The Big Bus
Encyclopedia
The Big Bus is a 1976 American James Frawley
spoof
comedy starring Stockard Channing
and Joe Bologna
. A spoof of most disaster movie
s popular at the time, it follows the maiden cross-country trip—New York
to Denver, non-stop—of an enormous nuclear power
ed bus named Cyclops equipped with a bowling alley, swimming pool, formal dining room, piano bar ("The Oriental Lounge"), Automatic Washing System ("AWM"), Automatic Tire Changer, and The Flags of All Nations.
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.
and Denver
. Almost immediately after inserting nuclear fuel into the bus's engine, a bomb goes off, almost killing Professor Baxter, the scientist in charge of the project. Cyclops itself is undamaged, but Coyote Lines has lost both its driver and co-driver. Kitty Baxter, the professor's daughter and the Cyclops's designer, is forced to turn to Dan Torrance, an old flame. Once a promising driver, Torrance was disgraced after he crashed his bus atop Mount Diablo, and was accused of saving his own life by eating all of his passengers. (Torrance blamed his co-driver for cannibalism, insisting that he himself survived by eating the seats and the luggage, and only ate part of a passenger's foot by accident.) Narrowly surviving an assault by vindictive fellow drivers with the help of "Shoulders" O'Brien, Torrance is recruited to drive Cyclops.
Meanwhile, a sinister tycoon plots with oil sheikhs to destroy the bus. Known as "Iron Man", he spends the film in a huge iron lung
while directing his brother Alex to sabotage Cyclops using timebombs. Alex would prefer to use a manmade earthquake, but Iron Man insists that the bus be destroyed and discredited. Before its maiden voyage, Alex sneaks aboard and hides a bomb within the bus.
On the big day, the bus leaves New York bound for Denver. Among the passengers are the Cranes, a married couple waiting for their divorce to finalize; Father Kudos, a priest who has lost his way; Dr. Kurtz, a disgraced veterinarian
; Emery Bush, a man with only a few months to live; and Camille Levy, whose father died on Mount Diablo.
At first, Cyclops's journey is a success, and Torrance triumphantly breaks the 90mph "wind barrier" ("breaking wind"). Soon, however, disaster strikes. Investigating a mechanical problem, Dan finds Alex's bomb. He disarms it only before an explosion rips through another part of the bus. Now unable to stop, Cyclops plows across America. Dan is determined to achieve Cyclops's historic goal of non-stop service to Denver, but he also needs to surpass a treacherously curvy road where his father "bought it". Dan almost succeeds, but not before the bus runs partially off the road, finding itself teetering over a cliff. To save the bus, Dan and Shoulders shift all weight the back of the bus by pumping all of Cyclops's supply of soft drinks into the galley, and jettisoning all of the luggage.
Knowing he has only one more chance to destroy Cyclops, Iron Man is finally persuaded by Alex to use the earthquake. Unfortunately for Iron Man, Alex sets the coordinates for Iron Man's house and not Cyclops.
Back on the road, Cyclops finally makes its way to Denver. In the final scene, the bus is only 25 miles outside of Denver when the front and rear halves of the bus split from each other.
It is unknown why and how the front and rear halves split from each other.
, an actual double decker, articulated super bus with a capacity of 170 originally built in 1975. The Jumbocruiser was built in Germany and did not have a nuclear reactor.
The real vehicle used in the film was a large road-worthy monster created by 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. According to Joel Schiller's (the film's art director) web site, the actual bus built for the film, was part of the Los Angeles Bicentennial parade in 1976. Further, an article in the now defunct bus enthusiast magazine stated that the bus made a trip from Los Angeles to San Diego, CA as a film promotion in 1976. The whereabouts of the 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 what role they took in creating the Cyclops. The fictional bus line in the film that operates the Cyclops is Coyote Bus Lines, a riff
on Greyhound Lines
.
