Car Wash (1976): 13 Shocking Facts You Totally Missed

Car Wash (1976): 13 insane behind-the-scenes facts you never knew The screenplay was written by Joel Schumacher, the same man who would later direct Batman and Robin and give us the rubber nipples on the Batsuit. Richard Pryor is all over the poster but only appears for two days of shooting, and he later admitted he was too high on cocaine to remember most of it. The character Daddy Rich was based on real televangelist Reverend Ike, who actually met with the filmmakers and seemed interested in playing himself before backing out. The director's theory was that Ike realized playing the role would amount to admitting his prosperity gospel was a performance. Norman Whitfield wrote the title song on a greasy paper bag from a fried chicken restaurant while watching a basketball game. It hit number one. The entire soundtrack was recorded before a single frame was shot, then played on set while actors performed. Every line of dialogue had to be re-recorded in post because the car wash machinery was too loud. Bill Duke made his film debut here before becoming an action icon in Predator and Commando. The film competed at Cannes, won the Technical Grand Prize, and the soundtrack won a Grammy. Ice Cube has publicly cited Car Wash as the direct model for Friday. And the bonus: Danny DeVito had a full supporting role with complete scenes and storylines. Almost all of it was cut from the theatrical release. He's barely visible for a few seconds. The footage was only restored in the TV broadcast version. ⏱ Timestamps in the chapters below 👇 Comment which fact blew your mind