By Lee Pfeiffer
Released four years before the comedy smash Airplane!, the film that inspired it remains relatively obscure to all but the most devoted retro movie lovers. The Big Bus was Paramount's spoof of the disaster movie genre which had peaked in 1974 with the release of two blockbusters- Earthquake and The Towering Inferno- and one other major hit, Airport '75. The genre then ran out of steam just as The Big Bus went into production, which might explain why it was received anemically by both audiences and critics. Yet, it's a film with many pleasures and it is consistently amusing throughout. The Big Bus delivers some giggles whereas Airplane! provides many belly laughs. The genius actor of Airplane!, however, is that the producers had the wisdom to cast three of Hollywood's great stone faces- Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges and Leslie Nielsen- in comedic roles that surprised audiences. In fact, it revitalized all three actor's careers with their deft handling of absurd situations. The casting of The Big Bus was not as innovative because virtually every actor involved had been known for their work in comedies. However, it is an inspired cast that includes Joseph Bologna and Stockard Channing in the lead roles and a wonderful group of talented second bananas that includes Sally Kellerman, Richard Mulligan, Stuart Margolin, Jose Ferrer, Harold Stone, Larry Hagman, Richard B. Shull, Ned Beatty, Rene Auberjonois, Ruth Gordon, Bob Dishy, Lynn Redgrave, Vic Tayback and Vito Scotti. The only surprise is the comedic talents of John Beck, who had a short-lived career as a dramatic heart throb in the mid-to-late 1970s.
The plot concerns the debut run of a super spectacular bus that is powered by nuclear energy. The maiden voyage of "The Cyclops" finds the usual diverse group of passengers that permeate any disaster movie: a battling married couple, a quirky priest, a discredited hero looking to salvage his reputation, his one-time lover, a terminally ill man trying to enjoy his remaining days, a cranky old lady, etc. The bus is being piloted by Bologna, who plays a driver who has been alienated by his colleagues because of suspicion that he devoured the passengers on a previous journey that found his vehicle stranded in the mountains. (He maintains his innocence by insisting he only ate one foot that was surreptitiously placed in a stew made up of seat cushions!) His ex-girl friend, Channing, is the designer of the bus and is on board for the maiden journey. Along the way an eccentric millionaire oil man who is in an iron lung (Ferrer) schemes to sabotage the bus with a bomb in order to thwart the advancement of nuclear energy. Much of the humor relates to the production design aspects of the bus interior which is over-the-top tacky even in the era of leisure suits and wide ties. There is a garish decor complete with an omnipresent lounge singer who works every disaster along the way into one of his cheesy vocal numbers. The provides the requisite rapid fire jokes, some of which fall completely flat while others resonate quite well. The cast is in top form and everyone seems to be having a great time with each star given their moments to shine. One of the problems is that the bus, which was supposed to seem like an absurd concept in 1976, no longer generates many laughs partly because such monstrosities are now in operation in our major cities (minus the nuclear power, of course). The film culminates in a witty and very inspired cliff-hanger ending that is an homage to the fabled finale of the original version of The Italian Job.
The Big Bus was available years ago on Paramount DVD but has been out of circulation for some time. Happily, it is now available through the Warner Archive. The picture is crisp and clean throughout, though -as with most Paramount titles- it is devoid of any bonus extras. The film pales in comparison to Airplane! but any retro movie lover with a passion for disaster movies of the era will find it an amusing experience.
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