James Frawley
James Frawley is an American director and actor. Frawley was born in Houston, Texas. He has worked on Smallville, Ghost Whisperer, Judging Amy and The Monkees, as well as many other programs...
spoof
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
comedy starring Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing is an American stage, film and television actress. She is known for her portrayal of First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series The West Wing; for playing Betty Rizzo in the film Grease; and for her role as Ouisa Kittredge in the play Six Degrees of Separation and its...
and Joe Bologna
Joseph Bologna
Joseph Bologna is an American actor.-Life and career:Bologna was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Brown University, where he majored in art history. After a hitch with the marines, Bologna was hired to produce and direct Manhattan-based TV commercials.The actor has a long history in film...
. A spoof of most disaster movie
Disaster Movie
Disaster Movie is a 2008 parody film. It is written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, and stars Carmen Electra, Kim Kardashian, Matt Lanter, Nicole Parker, Crista Flanagan, Vanessa Minnillo, and Ike Barinholtz...
s popular at the time, it follows the maiden cross-country trip—New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to Denver, non-stop—of an enormous nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
ed bus named Cyclops equipped with a bowling alley, swimming pool, formal dining room, piano bar ("The Oriental Lounge"), Automatic Washing System ("AWM"), Automatic Tire Changer, and The Flags of All Nations.
Actor John Beck
John Beck (actor)
John Beck is an American actor. He grew up in Joliet, Illinois. Renowned as a gritty actor with plenty of presence on set, he is ultimately best-known worldwide for playing the role of Mark Graison in Dallas during the mid-1980s, but is also well-known for several other roles in which he...
plays the co-driver "Shoulders" O'Brien, a nickname he acquired because he has narcolepsy
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder, or dyssomnia, characterized by excessive sleepiness and sleep attacks at inappropriate times, such as while at work. People with narcolepsy often experience disturbed nocturnal sleep and an abnormal daytime sleep pattern, which often is confused with insomnia...
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
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
among fans of spoof comedies.
Plot
The scientists of the Coyote Bus Lines feverishly work to complete Cyclops, enabling man to achieve a new milestone in bussing: non-stop service between New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. Almost immediately after inserting nuclear fuel into the bus's engine, a bomb goes off, almost killing Professor Baxter, the scientist in charge of the project. Cyclops itself is undamaged, but Coyote Lines has lost both its driver and co-driver. Kitty Baxter, the professor's daughter and the Cyclops's designer, is forced to turn to Dan Torrance, an old flame. Once a promising driver, Torrance was disgraced after he crashed his bus atop Mount Diablo, and was accused of saving his own life by eating all of his passengers. (Torrance blamed his co-driver for cannibalism, insisting that he himself survived by eating the seats and the luggage, and only ate part of a passenger's foot by accident.) Narrowly surviving an assault by vindictive fellow drivers with the help of "Shoulders" O'Brien, Torrance is recruited to drive Cyclops.
Meanwhile, a sinister tycoon plots with oil sheikhs to destroy the bus. Known as "Iron Man", he spends the film in a huge iron lung
Iron lung
A negative pressure ventilator is a form of medical ventilator that enables a person to breathe when normal muscle control has been lost or the work of breathing exceeds the person's ability....
while directing his brother Alex to sabotage Cyclops using timebombs. Alex would prefer to use a manmade earthquake, but Iron Man insists that the bus be destroyed and discredited. Before its maiden voyage, Alex sneaks aboard and hides a bomb within the bus.
On the big day, the bus leaves New York bound for Denver. Among the passengers are the Cranes, a married couple waiting for their divorce to finalize; Father Kudos, a priest who has lost his way; Dr. Kurtz, a disgraced veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
; Emery Bush, a man with only a few months to live; and Camille Levy, whose father died on Mount Diablo.
