The Runaway Bus - Revision history

Kurt: /* Production */

2023-02-09T17:40:17Z

Production

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:40, 9 February 2023
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	[[Val Guest]] had first met Frankie Howerd backstage in his dressing room at the [[London Palladium]] where Howerd was topping the bill in a long-running variety show. The two men became friends. Howerd later said he "wanted to do a comedy thriller. Bob Hope’s first real success was in ''The Cat and the Canary''. I saw it when I was in the army and thought that if I ever get out I’d make a comedy thriller."<ref name="psycho">{{cite magazine\|magazine=Psychotronic Video\|url=https://archive.org/details/Psychotronic_Video_34/page/n62/mode/1up?q=%22runaway+bus%22+\|page=60\|title=Frankie Howerd\|first=Tony\|last=Williams\|number=34\|year=2001}}</ref>		[[Val Guest]] had first met Frankie Howerd backstage in his dressing room at the [[London Palladium]] where Howerd was topping the bill in a long-running variety show. The two men became friends. Howerd later said he "wanted to do a comedy thriller. Bob Hope’s first real success was in ''The Cat and the Canary''. I saw it when I was in the army and thought that if I ever get out I’d make a comedy thriller."<ref name="psycho">{{cite magazine\|magazine=Psychotronic Video\|url=https://archive.org/details/Psychotronic_Video_34/page/n62/mode/1up?q=%22runaway+bus%22+\|page=60\|title=Frankie Howerd\|first=Tony\|last=Williams\|number=34\|year=2001}}</ref>

	Guest said that Howerd was initially reluctant to make a film, "Films? Oho, that's a dangerous game. Get your name up there outside a cinema and if they don't go in it's all your fault! Thank you but no thank you!"~~{{citation needed\|date=January 2011}}~~ Howerd finally agreed, but made three demands. Firstly, Guest had to write a comedy-thriller, so that if the comedy part did not work, the thriller part might. Second, he did not want his name first above the title. And finally, he wanted his favourite comedy actress [[Margaret Rutherford]] to be in it.<ref>Val Guest 'So You Want to be in Pictures'</ref>		Guest said that Howerd was initially reluctant to make a film, "Films? Oho, that's a dangerous game. Get your name up there outside a cinema and if they don't go in it's all your fault! Thank you but no thank you!" Howerd finally agreed, but made three demands. Firstly, Guest had to write a comedy-thriller, so that if the comedy part did not work, the thriller part might. Second, he did not want his name first above the title. And finally, he wanted his favourite comedy actress [[Margaret Rutherford]] to be in it.<ref>Val Guest 'So You Want to be in Pictures'</ref>

	Howerd's biographer said that ''The Runaway Bus'' "was a kind of a cross between a cut-price version of ''The Cat and the Canary'' and a very half-hearted reworking of ''The Ghost Train''" which Guest had helped adapt for [[Arthur Askey]].<ref name="book"/> Shooting took five weeks, with a budget of £45,000.<ref name="book">{{cite book \|author=Graham McCann \|author-link=Graham McCann \|title=Frankie Howerd: Stand-Up Comic \|publisher=[[HarperCollins]] UK \|edition=illustrated \|page=214\|date=October 1, 2004 \|isbn=1841153109 <!--\|ISBN=978-1841153100 -->}}</ref> It was made at [[Southall Studios]] in [[London]].		Howerd's biographer said that ''The Runaway Bus'' "was a kind of a cross between a cut-price version of ''The Cat and the Canary'' and a very half-hearted reworking of ''The Ghost Train''" which Guest had helped adapt for [[Arthur Askey]].<ref name="book"/> Shooting took five weeks, with a budget of £45,000.<ref name="book">{{cite book \|author=Graham McCann \|author-link=Graham McCann \|title=Frankie Howerd: Stand-Up Comic \|publisher=[[HarperCollins]] UK \|edition=illustrated \|page=214\|date=October 1, 2004 \|isbn=1841153109 <!--\|ISBN=978-1841153100 -->}}</ref> It was made at [[Southall Studios]] in [[London]].

Kurt at 17:34, 9 February 2023

2023-02-09T17:34:03Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:34, 9 February 2023
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	~~{{short description\|1954 film}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=May 2016}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=May 2016}}~~
	{{Infobox film		{{Infobox film
	~~\| name = The Runaway Bus~~
	\| image = The Runaway Bus.jpg		\| image = The Runaway Bus.jpg
	~~\| image_size =~~
	\| caption =		\| caption =
	\| director = [[Val Guest]]		\| director = [[Val Guest]]
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	[[Category:British black-and-white films]]		[[Category:British black-and-white films]]
	[[Category:1950s British films]]		[[Category:1950s British films]]
			[[Category:British comedy films]]

