| D.C. Cab | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Joel Schumacher |
| Produced by | Topper Carew |
| Written by | Topper Carew Joel Schumacher |
| Starring | Adam Baldwin Max Gail Mr. T Gary Busey Charlie Barnett Irene Cara |
| Cinematography | Dean Cundey |
| Editing by | David E. Blewitt |
| Studio | The Guber-Peters Company - RKO Pictures - Universal Pictures |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 16, 1983 (USA) |
| Running time | 100 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12 million |
| Box office | $16,134,627 |
D.C. Cab is a 1983 comedy film, starring Mr. T, Max Gail, Adam Baldwin, Gary Busey and a special appearance by singer Irene Cara. The film was co-written and directed by Joel Schumacher. The R-rated comedy was controversial upon release due to Mr. T's appeal among children, which resulted in the film being mis-marketed in many regions.
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Naive but good natured young man Albert Hockenberry (Baldwin) arrives in Washington, D.C. with plans to work for his late father's army buddy Harold (Gail), owner of the run-down taxicab company D.C. Cab. Aware of the sorry state of his business and from the growing competition from the popular Emerald Cab Company, Harold wants to clean it up but doesn't have the financial means to do so. Complicating matters is the motley group of cab drivers that he has working for him. They all see driving as a dead end job while they wait for better lives, until Albert inspires them to work as a team.
A valuable violin is found in one of the cabs earning Harold and his wife a $10,000 reward as owners of the cab. Harold wants to share the money with the drivers and let them invest in the cab company as partners. However, his greedy wife Myrna picks up the reward money and tosses Harold and Albert's belongings out of the house. The cabbies are not happy about losing their share of the reward, and Albert decides to donate his own money to the cab company and convinces the drivers to stay and make something of the company and themselves. The cabbies completely overhaul the entire business and the revitalized company soon supplants Emerald Cab as the most popular in the city.
Later on, the cabbies work together to rescue Albert and a diplomat's two children after they're kidnapped.
Well known nightclub singer Marci Lynne recalls being cast as a cab passenger. In one scene she was seated in the front seat with Mr. Busey while he drove the cab at high speed. In unexpected and unscripted moment, Mr. Busey turned around while driving and grabbed the actors in the cab's back seat by their shirts pulled them "in one motion" into the front between Ms. Lynne and Mr. Busey. Marci Lynne recalls that the director, Joel Schumacher, "was screaming 'Cut. Cut. Cut.' Although the cab nearly careened out of control, no one was injured and the scene was re-shot without further incident.
Hippie Cream references D.C. Cab in their song, "Return of the Cab" from the 2009 album titled "On the Moon"
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