8 1/2 (1963, Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimee)
"Starts with a car jamming in a tunnel in Rome; a route 99 bus or trolleybus is clearly visible, also overhead lines." (thanks Carlos Wallberg)15 Minutes (2001, Robert De Niro, Edward Burns, Kelsey Grammer)
Steve Bunce notes: "A thriller starring Robert de Niro as a New York cop. A street chase about half an hour in shows good views of a Bristol VR semi-open topper. The bus is halted and the camera moves around the bus at various angles. Others who know these vehicles may be able to ID." There are a couple of early views of RTS transit buses, the first with the faintest hint of a Bristol VRT semi opentopper in the distance.:


23 Paces to Baker Street (1956, Van Johnson, Cecil Parker)
Several general London street scenes with RT-family buses, but also RTL783 (KYY753) is shown on route 73, mostly seen from the rear. There's a brief shot of the rear of a Duple-bodied coach, believed to be HYNxxx.24 Square Miles (1946, documentary narrated by John Arlott)
A classic in its field, this is a survey of an area centred around the market town of Banbury in Oxfordshire, analysing the assets and needs of the area and its likely future. I don't believe these two views are of the same Short-bodied Midland Red BMMO SOS SON, but the bus arriving at the bus stop is definitely AHA526:



28 Days Later (2002, Christopher Eccleston)
A scene in deserted London shows ex-London Transport AEC Routemaster/Park Royal RM1245 (LDS210A, originally 245CLT) lying on its side in Whitehall.



The 39 Steps (1935, Robert Donat)
First version of this thriller, made by Alfred Hitchcock, has a brief close-up view of a Bluebird-type London Transport LT-class AEC Renown:
The 39 Steps (1959, Kenneth More)
Two coaches are seen in background in one brief sequence, both are probably Bedfords, at least the second appears to be an OB.

The 39 Steps (1978, Robert Powell, David Warner)
Includes a scene with a replica of London General B340 - can anyone id which replica it is?40 Days and 40 nights (2002, Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon)
Girl and boy ride a San Francisco Muni Flyer trolleybus, stay on board till the depot. Lots of footage, mostly inside.



The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005, Steve Carell, Catherine Keener)
Ben Goldstein supplied these screen captures of Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley Metro Neoplans:


48 Hours (1982, Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy)
Richard DeArmond notes at least four (San Francisco) Flyer trolleybuses. Has a chase scene with San Francisco MUNI Fishbowl 3092 - it's a 1970 GMC TDH5305N51st State AKA Formula 51 (2001, Samuel L Jackson, Robert Carlyle)
Foulmouthed drugs comedy thriller set in Liverpool notable for Jackson's kilt and blink-and-you'll-miss-them appearances by a Wright-bodied single decker and an Alexander-bodied double decker, both of Arriva. The saloon is Arriva Merseyside 6588 (N588CKA), a Volvo B10B/Wright.
84 Charing Cross Road (1986, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, Judi Dench)
Two often-filmed buses appear here, former London Transport Leyland Titan PD2 RTW75 (KGK575) and Mervyns Coaches Bedford OB/Duple HOD75; there's a second 'decker, a Leyland RTL, but it's not well enough seen to identify conclusively. It appears to be LYFxxx or LYRxxx:




101 Dalmatians (1961 (cartoon), Rod Taylor)
Children's favourite has a cartoon red double decker bus seen only from the side in the opening credits.102 Dalmatians (2000, Glenn Close)
A red London AEC Routemaster is seen from the side on service 36, no fleetnames:


80,000 Suspects (1963, Richard Johnson, Claire Bloom et al)
Val Guest's documentary-style account of an outbreak of smallpox in Bath, made more realistic by being filmed in wintry weather.In one scene the staff of a bus garage receive vaccinations. Eight Eastern Coachworks-bodied Bath Services Bristol Ks are seen in the background, both highbridge and lowbridge, also an unidentifiable single decker. Almost immediately following this, as Dr Monks (Johnson) arrives at an immunisation centre, two more Ks are seen on a busy street as members of the public queue for immunisation; one has a 'Chipmunk Crisps are OXO flavoured' side advertisement. As Monks leaves the centre with his wife (Claire Bloom), only one of the Ks remains, but a Bristol LS/Eastern Coachworks coach of Bristol Greyhound arrives and a group of children gets off.
A later scene shows a Bath Services Bristol Lodekka FS/Eastern Coachworks unloading passengers in the snow. (thanks Alan Sinclair and Nigel Furness) This film was identified from the mystery page by Scot Fergie, who found it "a very good example of British realism of the early 60's, compounded by a real smallpox epidemic in Bradford in 1962."
Back to the top of this page - updated 19 February 2010