Pack of Lies (1987, Ellen Burstyn, Alan Bates)

Set in the London suburbs and giving a rare view of a private hire type AEC Regal IV RF some 70 minutes into the film. (+Colin Read)

Party Party (1983, Daniel Peacock, Karl Howman et al)

Mark Lewington reports this "features an RT type bus in it. Although they are night shots it is quite clear on the screen. The first sequence is when two girls are waiting for the bus at a bus stop, the second scene is when they board it and sit on the bench seat on the lower deck."

The Passionate Stranger AKA A Novel Affair (1956, Margaret Leighton)

London Country Area GS77 (MXX377)(Guy Vixen Special/Eastern Coachworks) is seen in the opening credits, weaving through country lanes before stopping to allow a passenger off. (+Colin Read)

Passport to Pimlico (1949, Stanley Holloway)

A number of London Transport types of the period are seen, including RTs, STLs, LTs. One STL is STL446 (AYV604), a 1934 AEC Regent with LPTB body rebuilt in 1948, possibly after the film was shot. Two earlier STLs are STL31 (JJ4343), an AEC Regent/LGOC new to London General in 1933, and STL189 (AGX527), a Regent/LGOC new to London Transport later in 1933. Both were transferred to London Transport's Special Events fleet in 1948 and withdrawn for scrap at the end of that year.
STL31 is seen here with a similar bus behind: This is STL189: It's not possible to tell whether this is STL31 or its twin: Seen twice is this AEC Regal/Duple with London Transport relief boards in the window, possibly SWV254. The same vehicle appears in A Run For Your Money, made in the same year: ...another AEC Regal/Harrington, HYN543, of Rickards: ....also a six wheel Albion Valkyrie saloon; Bob Wingrove speculates this could be XS4765 as this was owned by a South London company. Ex Youngs of Paisley, this had a Cowieson body: Another is this passing coach: ...also a T-class AEC Regal/Weymann: Note there are also trams passing!

Patch Adams (1998, Robin Williams)

Has an appearance by a GMC 3751 from the Greyhound historic fleet.

Pay It Forward (2000, Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osment)

Early in this Las Vegas-set film Helen Hunt catches CAT transit bus 750 home from work. Later there is a scene at the bus station. Also appearing briefly is a yellow school bus of Clark County School District. George's School Bus Zone is devoted to the school buses of Clark County.

Payroll (1961, Michael Craig, Kenneth Griffith, Billie Whitelaw)

Set and filmed in Newcastle and Gateshead; the opening scenes have footage of numerous Northern General and Newcastle Corporation motorbuses and a Plaxton-bodied coach, also two Newcastle Corporation trolleybuses, some of them distant. Bob Wingrove provided these screencaps, firstly a couple of trolleys: These appear to be United Automobile Bristol Ks: Bob queries whether the body on this coach seen at night (and brightened for display here) is Duple Corinthian? Newcastle Corporation 328 (NVK328), an AEC Regent III, followed by what may be an Albion: Northern General Guy Arab saloon: This Northern General (?) 'decker should be identifiable: ....sadly this Newcastle Corporation Regent III isn't:

The Pelican Brief (1993, Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington)

Roberts is seen getting off Grayline H67. Later in the movie Stanley Tucci's character is seen getting off New Orleans Riverfront trolley 456.

Penny Princess (1952, Dirk Bogarde, Yolande Donlan)

When Donlan's character is introduced, "a New York street scene catches one of the remarkable Fifth Avenue Coach Company double deckers." There are shots of Piccadilly Circus (RTs and an STL) and probably Oxford Street (RTs) (+Colin Read)

People on Sunday (1929)

Views of trams and double decker buses in Berlin. (+Colin Read)

Perfect Friday (1970, Stanley Baker, Ursula Andress, David Warner)

Opens with typical Central London views, but I'd love to know what this distant 'decker was; Parked outside the Houses of Parliament are a Bedford SB and a Bedford VAL, both Duple bodied: A BEA AEC Routemaster is glimpsed through a taxi window, but better seen at Heathrow Airport itself are these two Bedford SBs, one Duple bodied, the other Plaxton: Another Bedford seen in traffic as David Warner hurries across the road is this VAS, with another BEA Routemaster behind it:

Phone Booth (2002, Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland)

(screen capture added)
In the first few minutes of this New York-set thriller, a Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks double decker in a red/cream livery passes heading away from the camera.

