On the Buses (1971)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Harry Booth

Writers:

Ronald Chesney (written by)
Ronald Wolfe (written by)

Release Date:

July 1971 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Stan gets a little annoyed when his Mum and Sister keep buying expensive items on hire purchase, but...

Plot Keywords:

Bus | Based On TV Series | Sequel | Working Class | Independent Film

Cast

Reg Varney	...	Stan Butler
Doris Hare	...	Stan's Mum
Michael Robbins	...	Arthur Rudge - Stan's Brother-in-Law
Anna Karen	...	Olive Rudge
Stephen Lewis	...	Blakey, Stan's Inspector
Bob Grant	...	Jack Harper, Stan's Conductor
Andrea Lawrence	...	Betty
Pat Ashton	...	Sally
Brian Oulton	...	Manager
Pamela Cundell	...	Ruby
Pat Coombs	...	Vera
Wendy Richard	...	Housewife (as Wendy Richards)
Peter Madden	...	Mr Brooks
David Lodge	...	Busman
Brenda Grogan	...	Bridget (as Brenda Gogan)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Finland:S | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

EMI Films

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Olive is too heavy for the sidecar, the rear motorcycle wheel lifts up. The combination would not have tipped up as Olive was sitting over the side wheel and as there are only three wheels in total, there is no other way in which it could have tipped.

Quotes:

Blakey, Stan's Inspector: 'What's the matter with you, can't you drive? eh? Oh my god, look what you've done! Quick, get in that cab, pull away, quick! Hurry up!
Vera: I can't! Theres spiders in my cab!
Blakey, Stan's Inspector: Spiders? I don't care if you've got ants in your pants! You get in that cab and pull away quick!

Movie Connections:

Followed by Mutiny on the Buses (1972)

Soundtrack:

It's a Great Life On the Buses

The reality of the condition of women today.

On the Buses, a top rating comedy spin off from the '70s and an extrapolation of the kitchen sink gritty films, about the reality of working class life, such as Saturday Night, Sunday Morninging (1960), is today viewed as outdated, especially for being in-politically correct in its view and portrayal of women. And although this is unacceptable, and offencive, it is nevertheless the reality of the condition of women, and their lives even today. The difference is that political correctness, whilst necessary, dose in fact conceal the actual reality of women's lives, which are, especially among the working class, largely unchanged.

You might see women performing what are traditionally men's jobs; but this is only done where there is a shortage of working men, prepared to put up with the lower pay their female counterparts readily accept. This is seen in On The Buses. In being willing to accept the lower wage for a job traditionally done by a man, becomes a threat to the existing male workforce. As a consequence, the women have to put up with sexual harassment, and bullying - here seen in this film in the form of school-boy pranks played on women work colleagues by the male workers. Likewise women of today, and those in particular in the workplace still have to put up with this type of treatment from their male colleagues, because they represent a threat to them.

Therefore, as it is a portrayal of the reality of the condition of women's lives in Britain, then I think this film deserves credit, especially in turning what is essentially tragedy into comedy. By doing this, the film producers and director of On the Buses are able to spread the reality of the conditions of women's lives to a wider audience.