The Runaway Bus (1953)
1h 13m | PG-13
When heavy fog prevents any flights from leaving London Airport, a group of passengers are put on a bus driven by Percy Lamb to drive to another airport. The fog is that heavy Percy doesn't know where he is going or that he is carrying stolen gold bullion that the robbers and police are relentlessly pursuing.
Director: Val Guest
Studio: Val Guest Productions
Genre: Comedy, Mystery
Video: 720p
Cast
Frankie Howerd
as Percy Lamb
Margaret Rutherford
as Miss Cynthia Beeston
Petula Clark
as Stewardess 'Nikki' Nicholls
George Coulouris
as Ernest Schroeder
Terence Alexander
as Pilot Peter Jones
Toke Townley
as Henry Waterman
Reviews
It must have been terrible to have to share a stage/screen with Margaret Rutherford. She only had to look at the camera and she had already stolen the scene - a consummate comedy actress whom, alongside Frankie Howerd, keeps this rather daft crime caper bubbling along quite nicely for 75 minutes. A pea-soup fog has delayed all the flights from London's Heathrow Airport - as was it's wont back then - and so a motley collection of passengers are having to take a coach to a nearby airport. Unbeknown to them, though, there has been a daring raid on a warehouse at the airport and their bus contains the loot - £200,000 worth of gold bullion. Lost in the fog, the passengers much reach their destination before the sinister leader of the gang tracks them down. Howerd was never my favourite comedian, but here he delivers well - tempered by some strong supporting performances from Petula Clark, George Coulouris and Terence Alexander - and, of course, the redoubtable Miss Rutherford as "Miss Beeston". The jokes are a bit predictable, but it's an enjoyable piece of harmless fun that I really quite enjoyed.