Comedy Cult Classic

Three ex-cons chase R&B dreams—and dodge small-town sleaze—in this Southern-fried comedy.

SMOKEY AND THE JUDGE

1980 · 1h 26m · NR · Comedy · IMDB TMDB

Three bad girls go good in this Southern-fried treat from 1980. When Margo (Gwen Owens), Carol (Cathy Carson) and Maria (Juanita Curiel) get released from prison, they set their sights on R&B stardom, starting with a gig at a roadhouse bar in a rough-and-tumble desert town. As long as they can stay clear of a sleazy sheriff (Gene Price), a dirty-minded judge and a troublemaking parole officer, the buxom trio may just make it after all.

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Quick Answer

What is Smokey and the Judge about?

Smokey and the Judge is a 1980 American comedy directed by Dan Seeger about three women seeking R&B stardom after their release from prison, while dealing with a crooked sheriff, a lecherous judge, and a meddling parole officer.

Programmer's Pick

Smokey and the Judge serves up a healthy dose of roadside sass, pairing ex-con chanteuses with a rogue's gallery of small-town creeps. It’s a raucous ride where parole violations meet R&B harmonies, and the local law has its own definition of justice.

— SassyFlix Programmer

Overview

In this 1980 Southern-set comedy, Margo, Carol, and Maria are freshly released from prison and ready for a shot at redemption—or at least a break in showbiz. Their ticket: forming a sultry R&B trio and landing a gig at a roadside bar deep in a dusty desert town. But their path to stardom is anything but smooth, as the local sheriff and judge prove to be as crooked as they are lecherous, making life complicated for the ambitious young singers. Toss in a meddlesome parole officer, and the result is a lively mix of musical ambition, small-town sleaze, and comedic trouble, all wrapped up in a tale of three women trying to go straight in a world set against them.