Buses on Screen - Films Nm-Nz

The Omen (1976, Gregory Peck, Lee Remick)

A London Transport AEC Routemaster is seen briefly in traffic on route 159.

On approach to Guildford Cathedral, there is a glimpse of a Safeguard bus, possibly a Leyland Leopard/Duple Dominant bus

Two coaches of Parkers Coaches (?) are seen visiting Windsor Safari Park, two different Duple bodies.

The Omen III (1981, Sam Neill)

"One of the priests attempting to kill Damien Thorn alights from what appears to be a Bristol L/ECW single-decker on a country road, although the bus is only seen from a distance. There is also a very brief interior scene." (thanks Alan Sinclair)

On a Clear Day (2005, Peter Mullan, Brenda Blethyn, Sean McGinley)

Patchy movie about a laid-off Glasgow shipbuilder who trains to swim the English Channel. It also has Brenda Blethyn training to be a Glasgow bus driver. There are good shots of former London AEC Routemasters: First Glasgow 39286, formerly RML2486, (JJD486D) plays a major part.

Blethyn's character is seen training in a First Glasgow Alexander-bodied Leyland Tiger driver trainer:

....but she's also seen climbing from the cab of 39623 (RML2623, NML623E):

Congratulations!

This is Glasgow-liveried 39365 (RML2635, JJD365D):

Also seen are a Leyland Olympian/Alexander and two Volvo Ailsa/Alexander, one of which is 31363 (KGG127Y):

....and a glimpse inside a mostly empty garage reveals several preserved Glasgow Corporation vehicles, including AR292 (BUS181), a 1938 AEC Regent tow truck conversion:

Arriva buses are seen as well, but the only close view is of 1421 (P811DBS), an Alexander-bodied Dennis Dart SLF

Once a Jolly Swagman AKA Maniacs on Wheels (1948, Dirk Bogarde)

Features numerous parked London Transport LT-type AEC Renowns. (+Colin Read)

Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002, Robert Carlyle, Rhys Ifans, Shirley Henderson, Ricky Tomlinson, Kathy Burke)

A very brief internal shot of Dek (Rhys Ifans), Shirley (Shirley Henderson) and daughter going upstairs on a bus travelling into Birmingham City Centre. For all you see of the bus it could be anywhere!

One Good Turn (1954, Norman Wisdom)

Mike Lloyd recalls "Part of the action takes place in Brighton and there were views of Southdown buses (double and single deck) and Brighton Corporation buses and trolleybuses. All were merely background shots, no numbers, etc., visible because of crowds in the way, but the scenes were surprisingly evocative and it was nice to see the trolleybuses, missing for over 40 years."

One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing (1976, Peter Ustinov, Helen Hayes)

Ralph Adams observes:
"For this film there were 3 buses used. The one working on the roads was BK2136, a Dennis bus. It is now owned by Bicester Classics and I saw it today on a wedding party. The front bench is for the driver and 1 passenger, and there are 3 benches behind for 3 passengers each. There was a second bus which had a wooden radiator which was crashed into the Sentinel steam lorry. There was also a third bus used in the film (not sure why) but not in running order." The PSV Circle's 'Preserved Buses' list has BK2136 as a 1922 Dennis 2-ton lorry chassis with a replica body.

One, Two, Three (1961, James Cagney, dir Billy Wilder)

"Last night I saw a 1950s black and white comedy about the Coca Cola manager in Berlin; some double deckers can be seen in the background a couple of times." (a mystery from Carlos Wallberg solved by both Alan Aron and Scot Fergie)
"The very last scene shows Cagney putting money into a Coke vending machine and getting a Pepsi" (Alan Aron)

Only Two Can Play (1961, Peter Sellers, Mai Zetterling)

"Set in a fictional Welsh town (Swansea was used for the location shots) and contains several scenes involving waiting for, getting on and off, and riding on South Wales Transport 467 (NCY476) a 1956 AEC Regent V/Weymann double decker: A fleeting town centre shot shows in the background a West Wales Motors Guy double decker." (thanks Andrew Porter):

Another half-seen doubledecker is this one - is that a United Welsh fleetname? (hey, concentrate now.....)

Jon Price also notes three BET Federation-style single deckers in background shots, identified by Colin Read as South Wales AEC Reliances. One passes in a scene in town:

The other two are seen on route 12 out of town; the rear one is Park Royal-bodied 804 (MCY423), the front one is unidentifiable.

On the Beat (1962, Norman Wisdom, Jennifer Jayne)

Limp vehicle for Wisdom's slapstick is OK for the first half, but tails off badly. The street scenes include this single view of a London Transport AEC RT on route 179:

On the Buses (1972, Reg Varney)

The red liveried 'Town and District' fleet comprises a number of Eastern National Bristol KSW5G/Eastern Coachworks: 2359(VNO857 - fleet number 7143 visible in the film), 2367 (VNO871), 2371 (VNO876), 2615 (WNO476), VNO862, VNO866 (thanks Steven Oliver, Stephen Osman and Vic Gackowski)

"According to the PSV Circle fleet history, Eastern National Bristol KSW5Gs 2359 (VNO857), 2367 (VNO862), 2371 (VNO866) and 2376 (WNO476) were all used in 'On the Buses' some time between February and June 1971, were resold and then bought back in February 1972 to use in 'Mutiny on the Buses'. One (or possibly two) I believe went to the USA, and I also think I'm right in saying 2359 is preserved in the UK." (thanks Chris Stewart)
Paul Burton, who is compiling a website describing the history of Elstree Studios, believes the bus station scenes in the 'On The Buses' films to have been shot at Elstree's Studio Five. Other bus scenes were shot around Elstree and Borehamwood.
In the film VNO857 demolishes a telephone box and a bus stop while on service 13. There is a scene at London Transport's Chiswick works featuring AEC Routemaster RM200 (VLT200) with WH depot plate on the skidpan. In the background during this scene are a number of other London Transport buses, including RTs, RMs, RFs and SMs.

