MovieChat Forums > Car Wash (1976) Discussion > Gas Marquee in first scene with Calvin

Gas Marquee in first scene with Calvin

posted 17 years ago by psteiber
5 replies | jump to latest

Has anyone else noticed the gas station prices in the scene where Calvin is first seen on the skateboard? I paused it today while watching, I was curious because gas prices are so high today. I was surprised to see that it showed regular unleaded for over $5.00/gallon. What is the story behind this? If it was filmed on a movie lot, I would just write it off as a joke, but this was filmed on-location. I doubt someone would have gone to the trouble to make a joke out of the gas prices, given that at the time most people in a theater would not have even caught it. Just curious....

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] psteiber 17 years ago

That makes perfect sense! Thanks for clearing it up!

[–] bizewy-1 15 years ago

dude,that's because the price is actually 59.9 cents!!!! for regular unleaded!!!!
59.9 cents!!! Gas is about 5 times as expensive now!!!

[–] Nosferatu6979 13 years ago

The price indeed was 59.9 cents. I was born in '71, and I remember it always used to annoy me, even at that young age that they always had that stupid .9 on the price! I gotta wonder though if that wasn't Leaded Regular gas! Of course maybe it is unleaded in CA with all the stricter smog laws, even back then, so maybe I'm wrong. But I do remember in the area of the U.S. where I was growing up back in those days, you hardly ever saw unleaded gas. I was in Oklahoma City back then. I was in Utah by 1982, and I remember you could still buy Premium leaded gas at that time in UT! Of course unleaded started showing up at the same time as catalytic converters, which was around the mid-70's. I guess somebody who was in CA back then could chime in and say if they're was still leaded gas in that state. I do remember that leaded gas pretty much completely disappeared here in UT probably around '84 or '85.

[–] 13 years ago

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