Comedy - