The Big Bus

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This article is about the American movie. For the bus operator, see The Big Bus Company.
The Big Bus

film poster by Jack Davis
Directed by James Frawley
Produced by Lawrence J. Cohen
Fred Freeman
Written by Lawrence J. Cohen
Fred Freeman
Starring Joseph Bologna
Stockard Channing
John Beck
Music by David Shire
Cinematography Harry Stradling Jr.
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date(s) June 23, 1976
Running time 88 min.
Country United States
Language English

The Big Bus is a 1976 American James Frawley spoof comedy starring Stockard Channing as Kitty Baxter and Joe Bologna as controversial driver ("Eat one lousy foot and they call you a cannibal") Dan Torrance. A spoof of most disaster movies up until that time, it follows the maiden cross-country trip—New York to Denver, non-stop—of an enormous nuclear powered bus named Cyclops that's equipped with a bowling alley, swimming pool, formal dining room ("The Bicentennial Dining Room"), piano bar ("The Oriental Lounge"), Automatic Washing System ("AWM"), Automatic Tire Changer, and The Flags of All Nations. A bomb planted by a saboteur (hired by the oil sheiks to discredit non oil-powered transport) damages the bus's braking system, preventing the bus from stopping.

Actor John Beck plays the co-driver "Shoulders" O'Brien, a nickname he acquired because he has narcolepsy and often falls asleep and drives on the shoulders of the road. Coincidentally, he also happened to have big shoulders.

The Big Bus was notorious for its mostly bad reviews and disastrous performance at the box office. Nevertheless, it has gained something of a cult following among fans of spoof comedies.

Contents

[edit] Cast

[edit] The Bus

Cyclops

The central set piece of the film is, of course, the bus itself. The bus was a nuclear powered, double-decker, articulated bus with 32 wheels. The bus was named "Cyclops" due to the single large headlight prominent on the front of the bus. The front of the bus featured large wraparound windows on both upper and lower decks--with the lower deck containing the cockpit and the upper, front portion containing the lounge/bar. The bus required the operation of two drivers (Driver and Co-Driver). In the film the bus is equipped with a bowling alley, Oriental style cocktail lounge (complete with piano bar), swimming pool, Captain's dining room, private marble & gold bath room with sunken tub, chef's kitchen, exterior automatic washing mechanisms, flags of all nations (that retract from the roof, automatic in-route tire changers, as well as a passenger capacity of 110.

The real bus was indeed a large road-worthy monster created by the film's production designer Joel Schiller. The Big Bus was said to have actually led the 1976 Bi-Centennial parade in Los Angeles, California. Though the most visible front portions of the bus (bar & cockpit) appeared to be functional, the remainder of the body of the vehicle was most likely empty--containing only the engine, suspension and essential mechanisms used for exterior trick shots. While the bus was an awe inspiring sight, few behind-the-scenes and construction photos or plans have surfaced. The whereabouts of the actual bus used in the film are not known.

In the closing credits of the film, Trailways Bus Lines is thanked for their help in creating the bus. It is not known how much help or what role they took in creating the Cyclops.

The fictional bus line in the film that operates the Cyclops is called Coyote Bus Lines.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

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[edit] External links


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