Big Bus, The (1976)

‘Cyclops’ – the world’s first nuclear-powered bus that is a cross between a 747 jetliner and the QEII – starts out on its maiden voyage, driving nonstop from New York to Denver.

When the driver is injured, washed-up, down-on-his-luck-but-used-to-be-great Dan Torrance (Joe Bologna) – who as it happens, used to be engaged to the inventor’s daughter, Kitty (Stockard Channing) but has been reduced to driving municipal buses – is brought in to drive the giant bus which includes a one-lane swimming pool and a one-lane bowling alley. His co-driver can’t stay awake when driving.

Ned Beatty and Howard Hesseman are technicians at the command station, where a doctor (Larry Hagman) tends to Kitty’s dying father (Harold Gould).

Meanwhile, a rival (Jose Ferrer) in an iron lung sends his brother Alex  (Stuart Margolin) on a sabotage mission to place a bomb on the bus.

The passengers include Emery Bush (Richard B. Shull), who ends up with British fashion designer Camille Levy (Lynn Redgrave), Sybil (Sally Kellerman) and Claude Crane (Richard Mulligan), Dr Kurtz (Bob Dishy), a nonbeliever priest (Rene Auberjonois), an old lady (Ruth Gordon).

This spoof of other disaster movies is overstuffed with non-stop corny gags as a lot of frantic passengers and crew members act silly, and most of the audience may want to get off somewhere east of the Mississippi.

But there are moments of inspired lunacy – spoofing some of the most memorable scenes of some of the least memorable films (and some good films as well).

Dan Torrance
Joseph Bologna
Kitty Baxter
Stockard Channing
Shoulders
John Beck
Shorty Scotty
Ned Beatty
Jack
Howard Hesseman
Father Kudos
Rene Auberjonois
Ironman
Jose Ferrer
Dr Kurtz
Bob Dishy
Parking Lot Doctor
Larry Hagman
Sybil Crane
Sally Kellerman
Claude Crane
Richard Mulligan
Camille Levy
Lynn Redgrave
Old Lady
Ruth Gordon
Professor Baxter
Harold Gould
Emery Bush
Richard B. Shull
Alex
Stuart Margolin

Director
James Frawley

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