Kurt at 17:32, 9 February 2023

2023-02-09T17:32:27Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:32, 9 February 2023
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	==External links==		==External links==
	* {{IMDb title\|id=0047434\|title=The Runaway Bus}}		* {{IMDb title\|id=0047434\|title=The Runaway Bus}}
	*~~[https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/~~4ce2b6b4c330a The Runaway Bus~~] at BFI~~		*{{BFI\|4ce2b6b4c330a\|The Runaway Bus}}
	*~~[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/~~title/88771~~/Runaway-Bus-The/~~ The Runaway Bus~~] at [[TCMDB]]~~		*{{TCMDb title\|88771\|The Runaway Bus}}
	{{Val Guest}}		{{Val Guest}}

Kurt: 1 revision imported

2023-01-25T22:45:35Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 17:45, 25 January 2023
(No difference)

en>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: /* External links */add Category:1950s British films

2022-09-03T18:12:21Z

External links: add Category:1950s British films

New page

{{short description|1954 film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The Runaway Bus
| image = The Runaway Bus.jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| director = [[Val Guest]]
| producer = Val Guest
| writer = Val Guest
| narrator =
| starring = [[Frankie Howerd]]<br>[[Margaret Rutherford]]<br>[[Petula Clark]]
| music = [[Ronald Binge]]
| cinematography = [[Stanley Pavey]]
| editing = [[Douglas Myers (film editor)|Douglas Myers]]
| studio = Conquest-Guest Productions
| distributor = [[Eros Films]]
| released = 16 February 1954
| runtime = 78 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget = £45,000<ref name="book"/>
}}

'''''The Runaway Bus''''' is a 1954 British [[comedy film]] produced, written, and directed by [[Val Guest]]. It stars [[Frankie Howerd]], [[Margaret Rutherford]] and [[Petula Clark]] and an ensemble cast of [[character actor]]s in a story about a [[bus]] caught in [[fog]] while a gang of crooks tries to carry off a [[Heist film|heist]]. The film was shot at [[Southall Studios]] in [[London]] with sets designed by the [[art director]] [[Wilfred Arnold]]. It was the film debut of [[Belinda Lee]]. The film is referenced in an episode of Frankie Howerd's 1970s radio series.

==Plot==
When heavy fog wreaks havoc among air travellers throughout [[southern England]], outspoken Cynthia Beeston ([[Margaret Rutherford]]), a forceful proponent of [[Optimism|"Positive Thought"]], insists on being taken from [[London Heathrow Airport|London Airport]] to [[Blackbushe Airport]], where she might be able to fly to Dublin.

Harassed airline employees find emergency relief [[Bus|coach]] 13, and reserve driver Percy Lamb ([[Frankie Howerd]]) to transport her. Lamb is a man so hapless he cannot find his way around the airport, much less the roads. Beeston is joined by mild-mannered Henry Waterman ([[Toke Townley]]), pulp-thriller addict Janie Grey ([[Belinda Lee]]) and Ernest Schroeder ([[George Coulouris]]). To satisfy a regulation, stewardess "Nikki" Nicholls ([[Petula Clark]]) is assigned to shepherd them. Rounding out the party is airline first officer Peter Jones ([[Terence Alexander]]), who hitches a ride.

Unbeknownst to most of them, robbers have stolen £200,000 worth of [[gold bullion]] from the airport bonded store and hidden the proceeds in the [[Trunk (car)|boot]] of the coach.

Two of the crooks are caught; under questioning by Inspector Henley ([[John Horsley (actor)|John Horsley]]), one breaks down and admits the gold was stowed on the coach and that the mysterious and notorious "Banker" is the mastermind. Henley informs Percy by radio, but the fog is so thick, Percy has no idea where he is. In mid-call, Peter pokes what Percy thinks is a gun into Percy's back and tells him to keep driving. They wind up at a deserted [[booby-trapped]] village used by the Army for training.

When Schroeder finds a [[Sten]] gun, Peter grabs it. Schroeder then informs him that it does not work, and produces a pistol of his own. After a scuffle, it turns out that Peter is working for [[airport security]], while Schroeder is a police officer. Miss Beeston - the Banker - ends up with the gun, and her henchman Henry tries to start the coach. Percy saves the day, having removed the rotor arm from the engine, and knocking the pistol out of Miss Beeston's hand with a stone.

==Cast==
*[[Frankie Howerd]] as Percy Lamb
*[[Margaret Rutherford]] as Cynthia Beeston
*[[Petula Clark]] as Lee "Nikki" Nichols
*[[George Coulouris]] as Ernest Shroeder
*[[Toke Townley]] as Henry Waterman
*[[Terence Alexander]] as Peter Jones
*[[Belinda Lee]] as Janie Grey
*[[John Horsley (actor)|John Horsley]] as Inspector Henley
*[[Anthony Oliver]] as Duty official
*[[Stringer Davis]] as Transport officer
*[[Michael Gwynn]] as Transport dispatcher
*[[Reginald Beckwith]] as Telephone man
*[[Marianne Stone]] as Travel girl
*[[Lionel Murton]] as American traveller
*[[Lisa Gastoni]] as Receptionist
*Richard Beynon as Transport officer
*[[Sam Kydd]] as Airport security officer
*Cyril Conway as 1st crook
*[[Arthur Lovegrove]] as 2nd crook
*Alastair Hunter as Detective Spencer

