The Big Bus (1976)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

James Frawley

Writers:

Lawrence J. Cohen (writer)
Fred Freeman (writer)

Release Date:

22 October 1976 (West Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Action

Tagline:

Join the passengers on The Big Bus - the craziest spoof movie of them all

Plot:

The ultimate disaster film parody. A nuclear powered bus is going Non-stop from New York to Denver and...

Plot Keywords:

Disaster | Bus | Bowling | Pool | Cannibalism

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Joseph Bologna	...	Dan Torrance
Stockard Channing	...	Kitty Baxter
John Beck	...	Shoulders O'Brien
Rene Auberjonois	...	Father Kudos
Ned Beatty	...	Shorty Scotty
Bob Dishy	...	Dr. Kurtz
José Ferrer	...	Ironman
Ruth Gordon	...	Old Woman
Harold Gould	...	Professor Baxter
Larry Hagman	...	Doctor in parking lot
Sally Kellerman	...	Sybil Crane
Richard Mulligan	...	Claude Crane
Lynn Redgrave	...	Camille Levy
Richard B. Shull	...	Emery Bush
Stuart Margolin	...	Alex

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Netherlands:AL (orginal rating) | UK:PG | Finland:S | USA:PG | Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

On the news van that appears near the beginning of the film, the call letters are WZAZ. These call letters also appear in many comedies from what's known as the "ZAZ" team--Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker--though they had nothing to do with this film. See Airplane! (1980).

Goofs:

Continuity: Inside the garage a man walks by a pair of tires that appear to be 12-feet tall. When the bus is outside, the tires are about the same size as those on any regular truck or bus.

Quotes:

Voice in barfight: Look out! He's got a broken milk carton!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Speed (1994/I)

Soundtrack:

Six Months to Live

Original and hilarious spoof of disaster films.

"The Big Bus" was released in 1976, four years before the landmark disaster flick-spoof, "Airplane!". Why "The Big Bus" was not as popular a film is a mystery, because it is every bit as funny as "Airplane!". The dialogue is witty, the sight gags are hilarious and plentiful, and the acting is just dead-pan enough to make it all work. Joseph Bologna and Stockard Channing head up an all-star cast heading from New York to Denver on a nuclear-powered bus, which is supposed to make the trip with no stops, but of course, disasters ensue. The bus is a luxury vehicle, complete with a piano bar, swimming pool, bowling alley and dining room. If you haven't seen "The Big Bus" check it out. It will make you laugh out loud.