Rollicking goodnatured French movie which manages to bring together notable French and English comic actors of the day. A very young Mark Lester appears, four years before starring in'Oliver', and Diana Dors plays herself! Great fun.
The standout footage for a bus enthusiast is of Southern National 1289 (MOD976), a 1952 Bristol LS6G/Eastern Coachworks in Royal Blue livery, seen carrying French rugby supporters to a game against England at Twickenham.
It's shot from almost every conceivable angle inside and out. At one point a second similar coach is seen, in company with a Grey Cars AEC Reliance. The locations of the film switch between Central London, West London and Windsor, so that we see both London Transport RTs
and Routemasters, and Thames Valley Lodekkas and KSWs. The common factor is the London Country buses that also appear.
The movie opens with RT family buses in smog:
......then RTs and Routemasters among rain-drenched commuters:
Standard Routemaster RM852 (WLT852) is passed by a LT Green Line AEC RF
After this we see MOD976 for the first time:
Here's the brief shot of MOD476 pursued by a Grey Cars AEC Reliance and a second Royal Blue Bristol LS:
There's an unfortunate excursion across a rose garden to avoid road works:
Plenty of RTs are seen, but none are identifiable. The one involved in an accident appears to have no fleetnumber:
The action switches inexplicably to Windsor, where MOD476 passes a Thames Valley lowbridge Bristol KSW/Eastern Coachworks:
This unfortunate lady ends up on the roofrack, but the coach stops and she's able to climb down:
A London Country Routemaster is glimpsed;
These shots are at Windsor and Eton railway station: first seen is Thames Valley 765 (MBL846), a 1956 Bristol Lodekka LD5G/Eastern Coachworks. Then a lowbridge
Bristol KSW passes a Bristol Lodekka FLF6G:
More assorted RTs and RM:
....and a journey on an unknown 'decker:
Back in Windsor (!), behind a billboard poster of Diana Dors another Thames Valley Bristol KSW lowbridger is followed by a Green Line Routemaster:
Yet another Thames Valley KSW:
And finally a Plaxton Embassy bodied Bedford SB (almost certainly) in what appears to be a town centre coach station - can anyone enlighten me?:
