Who you calling sorry looking?

Happy birthday today to the fabulous Antonio Fargas, probably best known for his role as the super-fly Huggy Bear in Starsky & Hutch, as well as any number of "blaxploitation" movies in the 1970s.

By far my favourite role of his was as the irrepressibly camp yet streetwise "Lindy" in the 1976 movie Car Wash. For not only was his one of the earliest portrayals of an out gay character many people had seen in a mainstream movie, he was also not required to meet a tragic end, nor be sidelined into a background role (hairdresser, waiter, etc.) as had so many gay parts in films before.

Far from it! For me, he delivers possibly one of the best gay put-downs in cinema history...

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 ain't 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!"
[Fingers - Snap! Snap!]

Genius! And just because I am now reminded of that wonderful film, here's the equally brilliant title song:

Rose Royce - Car Wash

Antonio Fargas website