Not well known, "The Big Bus" is one of the earliest film parodies, sending up the "disaster" genre that was popular at the time. The amiable Bologna stars as the driver selected to steer a super bus, conceived on nuclear turbines, John Beck his nervous co-driver (nicknamed "Shoulders" because that's where he tends to drive), and a galaxy of TV stars who soon discover that terrorists have plans to turn the bus into a missile.
Maybe considered a pre-cursor of sorts to "Speed", there's a few minor giggles, some corny one-liners ("there's drinks for those who want them, and nothing for those who don't") and an amusing on-board piano entertainer (Murphy Dunne) who improvises his songs based on the circumstances of the guests ("welcome to the Oriental lounge", "six months to live, I've got six months to live"). Among the distinguished cast is Larry Hagman as a clueless doctor, Ruth Gordon playing an unsympathetic, bitter old duck, and Richard Mulligan and Sally Kellerman as a dysfunctional couple drinking to excess and bickering throughout the maiden journey much to the bemusement of their fellow guests.
Unlikely to leave you in stitches, it's a reasonable warm up to more animated parodies like "Flying High" and "The Naked Gun" which have subsequently raised the bar in the sub-genre.
Maybe considered a pre-cursor of sorts to "Speed", there's a few minor giggles, some corny one-liners ("there's drinks for those who want them, and nothing for those who don't") and an amusing on-board piano entertainer (Murphy Dunne) who improvises his songs based on the circumstances of the guests ("welcome to the Oriental lounge", "six months to live, I've got six months to live"). Among the distinguished cast is Larry Hagman as a clueless doctor, Ruth Gordon playing an unsympathetic, bitter old duck, and Richard Mulligan and Sally Kellerman as a dysfunctional couple drinking to excess and bickering throughout the maiden journey much to the bemusement of their fellow guests.
Unlikely to leave you in stitches, it's a reasonable warm up to more animated parodies like "Flying High" and "The Naked Gun" which have subsequently raised the bar in the sub-genre.