Art House Theater Day: Car Wash (1976)
Director: Michael Schultz Run Time: 97 min. Release Year: 1976
Starring: Bill Duke, DeWayne Jessie, Franklyn Ajaye, Ivan Dixon, Sully Boyar
Art House Theater Day Programming Fellow and Documentary Filmmaker, Alissa Simone will introduce the screening
When I think of Car Wash, it fills me with absolute joy—it’s hip, funky, and timeless. This film was a literal staple on my family’s television screen, a ritual of laughter and music that brought us all together. I think of my mom, my aunt Lisa, my dad, and my Papa, dancing and singing along to Rose Royce’s “I Wanna Get Next to You.”
Car Wash is a hilariously absurd film that rightfully earned its cult status, and it also marks the beginning of the legendary Bill Duke’s career as the Godfather of Black Cinema. I love the chaotic energy of the car wash setting, but beneath the humor lies a sharp commentary on being undermined and underpaid by a leechlike system—all while finding ways to make light of life’s toughest moments. It’s a perfect balance of light and heavy, a mirror to the ups and downs we all navigate.
And let’s not forget the iconic cast: Antonio Fargas, Richard Pryor, The Pointer Sisters, and George Carlin. It was an honor to choose this film for everyone to laugh, dance, and leave the theater with a grateful, funkadelic heart. Enjoy the movie, everyone! ~ Alissa Simone, Art House Theater Day Programming Fellow
Alissa Simone is an artist, cultural worker, and an emerging documentary film professional with multiple creative passions. She is currently a board member for Out at the Movies International Film Festival and a Art House Theater Day Fellow for Art House Convergence. Last year, Alissa was the 1st Place winner of the 14th Annual Student PitchFest Competition at RiverRun International Film Festival. Her curious and compassionate nature infuses her work through film programming, collaging, archival research, photography, writing, and filmmaking. Her recent short film, Where We Belong, focuses on the world of Black burlesque from the perspective of Lucy Risqué as she navigates creative and financial freedom in the South. Alissa’s work focuses on the beauty of queerness, soul restoration, movement, community, memory, embodiment, observation, and a tactile sense. Through stories, whether her own creations or curations, her goal is to make people feel, see, and understand themselves and their neighbors on a deeper level. Through her anthropological lens, she aims to activate the senses that we often numb to survive this exhausting system of a dying empire. She believes stories can reveal what people don’t know and show them what they can’t see. We are working toward building a more collective, more loving world—one nourishing film at a time.