather'' (1971) while not as good a film,looks and sounds fine, too. And since it's soon to go out of print, now's the time to grab it!.

I didn't think this movie was so bad. They had no set, no props really, and yet it served to be an entertaining story til the end. I thought Shayne was a well done evil lead lady, though she didn't seem to confident on a motorcycle, that's for sure. She did a good job at making you hate her. Her little sister was good too.

For a lot of the film, I felt sorry for the bride. But at the same time, you have to remember that she and the groom only knew each other for 3 weeks before they got married. She seemed really out of place, and that was intended.

It's the first time I had seen rodeo guys mixed with biker gangs, but I guess it makes sense. The scenes where people fell off cliffs were pretty painful to watch, I thought they did a good job staging those stunts.

All in all, the movie was entertaining and simple. I was thinking there would be more women kicking ass involved, but really it's just one woman who bosses some dudes and her sister around. It's not about a mob at all - just one evil, overly hair-sprayed lady. However, I wouldn't want to watch it again.