Buses on Screen - Films Sm-Sz

The Smashing Bird I Used to Know AKA School for Unclaimed Girls OR House of Unclaimed Women (1969, Dennis Waterman, Madeline Hinde)

"Towards the end of film a brief rear shot of an Aldershot & District BET style saloon in traditional livery." (thanks Jon Price)

Smokescreen (1964, Peter Vaughan)

Vaughan alights from an RM class AEC Routemaster on route 30 at the film's beginning; the action switches to Brighton, and several Brighton Corporation/Brighton Hove and District buses are seen in the background, also an open topper. (+Colin Read)

The Snake Pit (1948, Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens)

Lester May notes: "Just after ten minutes into this film, there is an unusual double-decker bus - fleet number 2003 of the Chicago Motor Coach Company. It is quite 'futuristic' in design.
Right at the very end of the film, a hospital bus/coach is seen."

Soldier of Fortune (1955, Clark Gable, Susan Hayward)

Has a view of Hong Kong trams and buses. (+Colin Read)

Some Came Running (1959, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Shirley MacLean)

Sinatra and MacLean arrive in town on a "Greyhound PD-4104 (the first GM coach type bus with the big windows...built 1953-60)." (thanks Bruce Korusek). A later scene at the bus station features a white/grey/red motorcoach and a green and white motorcoach (with a white star on the front) with Chicago as its destination. The latter appears again at the end of the film, leaving town. (thanks Denise Annells)

Something in the City (1950, Richard Hearne)

The opening credits have shots of Central London, featuring RT2294 (KGU323)and RT1613 (KLB735)seen close to Trafalgar Square. Many new RTs and STLs are seen. There is also a brief nearside shot of an STL on route 6 in Fleet Street. Hearne jumps precariously onto an STD driving at speed down the Strand. (+Colin Read)

Something to Hide AKA Shattered (1972, Peter Finch, Shelley Winters)

"There is a scene filmed at Culver Parade (maybe on the beach), Sandown and two Southern Vectis buses are seen passing. First is one of the Hants & Dorset rebuilt full-front open-top Bristol Ks (withdrawn in 1973) [nearside front view] followed by an offside rearview of a Bristol VR (probably one of the flat-front G or J reg). There may also be other Southern Vectis buses in the film." (thanks Mike Ginger)

The Sorcerers (1967, Boris Karloff, Ian Ogilvy)

"Only one scene in the film featuring buses, seen in the background through a cafe window: two RMs and 1 Duple and 1 Plaxton Panorama Bedford SB sized coaches both in a blue/black livery." (thanks Jon Price)

The Sound of Music (1965, Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer)

(updated)
"Julie Andrews rides a bus from Salzburg, Austria, to the country mansion where she becomes the governess (during the "I Have Confidence" song)." (thanks Bill Vandervoort) Alexander at the Internet Movie Cars Database identifies the bus as a Steyr 380Q.

Albus, who provided the bus for this sequence, now run 'Sound of Music' tours.

South Riding (1938, Edmund Gwenn, Ralph Richardson)

"I recall one of the scenes shows a family living in an old bus on some waste ground. Another scene shows a West Yorkshire Road Car Tilling Stevens single decker." (thanks Andrew Porter)

Spanglish (2004, Adam Sandler)

2363 of Regional Transit Service, a TMC T8O206, worked on this movie.

Special Delivery (1963, sponsored by Superior Coach Corporation)

Part of the Prelinger Archives, themselves part of the Internet Archive, this 25 minute promotional film shows how Superior Coach Corporation school buses move children safely to and from school. Filmed in Mansfield, Ohio in colour. See the screencaps, watch it online or download it (577MB in MPEG2).

Speed (1994, Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper) has its own page - CLICK HERE

Speedy (1928, Harold Lloyd)

The plot concerns the last horse-drawn trolley in New York. A large number of short clips from this movie can be seen at Getty Images: Film Page - key 'Speedy' into the search box.

Spiceworld (1998, the Spice Girls)

Customised Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks painted in Union Flag colours with lowered roof - played by former East Midland 172 (VTV172S), which later passed to Oxford Bus Museum for spares.

The Spitfire Grill (1996, Alison Elliott, Ellen Burstyn)

Nathan Isler reports a Pine Hill Trailways motorcoach; he believes it's an MCI 102C body style. Can anyone enlarge on this?

