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IMDbPro

Car Wash

  • 19761976
  • PGPG
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
7.7K
YOUR RATING
Car Wash (1976)
Trailer 1
Play trailer2:27
4 Videos
99+ Photos
ComedyDramaRomance
A comedic take on the daily life of car-wash employees, chronicling their hopes, fears, joys, dreams, and tribulations, and meeting some eccentric customers along the way.A comedic take on the daily life of car-wash employees, chronicling their hopes, fears, joys, dreams, and tribulations, and meeting some eccentric customers along the way.A comedic take on the daily life of car-wash employees, chronicling their hopes, fears, joys, dreams, and tribulations, and meeting some eccentric customers along the way.
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
7.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Michael Schultz
  • Writer
    • Joel Schumacher
  • Stars
    • Richard Pryor
    • Franklyn Ajaye
    • Sully Boyar
  • Director
    • Michael Schultz
  • Writer
    • Joel Schumacher
  • Stars
    • Richard Pryor
    • Franklyn Ajaye
    • Sully Boyar
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 57User reviews
    • 28Critic reviews
    • 71Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 2 nominations

    Videos4

    Car Wash
    Trailer 2:27
    Watch Car Wash
    Car Wash: Car Wash (Song)
    Clip 3:50
    Watch Car Wash: Car Wash (Song)
    Car Wash: Get Clean
    Clip 1:49
    Watch Car Wash: Get Clean
    Car Wash: Otis Day On His Character, Lloyd
    Featurette 1:35
    Watch Car Wash: Otis Day On His Character, Lloyd

    Photos124

    Richard Pryor, Anita Pointer, Bonnie Pointer, June Pointer, and Ruth Pointer in Car Wash (1976)
    Franklyn Ajaye, Henry Kingi, Garrett Morris, and Ray Vitte in Car Wash (1976)
    George Carlin in Car Wash (1976)
    George Carlin in Car Wash (1976)
    George Carlin in Car Wash (1976)
    George Carlin in Car Wash (1976)
    George Carlin in Car Wash (1976)
    George Carlin in Car Wash (1976)
    George Carlin in Car Wash (1976)
    George Carlin in Car Wash (1976)
    Richard Pryor in Car Wash (1976)
    Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Antonio Fargas, Otis Day, Anita Pointer, Bonnie Pointer, June Pointer, Ruth Pointer, and The Pointer Sisters in Car Wash (1976)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Richard Pryor
    Richard Pryor
    • Daddy Rich
    Franklyn Ajaye
    Franklyn Ajaye
    • T.C.
    Sully Boyar
    Sully Boyar
    • Leon 'Mr. B' Barrow
    Richard Brestoff
    Richard Brestoff
    • Irwin Barrow
    George Carlin
    George Carlin
    • The Taxi Driver
    Irwin Corey
    Irwin Corey
    • The Mad Bomber
    • (as Prof. Irwin Corey)
    Otis Day
    Otis Day
    • Lloyd
    • (as De Wayne Jessie)
    Ivan Dixon
    Ivan Dixon
    • Lonnie
    Bill Duke
    Bill Duke
    • Duane…
    Michael Fennell
    Michael Fennell
    • Calvin
    Arthur French
    • Charlie
    Antonio Fargas
    Antonio Fargas
    • Lindy
    Lorraine Gary
    Lorraine Gary
    • Hysterical Lady
    Darrow Igus
    • Floyd
    Leonard Jackson
    Leonard Jackson
    • Earl
    Lauren Jones
    • Marleen
    Jack Kehoe
    Jack Kehoe
    • Scruggs
    Henry Kingi
    Henry Kingi
    • Goody
    • Director
      • Michael Schultz
    • Writer
      • Joel Schumacher
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The movie's title song, "Car Wash", was a #1 chart-topping hit for Rose Royce, and was one of the biggest-selling singles of the 1970s disco music era.
    • Goofs
      Reflected on Daddy Rich's limousine.
    • Quotes

      [Duane has just thrown Irwin's book into a bucket of water]

      Lindy: I'm so tired of you running off at your mouth it's getting me down honey. Why don't you just leave? And be an assassin? Or is the only thing you're good at shooting off is your big mouth?

      Duane: Will you please get out of my face you sorry looking faggot.

      Lindy: Who you calling sorry looking?

      [Everybody laughs]

      Duane: Can't ya'll see "she" aint funny?

      [laughter stops]

      Duane: She's just another poor example of how the system is destroying our men.

      Lindy: Honey, I'm more man than you'll ever be and more woman than you'll ever get.