At first, Cyclops's journey is a success, and Torrance triumphantly breaks the 90mph "wind barrier" ("breaking wind"). Soon, however, disaster strikes. Investigating a mechanical problem, Dan finds Alex's bomb. He disarms it only before an explosion rips through another part of the bus. Now unable to stop, Cyclops plows across America. Dan is determined to achieve Cyclops's historic goal of non-stop service to Denver, but he also needs to surpass a treacherously curvy road where his father "bought it". Dan almost succeeds, but not before the bus runs partially off the road, finding itself teetering over a cliff. To save the bus, Dan and Shoulders shift all weight the back of the bus by pumping all of Cyclops's supply of soft drinks into the galley, and jettisoning all of the luggage.
Knowing he has only one more chance to destroy Cyclops, Iron Man is finally persuaded by Alex to use the earthquake. Unfortunately for Iron Man, Alex sets the coordinates for Iron Man's house and not Cyclops.
Back on the road, Cyclops finally makes its way to Denver. In the final scene, the bus is only 25 miles outside of Denver when the front and rear halves of the bus split from each other.
It is unknown why and how the front and rear halves split from each other.
Cast
- Joseph BolognaJoseph BolognaJoseph Bologna is an American actor.-Life and career:Bologna was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Brown University, where he majored in art history. After a hitch with the marines, Bologna was hired to produce and direct Manhattan-based TV commercials.The actor has a long history in film...
as Capt. Dan Torrance - Stockard ChanningStockard ChanningStockard Channing is an American stage, film and television actress. She is known for her portrayal of First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series The West Wing; for playing Betty Rizzo in the film Grease; and for her role as Ouisa Kittredge in the play Six Degrees of Separation and its...
as Kitty Baxter - René Auberjonois as Father Kudos
- John BeckJohn Beck (actor)John Beck is an American actor. He grew up in Joliet, Illinois. Renowned as a gritty actor with plenty of presence on set, he is ultimately best-known worldwide for playing the role of Mark Graison in Dallas during the mid-1980s, but is also well-known for several other roles in which he...
as "Shoulders" O'Brien - Ned BeattyNed BeattyNed Thomas Beatty is an American actor who has appeared in more than 100 films and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a Golden Globe Award; won a Drama Desk Award....
as Shorty Scotty - Bob DishyBob DishyBob Dishy is an American actor of stage, film and television. He is married to former actress Judy Graubart .He appeared on Broadway in:...
as Dr. Kurtz - Murphy DunneMurphy DunneMurphy Dunne is an American actor and musician. He is known for his role as the keyboardist/pianist for the Blues Brothers in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. He reprised his role in the sequel, Blues Brothers 2000...
as Tommy Joyce - José FerrerJosé FerrerJosé Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón , best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, as well as a theater and film director...
as Ironman - Ruth GordonRuth GordonRuth Gordon Jones , better known as Ruth Gordon, was an American actress and writer. She was perhaps best known for her film roles such as Minnie Castevet, Rosemary's overly solicitous neighbor in Rosemary's Baby, as the eccentric Maude in Harold and Maude and as the mother of Orville Boggs in the...
as the Old Lady - Harold GouldHarold GouldHarold V. Goldstein , best known by his stage name Harold Gould, was an American actor best known for playing Martin Morgenstern in the 1970s sitcoms Rhoda and The Mary Tyler Moore Show and as Miles Webber in The Golden Girls...
as Professor Baxter - Larry HagmanLarry HagmanLarry Martin Hagman is an American film and television actor, producer and director known for playing J.R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early life and career:Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas...
as Parking Lot Doctor - Howard HessemanHoward HessemanHoward Hesseman is an American actor best known for playing disc jockey Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati and schoolteacher Charlie Moore on Head of the Class.-Early life:...
as Jack - Sally KellermanSally KellermanSally Clare Kellerman is an American actress and singer known for her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the film MASH , for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.-Early life:...
as Sybil Crane - Stuart MargolinStuart MargolinStuart Margolin is an American film and television actor and director.-Television:Margolin is best known for his role on the television show The Rockford Files, playing Evelyn "Angel" Martin, the shifty friend and former cellmate of Jim Rockford...