Part of the sequence has Inspector Blakey hanging off the open rear platform (interesting comparison to the stuntwork in 'Speed')

A clue to the main filming location can be seen here, as two RTs sneak into shot, one in Country green.

In the final scene a London Country AEC Regal RF passes, but before that Graeme Selway gleefully notes that "Stan is seen driving WNO476 in the garage towards the front entrance, but when it emerges on to the forecourt, it's magically become VNO857!" Methinks the director was as distracted as Stan.....

On The Fiddle AKA Operation Snafu AKA Operation Warhead (1961, Sean Connery, Alfred Lynch)

Features an unidentified double decker (possibly from Manchester), and Bedford OWB GFO323 at the end. (+Colin Read)

On The Town (1949, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra)

"Shot on location in New York, Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra are seen among Fifth Avenue Coach Company and Surface Transportation Corporation buses. Some of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company buses are closed top double deckers." (thanks Bill Vandervoort)

Operation Conspiracy AKA Cloak Without Dagger (1957, Philip Friend, Mary Mackenzie)

Opening credits show a London Transport RT in post-1950 livery. A later view shows RT and STL in earlier liveries. (+Colin Read)

Orders are Orders (1953, Tony Hancock, Peter Sellers et al)

Found by Bob Wingrove (who provided the screen captures); a remake of a 1933 film. Hancock's first feature film is an oddity about a movie company wanting to use an army barracks as the location for a science fiction film, and its soldiers as actors. The base Commander persuades them to use a nearby haunted house instead. It's of interest here because of this futuristic bus:

Bob notes the registration plate as ZD3784 - can anyone suggest an id?

Otley (1968, Tom Courtenay)

A sequence early in the movie was shot at Quainton Road station near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. Towards the end of the film, one of the bad guys is run down in a farmyard by (possibly) Bedford SB/Duple ULD814 lettered for 'R E Johnson' of Crawley (on the boot door) and 'ARJAY (Coachtours) Ltd' - it's been suggested the vehicle was supplied by a coach company in the Pinewood area.
I have found a listing which suggests ULD814 as an AEC Reliance/Duple new to Frames Tours, but Jon Price confirms it as a lightweight chassis.

Our Country (1944 UK Ministry of Information film)

Lester May reports several minutes footage of two separate Walter Alexander (Bluebird) Leyland Cheetah LZ2A/Burlingham coaches: firstly K20 (WG7252) stops to pick up a passenger (some internal shots too) then K14 (WG7245). Earlier in the film there is footage of Glasgow trams.

Our Man in Marrakesh (1966, Tony Randall, Senta Berger, Terry-Thomas et al)

Six travellers catch a Saviem bus from Casablanca airport to Marrakesh. Numerous single deck buses appear in the first ten minutes of this Morocco-shot film (thanks V) any more information available?)

Out of the Clouds (1955, dir Basil Dearden)

"An airport drama set in and around Heathrow Airport starring James Robertson Justice. There are some good shots of a BEA AEC RF and it's in colour too!" (thanks Kevin McGowan)
"You also get sightings of the extremely rare 'Dinky Toy' BOAC Commer-Harrington integrals. I thought this was worth noting, these are rarely depicted anywhere." (thanks Mike Lloyd) (new information)
Martin Ingle comments "The unidentifiable BEA Regal IV is of course in the original BEA livery rarely seen in colour shots (until one was so restored recently) so is a rare treat. The BOAC Commer Harrington Contender is identifiable as NLP686 and there is also footage of one of BOAC's Bedford OB/Mulliner buses. For those with wider interests the airport fire brigade turning out produces an incredible collection of wartime vehicles (still red liveried then) and the tarmac scenes showing passengers/crew walking to and from aircraft/terminals/cars are an amazing reminder of how casual it all used to be."
Nick Webster has discovered a continuity error: "Harrington Contender integral NLP686 containing some of the characters is filmed from the offside coming to a halt. In the next shot (from the nearside) the passengers are actually disembarking from another vehicle. The picture frame is fairly close up aroung the door but it appears to be one of the Commer Avengers also bodied by Harrington and supplied to BOAC just before the Contenders. I cannot determine the identity but it would have been something like MLD368."

The Out of Towners (1970, Jack Lemmon, Sandy Dennis)

Lemmon gets thrown off a New York GM New Look.

Overland Stage Raiders (1938, John Wayne, Louise Brooks)

Greyhound buses are being robbed of gold shipments. Any more information?

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