    • Crazy credits
      The principal cast members are all spoken out at the end of the film by J.J. Jackson, one of the film's deejays.
    • Alternate versions
      The TV network version has all of the raunchy scenes, including the ones with the drag queen Lindy, cut and many more added which include:
      • Hippo first arriving at the car wash and parking his moped in the back lot where he meets Chuco, the Latino worker, getting off a flatboard truck that he is riding in with other Latinos going to work and they whistle at two women passing by.
      • The first scene with Slide ariving and parking his blue Cadillac down the streen, saying "Hi" to T.C. combing his huge afro hairstyle in front of a store window, and putting an LAPD Out of Order cover on the parking meter rather than paying for it. (This explains Slide's arrest later in the movie for 37 parking tickets.)
      • The first scene in the locker room has Lonnie, Hippo and Chuco getting into their work clothes while listing to the radio about a bombing by the Mad Pop Bottle Bomber, and Charlie walks in coughing and Hippo comments on Charlie's cough.
      • Snapper arriving for work and meeting Earl a.k.a.: Mr. Clean getting out his car and removing a polisher from the trunk.
      • A scene at Big Joe's Dog House next door to the car wash with Joe (Danny DeVito) arguing with Terry (Brooke Adams) about her looking at another guy while parked at a stoplight on their way to work.
      • Another scene at Big Joe's with Joe aruguing with Terry about the work they do while planing breakfast for the first customers.
      • The montage of washing cars has some scenes with Marsha putting on more makeup and hairspray in place of the shots of Irwin smoking pot in the mens room and Goody walking in on him.
      • The scene where Earl talks to the Oldsmobile owner is extended with Earl offering to polish the man's car and offers $18.50 for the job which will last four hours, and the car owner finally agrees.
      • A scene where Irwin sees a plate danish pastries and takes one which his father Mr. B, tense and worried about everything, takes it away and chases him away. While Mr. B is talking to Marsha about an obituarry of a friend dying, Irwin returns and takes the entire plate of danish away to the pinball room to eat them.
      • A shot of the hooker in the ladies room looking at her self in another fashion with a brunette wig, she decides she does not like it and begins changing into another fashion.
      • A scene at Big Joe's where Terry is talking to two policemen about her and Joe seeing the movie "Carrie" the other night, the mailman Barney arriving with Joe's mail, and Joe telling the policemen that the coffee they are drinking is 70 cents with their dounuts. One cop balks saying that Terry gives them coffee for free. Terry is somewhat embarrased and Joe angrilly sweezes a jelly dounut so hard that the jelly splurts out.
      • More dialouge between the Hysterical Woman outside the ladies room while Scruggs gets her ill son a bucket for him to throw up in.
      • While Marsha is chating with Lindy outside the ladies room, Terry is handling a customer, and Joe delivers Mr. B's lunch where he asks Joe if the meat is lean.
      • The first scene of the litharo Kenny is at Big Joe's where he pays Terry for his coffee and kisses her hand much to her shock, Joe sees this and angrilly storms out of the place with Terry following after him. (They are seen in the background by Marsha as she eyes Kenny aproaching her.)
      • Terry arriving back at the hamburger stand in tears where she is comforted by Maureen the hooker who tells her about her troubles with a man named Joe too.
      • A scene which comes after T.C. pushes Terry away from the phone booth for him to call and win the radio contest, Terry enters the phone booth after T.C. leaves and calls her mother and asks if Joe is there with her.
      • A scene where Terry is closing down Big Joe's for the day, Joe returns and as Maureen the hooker watches, he and Terry kiss and make up.
      • Marsha's storyline ends on a more downbeat note as while waiting for Kenny to pick her up, she says goodbye to Chuco as he board the same flatboard truck with the other Latino workers heading for home, Kenny arrives with his date, a more attractive woman, as well his obnoxious friend Benny as Marsha's date. Marsha is crushed but has no choice but to accompany them for their evening out.
      • More dialogue between Justin and Snapper, his grandfather, while they are waiting for the bus where Loretta arrives and Justin says hi to her before going back to Snapper and tells him that he's going to get a ride with her.
    • Connections
      Edited into Afro Promo (1997)
    • Soundtracks
      Car Wash
      Written and Produced by Norman Whitfield
      Performed by Rose Royce, Orchestra conducted by Paul Riser

    User reviews57

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Very funny and not to be missed
    My favorite part of this movie is the opening, early morning in L.A. as the d.j. talks. There is something so exciting about that. This movie is so outlandish and so cleverly done, my friends and I have watched it many a time and chuckled. In fact, most of my friends love this movie and could watch it many times over, and they are pretty intellectual. The laughing never stops. I think the secret of the appeal is that the actors are a fine group of actors. They play the parts in a run down (I think it's supposed to be run down, or at least economically depressed area) car wash, but they are fine actors with fine comedic timing. You feel that you are taken right back there with them, and life is going to be carefree forever in L.A. in 1976. Maybe it's an atmosphere that only exists in people's minds. The main girl, Marsha, is very pretty in a very very seventies way, complete with blue eyeshadow. At the end, her prince, Ken, comes to take her away. The soundtrack is one of the best ever set to film, I have the cd though I never listen to it. The soundtrack is best listened to... in the movie. The proper angst is added with some sociological issues.
    helpful•9
    0
    • SoftKitten80
    • Dec 8, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 22, 1976 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Car Wash - Der ausgeflippte Waschsalon
    • Filming locations
      • Robert Taylor's Car Wash - 610 South Rampart Boulevard at West 6th Street - Los Angeles, California, USA(The Deluxe Car Wash, demolished)
    • Production company
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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