Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a re-watch.So we all know the song “Car Wash,” right?
The disco fabulous tune first became a staple of many a queer dance floor when first performed by Rose Royce. It also found a second life in a cover version by Christina Aguilera.For the origins of the song–and frankly its gayness–we hereby resurrect the mostly forgotten, mostly hilarious 1976 screwball comedy of the same name.
Car Wash was the Clerks of its day: an uproarious farce following the misadventures of a group of car wash employees in Los Angeles.
In short order, they are: Abdullah (Bill Duke), a Black Muslim revolutionary; Mr. B (Sully Boyar), the owner of the car wash; Lonnie (Ivan Dixon), the ex-con manager of the car wash; Lindy (Antonio Fargas), a femme, gay man; Sly (Garrett Morris), a grifter; and Marsha (Melanie Mayron), the shop receptionist.