Remembering when 'D.C. Cab' came to Washington
I pity the fool who hasn’t seen “D.C. Cab.” And I pity the fool who wasn’t in “D.C. Cab,” which filmed in the District for three weeks in the spring of 1983. It seems like half of Washington showed up to be in the final scene: a raucous street parade down Pennsylvania Avenue NW in front of the District Building.
After my recent column on “D.C. Cab,” I heard from several readers who remember the day that scene was filmed.
Sheryl Taylor was working in the Ariel Rios Building in Federal Triangle.
“There was always a movie being filmed on or near, or even once inside of, the Ariel Rios Building,” wrote Sheryl, who lives in Odenton, Md.
Sheryl would park her car in the big parking lot where the Ronald Reagan Building is now. On the day the parade was filmed, Pennsylvania Avenue was blocked off, with the section in front of the District Building limited to cast and crew.
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“I snuck through the parking lot to get to the back of the crowd of paid extras,” Sheryl wrote. “I managed to worm my way through to the front of the crowd to be in the film. They did several takes and I only stayed for two of them but if I play the credits in slow motion I can briefly see me cheering in the one cut that they used.”
Jim Sweeney of Rockville was downtown on business that day when he spotted a parade and the unmistakable Mr. T. Jim didn’t realize they were filming a movie until he saw “D.C. Cab.”
“I think I briefly glimpsed myself in the crowd watching the parade, or at least a guy wearing a similar coat,” he wrote.
Nancy Scott isn’t in the film — but a piece of her furniture is. At the time, her family lived on Hume Avenue in Alexandria, next to the house used as the home of the wacky cab company’s owner, played by Max Gail.
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There’s a scene where a chair is thrown through a window of the house. The chair was Nancy’s.
“They bought [it] from us on the spot,” she wrote. “So not only did we watch the filming, we did it from our own home!”
Martin Angebranndt later owned that house that served as the manager’s home: 117 Hume Ave. in Del Ray. The film crew had built a custom deck on which various high jinks could take place. They included a villain being thrown from the deck into an aboveground pool. A flamethrower was also shot out of a bedroom window, leaving a scorch mark on the lawn.
When Martin’s family sold the house, they left behind a VHS copy of “D.C. Cab” for the new owners, who had only learned about the house’s role in the movie during closing. Wrote Martin: “We were not sure if it was a positive or negative selling point.”
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When “D.C. Cab” was being filmed, guitar player Tommy Gros — a.k.a. “Tommy G” — of Sperryville, Va., was playing with the Bobby Smith Band.
“We got the opening gig for Roy Orbison at the Bayou,” Tommy wrote. “Gary Busey showed up for the gig and I had a nice conversation with him backstage. I asked why he didn’t bring Mr. T with him, and he replied that Mr. T didn’t drink and liked to stay away from bars and such.”
Mr. T may have shied away from bars, but he couldn’t stay away from weight rooms. When he was in town for the filming, the mohawked star would work out in a D.C. police department weight room, said Mike Brooks, an officer who served as a liaison with film crews.
Mr. T even left behind a souvenir: He bashed in the door of a locker with his head and then autographed it.
Mike said Mr. T came to town with his brothers, one of whom was a cop in Chicago, the other a firefighter.
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“They were great,” Mike said. “They would hold on to his gold chains — some of which were real and some not.”
In his 26 years on the force, Mike worked on dozens of projects — including “Raise the Titanic,” “First Family” and “24” — but he has a soft spot for “D.C. Cab.”
“Joel Schumacher, what a great guy he was,” Mike said.
On the last day of the shoot, the director laid on a feast for everyone who worked on the film, complete with filet mignon and lobster tail. And he presented everyone with their own “D.C. Cab” tour jacket, just like the ones in the movie.
“It was beautiful: gold, with my name embroidered on it in purple and the Capitol on the back,” he said.
Tragically, the garment was stolen when it was at the dry cleaner’s.
“If I ever see anybody with it, I’ll know that’s the jacket,” said Mike. “It’s got my name on it.”
Tomorrow: Extras! Extras! See all about it. More D.C. movie memories.
Twitter: @johnkelly
For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/john-kelly.
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