Spring and Port Wine (1970, James Mason, Diana Coupland, Susan George, Hannah Gordon)

Filmed in Bolton and showing a glimpse of at least one Bolton Corporation Leyland Atlantean/East Lancs. (thanks Alan Sinclair)
"Some footage in this film shows the characters on a bus. To film this the interior of the Leyland Atlantean demonstrator with Sheffield style Park Royal bodywork registered KTD551C was used. This event was the subject of an article in the Leyland Journal of that time." (thanks Chris Hough)
Stuart Turner adds "Bolton Corporation Metro-Cammell-bodied Leyland Titan PD2/13, 82 (JBN 158) is clearly shown, followed by an unidentified Atlantean, but clearly a Bolton example, and various other PD2s take a supporting role. An excellent example of location filming from this period, which makes these films all the more interesting." Bolton Corporation 82 (JBN158), a Leyland Titan PD2/13 with Metro-Cammell body, is clearly seen:

We also see Bolton Leyland Atlanteans and more Leyland Titans:

(thanks Stuart Turner and Alan Sinclair) "Some footage in this film shows the characters on a bus. To film this the interior of the Leyland Atlantean demonstrator with Sheffield style Park Royal bodywork registered KTD551C was used. This event was the subject of an article in the Leyland Journal of that time." (thanks Chris Hough)

Spring in Park Lane (1948, Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding)

Opeing and closing credits show street scenes around Marble Arch and Park Lane. Many buses are seen, mainly STLs, STs, LTs, also a 10T10 Green Line coach and possibly a G-type. Identifiable are STL2138 (DLU137) and STL1947 (DLU143) on service 16, and ST610 (GK5449) on service 36. (+Colin Read)

Spy Hard (1996, Leslie Nielsen)

A 'Speed' spoof features Nielsen and Ray Charles driving former Stockton Transit 1728, a GM New Look TDH4519 supplied by Regional Transit Service. Scott Richards in a post on the GMFishbowl Yahoo group noted the bus was originally repainted as a backup vehicle for 'Speed', and eventually blown up in another film in the livery of the fictional MRTT Lines.

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965, Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, Robert Hardy et al)

In one scene several London Transport Leyland PD2 RTLs pass behind Burton; also seen is an RT. Bloom travels supposedly from Wormwood Scrubs prison in either an RT or RTL.

Several Routemasters and RTs as the camera follows Burton along the street, including then brand-new London Transport AEC Routemaster RM2211 (CUV211C) on service 6A to Waterloo (thanks Colin Read).

Burton catches a bus from South Kensington tube station and is seen getting off Routemaster RM2200 (CUV200C). Colin Read notes it's blinded for service 207A to Hayes Station (although it was also in use on 6A from new) and appears to carry a full set of adverts for London Transport. The nearside is for 'London Transport at London's Service' and the rear is for the 'Round London Sightseeing Tour' - Colin speculates whether this was required by London Transport.

When Burton travels to Holland, several tractor-and-trailer Ford buses are seen as he leaves the aircraft. A similar bus transports Robert Hardy from the airport. (from late night notes by Alan Sinclair and Scot Fergie)

The Squeaker (1937, Edmund Lowe, Ann Todd)

An STL appears early in the film. (+Colin Read)

Squibs Wins the Calcutta Sweep (1922, Betty Balfour)

Part of this British movie was filmed in London's Piccadilly Circus. Clearly seen is London Transport AEC S-type S13 (XC8346) on route 88

but a couple of AEC B-types also pass through on route 33.

Star! (1968, Julie Andrews, Richard Crenna)

(updated)
A chance remark in Buses Illustrated magazine, October 1967, refers to a Leyland Titan TD1 appearing in a movie about the life of Gertrude Lawrence. Without seeing this scene in the movie I'm now confident this is DR4902, a TD1/Leyland new as National 2849 in 1929. The bus in the movie was actually in Eastern Counties livery, but had 'General' fleetnames and an 11E indicator blind fitted for filming. Chris Hough adds the film "featured Gertrude Lawrence played by Julie Andrews. Noel Coward was played by his godson Daniel Massey."
Richard Haughey explains, "The Leyland TD1 DR4902 did in fact carry Eastern Counties livery. The bus used to be a Chivers & Sons (Histon) Ltd staff bus and when it was withdrawn by Chivers, the vehicle was given a full overhaul and repaint by Eastern Counties in Cambridge. Chivers then donated the bus to the British Transport Museum. So that is why it was in ECOC livery." An even earlier vehicle with a starring role is London General K424 (XC8059), a 1920 LGOC-bodied AEC K, seen from every conceivable angle in a lengthy sequence.

