This ain't no place to be if you planned on bein' a star
--From the theme to Car Wash (Norman Whitfield, performed by Rose Royce).
"I'm more man than you'll ever be and more woman than you'll ever get."
--Lindy, to Abdullah.
By 1976, carwashes that had a large team of people personally attending to your vehicle were rare things, outside of the temporary washes run for charity and fundraising. However, a movie about one hit the theatres. It has a legion of characters, no over-arcing plot, misleading trailers, and a theme song that suffered from serious overplay. Reviews, initially, were mixed.
In fact, it's a mostly-comic time capsule of a cult film. It won the Technical Grand Prize at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival and is worth the price of admission. Its hit soundtrack proved a significant part of its ultimate success.
Joel Schumacher wrote the script. Michael Schultz, fresh off success with his first theatrical feature, Cooley High, directed. He also revised the script significantly. Actors had input; George Carlin, reportedly, did most of his own dialogue. PR-man/music industry insider/entrepreneur Gary Stromberg conceived of the project as a stage musical. It evolved into a slice-of-life film. It's not a musical in the conventional sense, but the hit soundtrack by up-and-coming funk/disco group Rose Royce plays a key role throughout.
A day in the life of a car wash. L.A. Summer, 1976.
During those ten hours, workers prank each other and in-fight, but ultimately reveal their dreams and close bond. A flashy, wealthy, and wholly superficial preacher (Richard Pryor) stops by and his women (The Pointer Sisters) perform a song. A young militant (Bill Duke) gets fired and wants revenge. The supervisor (Ivan Dixon) struggles with the low-wage job, the needs of his family, and his quasi-parental relationship to his young crew. The boss's parlor Marxist son (Richard Brestoff) quotes Chairman Mao and tries to bond with the workers. A prostitute (Lauren Jones) lurks about and the cabbie that she stiffed (Carlin) tries to find her. T.C. (Franklyn Ajaye) buzzes about, tries to win a radio contest, and asks out his crush (Tracy Reed). A suspicious character (Irwin Corey) may be the mad bomber reported on the news. Lloyd and Floyd (DeWayne Jessie and Darrow Igus) prepare for the post-shift audition of their vocal act. Gas jockey and urban cowboy Scruggs (Jack Kehoe) worries in the wake of a one-night-stand. The secretary (Melanie Mayron) has an affair with the boss (Sully Boyar), but, like most of the employees, she hopes for better things. A smart-mouth skate kid (Michael Fennell) scoots in and out of people's lives.
And, of course, all manner of customers liven up the day. These include a proto-Karen (Lorraine Gary), an injured man, a bookie and con artist (Garrett Morris), and the girlfriend of one of the attendants. They also include the cabbie and the preacher. Pryor and Carlin received top billing but their parts amount to amusing cameos.
The film succeeds in a large part due to the actors, especially those playing the attendants. Their roles are mainly comedic. The scene of T.J. with his massive Afro and superhero-inspired theatrics, and "Hippo" (James Spinks-- it's the 70s, and the fat guy gets an insulting nickname), with his notable girth, trying to surreptitiously tail a suspected terrorist, remains hilarious. Yet the serious moments multiply, and they do not feel forced. The ending is genuinely affecting and quietly tragic for any viewer who has been paying attention between the laughs.
Car Wash is of its time. The style and attitudes embody the late 1970s. With its multiracial (though predominantly Black) cast, expect casual racism as humour. Sexist attitudes are a given. The casting, however, is both of the time and ahead of its time. The ensemble includes a First Nations character, Goody (Henry Kingi) a rarity then in a film not set in the nineteenth century. There is also a queer character, Lindy (Antonio Fargas), who would be read now as trans. He takes flack, but the crew respect him as one of theirs and he gets some of the film's most memorable lines, often in response to the obligatory homophobic digs. Lindy also ranks among the attendants who have definite plans for their future that might actually be realized. For the time, it's a remarkable bit of representation.
Indeed, when Car Wash made it to TV, and in spite of Antonio Fargas's mainstream popularity as "Huggy Bear" on Starsky & Hutch, the editors eliminated as many of Lindy's scenes as they could without destroying other characters' narratives. The decision resulted in a significantly shortened film. In order to maintain an acceptable running time, the studio reinserted a plot starring Danny Devito as the owner of the nearby food stand. The storyline had been cut from the theatrical release.1
Car Wash isn't perfect, but I enjoyed it then as a kid and remained impressed when I rewatched it, nearly fifty years later. The film embodies a time, rocks its funky soundtrack, and retains the power to touch an audience.
Ivan Dixon as Lonnie
Franklyn Ajaye as Theodore Chauncey "T.C." Elcott / The Fly
Sully Boyar as Leon "Mr. B" Barrow
Richard Brestoff as Irwin Barrow
George Carlin as Taxi Driver
Bill Duke as Duane / Abdullah
Antonio Fargas as Lindy
Michael Fennell as Calvin
Arthur French as Charlie
DeWayne Jessie as Lloyd
Darrow Igus as Floyd
Lauren Jones as Marleen
Jack Kehoe as Scruggs
Henry Kingi as Goody
Pepe Serna as Chuco
Melanie Mayron as Marsha
Leonard Jackson as Earl
Leon Pinkney as Justin
Tracy Reed as Mona
James Spinks as "Hippo"
Ray Vitte as "Geronimo"
Renn Woods as Loretta
Antonie Becker as Charlene
Irwin Corey as suspicious character
Richard Pryor as "Daddy Rich"
The Pointer Sisters as The Wilson Sisters
Garrett Morris as "Slide"
Clarence Muse as "Snapper" the Shoeshine Man
Antar Mubarak as Sonny Fredericks
Otis Sistrunk as Otis
Lorraine Gary as Mrs. Beverly Hills
Tim Thomerson as Marsha's date
Jason Bernard as Lonnie's parole officer
Erin Blunt as Lonnie's son
Janine Williams as Lonnie's daughter
Carmine Caridi as Foolish Father
Ricky Fellen as Vomiting Kid
Mike Slaney as Bandaged Man
Cynthia Hamowy as Bandaged Man's Wife
Al Stellone as Oldsmobile Owner
Ed Metzger as Cop
Jay Butler, J.J. Jackson, Rod McGrew as DJs (voice)
Sarina C. Grant, Billy Bass as newscasters (voice)
Danny DeVito as Joe (television edit)1
Brooke Adams as Terry (television edit)
Benny Baker as Barney (television edit)
Bonus Seventies Movie Check-list: Carwash
1. Devito was, at the time, still a little-known character actor. The exact reasons for cutting the plot (which was not reinstated after the theatrical release became available again) is not known. In the official cut, Devito can be seen briefly, in the background. Brooke Adams and long-time comedian/actor Benny Baker also appear in the cut plot.