On the Buses

"From Telly Laughs To Belly Laughs!"

1971 1h 28m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 45

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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

“From Telly Laughs To Belly Laughs!”

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Cast

Reg Varney
Stan Butler
Doris Hare
Mrs. Butler
Michael Robbins
Arthur Rudge
Anna Karen
Olive Rudge
Stephen Lewis
Inspector Blakey
Bob Grant
Jack Harper
Andria Lawrence
Betty
Pat Ashton
Sally

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Harry Booth
Writers: Ronald Wolfe, Ronald Chesney
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "On the Buses Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Harry Booth, shot by Mark McDonald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Max Harris. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Archie Ludski shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Reg Varney and Doris Hare and Michael Robbins carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "From Telly Laughs To Belly Laughs!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Harry Booth directs. Mark McDonald behind the camera. Max Harris scores. Archie Ludski cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
255 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "On the Buses Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Harry Booth, shot by Mark McDonald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Max Harris. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Archie Ludski shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Reg Varney and Doris Hare and Michael Robbins carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "From Telly Laughs To Belly Laughs!".
9IMDB entry: tt0067528 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 45 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Mark McDonald
Original score: Max Harris
Editing: Archie Ludski
Production design: Scott MacGregor
Makeup / hair: Eddie Knight
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: On the Buses (1971)

Part of

On the Buses Collection

A British comedy film series spin-off from the TV sitcom, that spawned two further films.

Also by

Harry Booth

Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2020-12-27
★ 7/10
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.

Production companies