Stardust (1974, David Essex, Adam Faith)

A shame we see no more than a glimpse of this 'decker:

Jon Price comments "Fairly late on in the film there is a shot through a window overlooking Park Lane in London which shows traffic including a DMS Fleetline and a London Country dual purpose liveried Leyland National on Green Line work. Later when Essex's character arrives to do a show on what appears to be a film soundstage he is driven past a line of vehicles." Firstly a pair of Plaxton Elite bodied coaches, slightly different:

....followed by a pair of lowbridge Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol Ks:

....then a Weymann(?) bodied coach:

In the same building we glimpse a former BEA deck and a half AEC RF:

Can anyone identify these vehicles or their owner(s)?
Jon Price adds "Near the end of the film there are scenes in a Spanish village which show a coach of some description."

Starsky and Hutch (2004, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Snoop Dogg)

Reportedly features a GM New Look T6H, formerly Bellingham Transit (Washington) 4523.

Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home (1986, William Shatner)

Much of the film is set in 20th century San Francisco; two orange/cream transit buses are seen, including GM New Look 3513, on which Kirk and Spock travel. The punk on the bus is Kirk Thatcher, the associate producer of the film. Thatcher also wrote the music heard loudly through the ghetto blaster. Streetcar 23 also appears.

Stay Tuned (1992, John Ritter, Pam Dawber)

Shot partly in Vancouver and features a Brill trolleybus outside the Niagara Hotel.

Steptoe and Son (1972, Wilfred Brambell, Harry H Corbett)

Not a good film, but enlivened by footage of the scrapmen driving their horse and cart through Central London at the beginning and end, with various London buses appearing behind them.

Few DMS Daimler Fleetlines have appeared in feature films, but this one would have been brand new:

More clearly seen is a Red Arrow MBA-class AEC Merlin:

.....and identifiable is RM2004 (ALM4B) on route 9:

Harold's wife leaves him and gets on a bus; I guess this empty RT-family bus was hired for the film, but we see no more of it than these views:

Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973, Wilfred Brambell, Harry H Corbett)

"Harold and Albert board a Green Line coach after visiting their horse, Hercules, who has just been retired in a horses' rest home. I think this may have been an RP class coach [AEC Reliance/Park Royal]." (thanks Alan Sinclair). Jon Price confirms it as RP34 (JPA134K).

(screencap by stronghold)
Chris Brown adds: "At an early point in the film when Harold is out collecting, appearing in the back ground past the cart, is a grey painted Bristol KSW parked on the 'wrong side' of the road. I believe that may have been Bristol KSW5G/Eastern Coachworks HWV294, which was owned by Location facilities and used for catering. I believe they bought the bus after service with Wilts & Dorset, and it was in use up to 1978 when I saw it in Dunstable with Tricentrol Coach Sales. It is now owned by my brother.
Also in the same shot, a red/cream liveried Plaxton coach is seen crossing at a road junction: if I am correct this could have been a vehicle owned by Birch Brothers of London NW5 and would be either NYM30E or NYM31E. Birch Bros had a contract with the BBC, which involved transporting stars and extra for locations for filming. My father occasionally drove the contract vehicle when in London. When Birch sold out to Grey Green, the contract was operated by Link Line of Harlesden and subsequently their vehicle could be seen in background shots of BBC productions."

The Sterile Cuckoo (1969, Liza Minelli)

"Minelli rides a Greyhound MCI MC-5A bus" (thanks Bruce Korusek)

Still Crazy (1997, Billy Connolly et al)

This tale of a rock band getting back on the road features Connolly at the wheel of purple Plaxton Supreme IV-bodied Ford R1114 PIW8619 (originally VJT619X) used as the band's tour bus. (thanks Steve Parker)

The Sting (1973, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw)

Features a green Chicago Motor Coach bus - although set in the 1920s a rear engined 1970s school bus was reportedly used.

