Car Wash (film)

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This article is about the 1976 film. For other uses see Car Wash

Car Wash
The movie poster for the film Car Wash
Directed by	Michael Schultz
Produced by	Art Linson Gary Stromberg
Written by	Joel Schumacher
Starring	Franklyn Ajaye Ivan Dixon Darrow Igus James Spinks Bill Duke Antonio Fargas
Music by	Norman Whitfield
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	October 22, 1976
Running time	97 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Car Wash was a 1976 film produced by Universal Pictures. It was directed by Michael Schultz from a screenplay by Joel Schumacher.

It starred Franklyn Ajaye, Ivan Dixon, Darrow Igus, James Spinks, Bill Duke, and Antonio Fargas as the central employees of boss Sully Boyar and was a comedy about a "day-in-the-life" of a Los Angeles, California car wash. The film featured several unusual customers arriving throughout the course of the film, including Richard Pryor as a greedy preacher, the Pointer Sisters supporting Richard Pryor's character, George Carlin as a taxi cab driver, and Irwin Corey as the 'mysterious piss bottle bomber'. Promoters emphasized Richard Pryor's relatively minor role in the film, which has resulted in many miscreditings of Richard Pryor as a star of the movie. On the day of Pryor's death the movie was scheduled to appear on BBC TV in the UK. It was still aired and a tribute to Pryor was announced at the beginning.

The film received mediocre reviews and was not a major success, though since its initial release it has had a small but constant following. However, its soundtrack album, recorded by Rose Royce, proved very popular. The "Car Wash" title track, written and produced by Norman Whitfield, was a #1 hit and was one of the biggest hit singles of the disco era.

[edit] Trivia

The car wash was located in downtown Los Angeles at 6th and Rampart. It was demolished in the early 1980s. Until the business closed, a large sign saying that Car Wash had been filmed there, was displayed in front of the business.

The DVD movie and corresponding VHS versions of this movie have an alternate ending from the original theatrical release. The original movie has Marsha being picked up by her "hot date" but when she walks out, her "date" is sitting with his girlfriend in the front seat while Marsha's blind date is seated in the back of the white 1975 Buick LeSabre convertible. It helps complete the disillusioned endings in each of the character's lives.