Car Wash (1976)

A close-knit group of black employees at a Los Angeles car wash have all manner of strange visitors coming onto their forecourt one day, including Daddy Rich, a money-hungry evangelist from the “Church of Divine Economics”, and a man who is mistaken as a mad bomber – but who is really simply carrying a urine sample to hospital.

The film has hardly any plot to speak of, but with artists such as Rose Royce and the Pointer Sisters, this really is funky disco at it’s best.

Throughout the movie, the (many!) characters discuss love, religion, prostitution, parenthood, homosexuality, social climbing, money, class struggle, sex, and above all, music, which is their unifying element.

There are especially strong performances from Antonio Fargas (better known as Huggy Bear in Starsky And Hutch) and comedian Franklyn Ajaye as ‘the Fly’, a wanna be super hero with a crush on a gorgeous, seemingly unattainable woman.

Obviously, this is not an Oscar winner, but it is good fun, sometimes touching, and always entertaining from start to finish.

It’s also a good look at LA in the 70’s. And, it’s one of the few movies where voice over narration actually works.

Can you dig it? I knew that you could. Solid!

Floyd
Darrow Igus
Lloyd
DeWayne Jessie
Hippo
James Spinks
Lindy
Antonio Fargas
The Wilson Sisters
The Pointer Sisters
Daddy Rich
Richard Pryor
Taxi driver
George Carlin
Snapper
Clarence Muse
T.C.
Franklyn Ajaye
Mona
Tracy Reed
Duane
Bill Duke
Lonnie
Ivan Dixon
Goody
Henry Kingi
Chuco
Pepe Serna
Geronimo
Ray Vitte
Scruggs
Jack Kehoe
Slide
Garrett Morris
Justin
Leon Pinkney
Loretta
Ren Woods
Earl
Leonard Jackson
Mr B
Sully Boyar
Mad Bomber
Irwin Corey
Irwin
Richard Brestoff
Marsha
Melanie Mayron
Charlie
Arthur French
Calvin
Michael Fennell
Charlene
Antonie Becker
Lonnie’s son
Erin Blunt
Sonny Fredericks
Antar Mubarak
Otis
Otis Sistrunk
Ken
Tim Thomerson

Director
Michael Schultz

Video