as Alex - Richard MulliganRichard MulliganRichard Mulligan was an American television and film actor best known for his role as Burt Campbell in the 1970s sitcom Soap and later as Dr. Harry Weston on The Golden Girls and its spin-off Empty Nest.-Early life:He was born in New York City, the younger brother of director Robert Mulligan...
as Claude Crane - Lynn RedgraveLynn RedgraveLynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE was an English actress.A member of the well-known British family of actors, Redgrave trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962...
as Camille Levy - Vito ScottiVito ScottiVito Scotti was a veteran character actor who played many roles, primarily from the late-1940s to the mid-1990s. He was known as a man of a thousand faces, for his ability to assume so many divergent roles in more than 200 screen roles, in a nearly 50 year career. He was known for his resourceful...
as Barber - Richard B. ShullRichard B. ShullRichard Bruce Shull was an American character actor.-Career:Shull was born in Evanston, Illinois, the son of Zana Marie , a court stenographer, and Ulysses Homer Shull, a manufacturing executive. Shull attended the University of Iowa and served in the U.S. Army before starting his Broadway career...
as Emery Bush - Vic TaybackVic TaybackVictor "Vic" Tayback was an American actor.-Life and career:Tayback was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, the son of Helen and Najeeb James Tayback. His parents were immigrants from Aleppo, Syria. Tayback moved with his family to Burbank, California, during his teenage years and attended...
as Goldie
The Bus
The central set piece of the film is the bus itself—credited for the design is the film's art director Joel Schiller. The bus is a nuclear powered, double-decker, articulated bus with 32 wheels. Named "Cyclops" due to the single large headlight prominent at the front. The front also 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 Cyclops requires the operation of two drivers (Driver and Co-Driver). In the film, the Cyclops is equipped with a bowling alley, Oriental style cocktail lounge (complete with piano bar), swimming pool, Captain's dining room, private marble & gold bathroom with sunken tub, chef's kitchen, exterior automatic washing mechanisms, flags of all nations (that retract from the roof), automatic enroute tire changers, as well as a passenger capacity of 110. It can be compared to the Neoplan JumbocruiserNeoplan Jumbocruiser
The NEOPLAN Jumbocruiser was an articulated double-deck multi-axle city coach built by NEOPLAN Bus GmbH between 1975 and 1992. At 18 meters in length, 2.50m wide and 4m in height, it is in the Guinness World Records as the world's largest bus with a capacity for 170 passengers.-History:The...
, an actual double decker, articulated super bus with a capacity of 170 originally built in 1975. The Jumbocruiser was built in Germany and did not have a nuclear reactor.
The real vehicle used in the film was a large road-worthy monster created by production designer Joel Schiller. The Big Bus was said to have actually led the 1976 Bi-Centennial parade in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern 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. According to Joel Schiller's (the film's art director) web site, the actual bus built for the film, was part of the Los Angeles Bicentennial parade in 1976. Further, an article in the now defunct bus enthusiast magazine stated that the bus made a trip from Los Angeles to San Diego, CA as a film promotion in 1976. The whereabouts of the bus used in the film are not known.
In the closing credits of the film, Trailways Bus Lines
Trailways of New York
Trailways of New York is a bus company in New York operating under the Adirondack Trailways, Pine Hill Trailways, and New York Trailways brands, primarily along the Albany to Buffalo corridor...
is thanked for their help in creating the bus. It is not known what role they took in creating the Cyclops. The fictional bus line in the film that operates the Cyclops is Coyote Bus Lines, a riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
on Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
.
See also
- List of American films of 1976
- Airplane!Airplane!Airplane! is a 1980 American satirical comedy film directed and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and released by Paramount Pictures...
- Neoplan JumbocruiserNeoplan JumbocruiserThe NEOPLAN Jumbocruiser was an articulated double-deck multi-axle city coach built by NEOPLAN Bus GmbH between 1975 and 1992. At 18 meters in length, 2.50m wide and 4m in height, it is in the Guinness World Records as the world's largest bus with a capacity for 170 passengers.-History:The...
- Superbus (transport)