On the Buses (1971)
1h 28m | PG-13
Stan gets a little annoyed when his Mum and Sister keep buying expensive items on hire purchase, but the money he earns for overtime working as a bus driver means that he can afford it... just! His job is secure, as bus drivers are hard to come by, and his overtime prospects are good, until the bus company decide to revoke a long standing rule and employ women bus drivers. Aghast at the thought of
Director: Harry Booth
Studio: Hammer Film Productions
Genre: Comedy
Video: 720p
Cast
Reg Varney
as Stan Butler
Doris Hare
as Stan's Mum
Michael Robbins
as Arthur Rudge - Stan's Brother-in-Law
Anna Karen
as Olive Rudge
Stephen Lewis
as Blakey, Stan's Inspector
Bob Grant
as Jack Harper, Stan's Conductor
Reviews
Enjoyable, even if it is undeniably sexist. I remember discovering the television series of <em>'On the Buses'</em> when I was younger, via my grandparents, and loving it - admittedly at an age of not fully understanding the humour et al. I do remember watching this just about. It's amusing, nothing laugh-out-loud worthy but it's suitably entertaining. Reg Varney, Bob Grant and Stephen Lewis are a very good trio. Lewis' Blakey is arguably the good guy, despite being portrayed as the antagonist - especially in this plot, given he's the supporter of women bus drivers. I gotta say, Grant's Jack is incredibly creepy. The things you don't notice as a kid, eh? It does have charm, helped by it giving a nice exterior snapshot of 1960s/70s England and the buses of the time. The film, and series, is always most enjoyable - at least to me - when they are out on the road with the buses. Obviously misogynistic and all rather dumb, but there are things it does reasonably well.