Buses on Screen - Films 0-9


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)
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. (+Colin Read)
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.
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The bus was reregistered by Bluebird Buses, but acquired by Transport For London in 2001 for refurbishment. This evidently didn't happen, as filming took place with this vehicle in July 2001. (from my own observation, detail provided by Graeme Selway and Peter Relf. Graeme also notes a slightly odd look about the bus: "looking from the rear end of the bus, you can see right through the top deck to a wall in front of the bus, but there would appear to be no front dome or upper deck windows although the rear dome etc is complete!" ). There is also an unusual view of the underside of the bus:
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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:
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(thanks Colin Read)
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.
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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?
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005, Steve Carell, Catherine Keener)
Ben Goldstein supplied these screen captures of Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley Metro Neoplans:
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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 TDH5305N
51st 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.
84 Charing Cross Road (1986, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, Judi Dench)
Appearances by Mervyns Coaches Bedford OB/Duple HOD75 and former London Transport Leyland Titan PD2 RTW75 (KGK575). Any more information?
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:
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Soon afterwards a hallucinating Cruella de Ville sees a Dalmatian-spotted Routemaster passing on service 6 among other Dalmatian-spotted traffic and even people.
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As can be seen from the screencap this is RM10 (VLT10):
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Hugh Padden notes Routemasters RM70 (VLT70) and RM429 (WLT429). Screencaps provided by e kline.
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."

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updated 21 January 2008
Buses on Screen - Films 0-9