St Martin's Lane AKA Sidewalks of London (1938, Charles Laughton, Vivien Leigh, Rex Harrison)

Several buses were hired from London Transport for filming. The street outide the famous Holborn Empire was recreated at Elstree Studios, and the LT crews found they had to be careful to avoid the cables, lights and props on set. (+Colin Read)

Stop Press Girl (1949)

Has a fairly long sequence with ST228 (GJ7957), and also features T508 (ELP232), both of London Transport. (+Colin Read)

Strange Boarders (1938, Irene Handl, Tom Walls)

Early in the film an elderly lady is run down by London Transport ST668 (GN4606), shown working route 136. (+Colin Read)

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946, Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas)

"Largely studio based - except for a couple of establishing and back projection shots showing Southern Pacific Cab Forwards and a slinky GS4 filmed in the back yard (Burbank and Simi Valley, maybe?) - with a nice model Cab Forward hauled freight thrown in - all purporting to be a Pennsylvania steel town! These shots show the cramped and cardboard set of Iverstown Bus Terminal with the two tricked up buses of the Intercity Lines that Lizabeth Scott seems to miss at least twice.
Martha Ivers

At one point Van Heflin gets beaten up by DA Kirk Douglas's goons and crawls from a ditch just as one of the stock buses comes along, which he rides back to the cardboard bus station. As it is a 'noir' epic, all are night shots. The choos-choos and Van Heflin's Desoto convertible I can identify, the buses I cannot." (thanks Graham) The bus is identified by Daniel Dey as a Flxible.

The Stranger (1946, Edward G Robinson, Orson Welles)

First five minutes have a short sequence featuring an American motorcoach lettered 'Connecticut Transportation Co.'. The interior view shows the name 'Gray Line' in the seat moquette. (+Colin Read)

Stranger than Fiction (2006, Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Miranda Richardson)

Features a 2000 Novabus LFS owned by the Chicago Transit Authority (thanks Daniel Dey).

Street Corner (1953)

A rear view of a postwar London Transport STD. (+Colin Read)

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951, Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Colin Read reports a glimpse of a (New Orleans?) streetcar in the opening scene.

Stripes (1981, Bill Murray, Warren Oates, John Candy)

Army comedy; the recruits, including Murray, arrive for basic training on GMC 4900s owned by Blue Motor Coach, Louisville, Kentucky. The bus station scene was filmed in Louisville, at the old Union station on Liberty Street.

Stuck in the Suburbs (2004, Danielle Panabaker, Brenda Song, Taran Killam))

Daniel Dey found a Prevost in this Disney teen movie:

Sullivan's Travels (1941, Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake)

McCrea's film director goes on the road dressed as a tramp to try to get experience of the real world. His staff decide to accompany him in this amazing 'land yacht', a luxury double decked motorcoach equipped with beds, a kitchen, etc etc.:

Discussion on the Internet Movie Car Database identifies this as a Yellow Coach Nite Coach built in about 1934.
Preston Sturges directed this classic, which also includes a chase scene!

.....and of course there's Veronica Lake:

Summer Holiday (1963, Cliff Richard)

The one everyone remembers! A London Transport AEC Regent III RT is used as a caravan on a trip across Europe to Greece. The film opens with footage of London Transport buses at Aldenham Works. A number of RT-family buses is seen, including two green Country Area RTs, also a green Country Area RF.

Three RTs, RT2305 (KGU334), RT2366 (KGU395) and RT4326 (NLE990) were sold by London Transport to the Associated British Picture Corporation of Elstree in April 1962. These were used in 'Summer Holiday', all posing as RT1881 with a fake registration number (WLB991).

Early in the film, 'RT1881' is converted to a caravan at the Works, complete with doors on the rear entrance:

When complete, the 'London Transport' fleetname is retained but the fleet number, visible at the beginning of the movie, has been painted over. The 'W' garage plate (for Cricklewood garage) is retained. It is uncanny how many scenes in the film have the bus parked in the background! The real RT1881 was registered LLU767. As the bus passes round the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, there is a glimpse of a Paris Renault singledecker:

At the end of the film there are some distant views of blue buses and yellow trolleybuses in Athens.

Information taken from several postings on the london-bus discussion group. (thanks to CCR - some information comes from 'RT: the story of a London bus', by K Blacker)
British Pathe News filmed Cliff Richard driving a bus at Chiswick, and a low resolution clip is downloadable from their website. See Cliff Drives A Bus for more information.

Sunburn (1999)

Irish indie film about Irish teenagers who land at Kennedy Airport and are taken to Montauk to work for the summer. "Early on there is a shot from a building showing them arriving in downtown Montauk Village aboard an MC-12 from Alert Coach out of either Bohemia or East Northport, New York" (my id from Alan Aron's description!)