Piccadilly (1929, Anna May Wong)

The film's opening credits have views of several London General double deckers; routes 4, 44 and 14 are glimpsed, also 51. The bus stop outside the theatre is clearly seen, listing routes 6, 9, 13, 44, 51 and 60. Anna May Wong's character takes a trip on a bus - it's not seen from the outside, but the interior is seen.

Picnic (1955, William Holden, Kim Novak)

"At the end of the movie a young woman boards a Trailways ACF-Brill IC-41 coach and rides out of town." (thanks Bruce Korusek)

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987, Steve Martin, John Candy)

A train breakdown forces Martin and Candy to walk a mile and a half to the Jefferson City bus station, where they catch a bus to St Louis.

Planet 51 (2009, Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel et al)

Entertaining premise (astronaut lands on a farflung planet and is seen as a terrifying alien) isn't really worked out to its full potential in this animation for children, although there are some good sight gags for the adults. The well-rounded hover-transport theme includes both a school bus and what could be described as a true 'Fishbowl':

Plan For Coal (1952 public information film)

Based on the UK Government's 1950 coal plan to modernise and expand the coal industry over the next 15 years. A shot of the National Coal Board offices in London has a night shot of a roofbox RT on route 38 (thanks Bob Wingrove, who supplied the screen capture):

The Plank (1967, Eric Sykes, Tommy Cooper et al)

Wonderful silent comedy apparently filmed in the Kingston/Barnes area of London. Features Roy Castle having an encounter with a refuse truck, then finding himself unwelcome aboard brand new London Transport AEC Routemaster/Park Royal RML2296 (CUV296C). (+Colin Read)

A Plan to Work On (1948, dir Kay Mander)

Specialised documentary looking at the replanning of Dunfermline in Scotland. Bob Wingrove suggests Alexanders allocated a new batch of Guy Arabs to the depot at Dunfermline just before the film was shot. Most clearly seen are Arabs AWG385 and AWG372, but we also see a Leyland Tiger and Titan:

The Player (1992, Tim Robbins et al)

An obscure reference this: when Griffin Mill visits the cinema we see an excerpt from The Bicycle Thief (1948) which features passing Roman trams.

Play It Cool (1962, Billy Fury, Dennis Price)

Michael Winner's first feature film as director sees singer Billy Fury star as Billy Universe in a musical adventure from Gatwick Airport to London and back. The film is notable for appearances by Shane Fenton (later to become Alvin Stardust) and Helen Shapiro. For the bus fan it's interesting for views of this Duple-bodied coach - a Bedford SB? - in the livery of Jack Crump's Denham Coaches: The London footage features numerous RT family buses in traffic: ....before we return to Gatwick and the Bedford SB: Also of historical interest is the appearance behind Billy Fury of an RAF English Electric Canberra. WH912 was a Canberra B2 used as a testbed for the Airpass radar and fire-control system at RAE Farnborough:

Playstation 2 computer games

"My son was playing on a copy of 'FIFA 98', a Playstation 2 game, when to my amazement a brief introduction to the London venue showed a brief video clip of a Leyland Olympian with dual door Eastern Coachworks body!" (thanks Chris Hough)
Paul adds "When I can get on it (arrrgh!) I give the Routemaster a spin in 'Midtown Madness 2' and 'The Getaway', which also features a DAF which has Stagecoach fleet names. 'London Racer' also has buses but i'm unsure if you can drive them?"

Pleasantville (1998, Reese Witherspoon, Tobey Maguire)

At the end of the film Witherspoon's character boards Greyhound 947, a GMC 3751 from the Greyhound historic fleet. (thanks Jim O'Malley at Volkswagens in Film and Video)

Please Sir! (1971, John Alderton)

Jaunty film spinoff from the TV series opens with teacher Mr Hedges (Alderton) catching a London Transport AEC Routemaster on service 8 to get to school. He and his class go on a school trip - transport is provided by two Harrington Cavalier bodied AEC Reliances of Jack Crump, BMK341A and GMV514B. BMK's driver is played by Jack Smethurst, seen not quite running down caretaker Mr Potter (Derrick Guyler) The Fenn Street School kids get to travel on BMK341A (thanks Adam Floyd and Jon Price)

Please Turn Over (1960, Ted Ray)

Early in the film we glimpse a London Country Area GS-class Guy Vixen Special/Eastern Coachworks and a couple of RTs. (+Colin Read)

---

Back to the top of this page - updated 8 April 2010