==Production==
The huge success of [[Norman Wisdom]] in ''[[Trouble in Store]]'' led to British film companies signing up other comics from TV, radio and variety. The company Eros decided to make a film with Frankie Howerd.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Kinematograph Weekly|url=https://archive.org/details/kineweekly2435/page/n10/mode/1up?q=%22runaway+bus%22|date=25 February 1954|page=11|title=There's a Rush to Borrow Stars}}</ref>

[[Val Guest]] had first met Frankie Howerd backstage in his dressing room at the [[London Palladium]] where Howerd was topping the bill in a long-running variety show. The two men became friends. Howerd later said he "wanted to do a comedy thriller. Bob Hope’s first real success was in ''The Cat and the Canary''. I saw it when I was in the army and thought that if I ever get out I’d make a comedy thriller."<ref name="psycho">{{cite magazine|magazine=Psychotronic Video|url=https://archive.org/details/Psychotronic_Video_34/page/n62/mode/1up?q=%22runaway+bus%22+|page=60|title=Frankie Howerd|first=Tony|last=Williams|number=34|year=2001}}</ref>

Guest said that Howerd was initially reluctant to make a film, "Films? Oho, that's a dangerous game. Get your name up there outside a cinema and if they don't go in it's all your fault! Thank you but no thank you!"{{citation needed|date=January 2011}} Howerd finally agreed, but made three demands. Firstly, Guest had to write a comedy-thriller, so that if the comedy part did not work, the thriller part might. Second, he did not want his name first above the title. And finally, he wanted his favourite comedy actress [[Margaret Rutherford]] to be in it.<ref>Val Guest 'So You Want to be in Pictures'</ref>

Howerd's biographer said that ''The Runaway Bus'' "was a kind of a cross between a cut-price version of ''The Cat and the Canary'' and a very half-hearted reworking of ''The Ghost Train''" which Guest had helped adapt for [[Arthur Askey]].<ref name="book"/> Shooting took five weeks, with a budget of £45,000.<ref name="book">{{cite book |author=Graham McCann |author-link=Graham McCann |title=Frankie Howerd: Stand-Up Comic |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] UK |edition=illustrated |page=214|date=October 1, 2004 |isbn=1841153109 }}</ref> It was made at [[Southall Studios]] in [[London]].

In September 1953 the New York Times announced that the film would be called ''Scream in the Night'' and star Howerd and Belinda Lee, who the paper said had never acted before and was the seventy-seventh girl who auditioned.<ref>{{cite news|last=Watts|first=Stephen|title=Motion Picture Activities Along the Thames – Peter Brook Clicks As a Movie Director With 'Beggar's Opera' – Other Matters|url=https://nytimes.com/1953/06/21/archives/motion-picture-activities-along-the-thames-peter-brook-clicks-as-a.html|work=The New York Times|date=21 June 1953|page=X5|access-date=June 12, 2020}}</ref>

Howerd later said Guest "wrote the story but I mostly wrote my own part and we did it. In those days we didn't have much money so in order to make the film{{nbsp}}... you set the whole thing in a fog so you wouldn't use much scenery. The great advantage was having Margaret Rutherford in it."<ref name="psycho"/>

On the last day of filming, Guest realised that the movie was coming in at 72 minutes, three minutes short to qualify as a feature, so Howerd improvised a scene in a phone box.<ref>McCann p 215</ref>

==Reception==
''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it "boisterous".<ref>[https://archive.org/details/variety193-1954-03/page/n5/mode/1up?q=%22belinda+lee%22 Review of film] at Variety</ref> ''Filmink'' said " Lee is gorgeous to look at and is quite funny; the film did not turn Howerd into a film star (that came later, off the back of TV success) but it is entertaining."<ref name="bomb">{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|title=A Tale of Two Blondes: Diana Dors and Belinda Lee|date=September 7, 2020|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/a-tale-of-two-blondes-diana-dors-and-belinda-lee/}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=0047434|title=The Runaway Bus}}
*[https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b4c330a The Runaway Bus] at BFI
*[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/88771/Runaway-Bus-The/ The Runaway Bus] at [[TCMDB]]
{{Val Guest}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Runaway Bus, The}}
[[Category:1954 films]]
[[Category:1950s crime comedy films]]
[[Category:1950s comedy mystery films]]
[[Category:British crime comedy films]]
[[Category:British comedy mystery films]]
[[Category:1950s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films about buses]]
[[Category:Films directed by Val Guest]]
[[Category:Films set in London]]
[[Category:Films shot at Southall Studios]]
[[Category:1954 comedy films]]
[[Category:British black-and-white films]]
[[Category:1950s British films]]