Sunday in New York (1963, Jane Fonda)

"Fonda rides a couple of New York City New Look GMs. In some of the scenes you can also see old look GMs in the background. Also a Greyhound Scenicruiser pulls up behind them as they walk down a street." (thanks Bruce Korusek)

The Super Cops (1974, Ron Liebman, David Selby)

Alan Aron: "The movie starred Ron Liebman and David Selby as two undercover cops who didn't always play by the rules. I remember the opening scene has one of them riding on the back bumper of a NYC transit bus and jumps off to surprise a perpetrator. Don't remember what style of bus. Also there must be other scenes with buses in the background since the movie was filmed in New York City. You could put this up under movie listing or under mystery sightings until someone confirms this. According to IMDB.com it is not out on video."

Superhero (1982, Ray Winstone, Koo Stark)

Leon Daniels notes,
"I don't think I have ever told you about 'Superhero' - a 'short' film made with British Film Finance Corporation funding starring long before they were famous Ray Winstone and Koo Stark. Producer was Brian Eastman who is famous now as the man behind Poirot on TV.

We used an RT from Ted Brakell for this film - not only did I drive but was Ray's double. Ray is in a dream and is his own comic book superhero - Nightrider (no not the one with the car). He is chasing some crooks so steals a bus - actually I do. In fact we are both dressed in this 'tights and mask' outfit. Really funny. For a joke the film crew bundled me in my costume and dumped me outside Kings Cross Station in the height of the evening peak. Yep - I looked a real idiot!

Anyhow we do this chase sequence under the arches at London Bridge Station - pursuing a Rover 3500! To keep my Nighrider logo on my chest illuminated, a UV light was taped to the spoke of the RT's steering wheel. First move and it got stuck on the gear lever turret and the bus went off in a gentle arc across the road - 'stop, stop, stop...' cried the director.

We did the chase sequence well enough. Because Ray was portraying a decent superhero he was worried about intending passengers so he winds the ultimate blind from a destination to PRIVATE. This was awful. I made the blind despite protestations that PRIVATE was never an ultimate panel. The shot of that action was made with the vehicle stationary but Ray was also pretending to be driving so was winding the handle without guidance - very difficult to get it set correctly. Also to convey movement ten of us were rocking the bus from side to side by pushing on the lower deck window pans. Sadly we did it on one of those nights when we couldn't film much because of the rain, so during this rocking shot loads of rain ran up our sleeves and made us soaked from the inside!

In one sequence Ray as Nightrider runs out and hides behind a post before then running out to steal the RT from a crew chatting on the pavement. The first run is Ray, the second is me. We used to watch the rushes every evening at a studio near Centrepoint. In the first attempt Ray runs behind the post, knocks into me and we fall out in opposise directions. It looks like Nightrider has become two people in an instant!

Ray and Koo went on to be famous........!!"

Suspect (1987, Cher, Dennis Quaid, Liam Neeson)

Set in Washington DC and featuring a number of GM Fishbowls; the only identifiable vehicle is 1533. Quaid boards a Fishbowl in one sequence.

S W A L K (AKA Melody) (1971, Mark Lester, Jack Wild, Tracy Hyde)

Alan Parker-directed, and in many ways prefigures 'Fame'. There's an early view of Melody herself walking with a London Transport AEC Routemaster from the WLTxxx batch passing:

Includes a scene at a bus stop identified by Nazuna as "in Hercules Road in Lambeth, London near the pub named the Pineapple Inn."....

.....followed by a ride in London Transport RTL 453 (KLB648) for Wild and Lester (thanks Carlos Wallberg):

Leon Daniels notes: "The bus in this was driven by Mike Underhill and he recalls telling Mark Lester to take his feet off the seats of the preserved bus used (RTL453) during the filming. When he asked 'who do you think you are?', Mike said 'the owner of this bus!!!'"
There's a glimpse of a red Arrow AEC Merlin in Trafalgar Square, and another WLTxxx batch Routemaster:

Mark Savelli notes "A very good bus scene is that prolonged shot of an RT and an RM passing the loving couple as they wait to cross a road. The whole scene is set whilst a BeeGees song plays. Very moving." When Melody (Hyde) and Daniel (Lester) spend time on the beach in Weymouth, a Western National Bristol Lodekka FLF is seen in the background:

There's more location information at SWALK Melody.

Sweeney! (1977, John Thaw, Dennis Waterman)

Kevin McGowan notes prototype AEC Routemaster/Weymann RM3 appeared in the first film spin-off from the crime series.

The Sweet Hereafter (1997, Ian Holm)

"Ian Holm plays a lawyer for the victims of an accident with a school bus sunk in a frozen river." (thanks Carlos Wallberg) more information needed

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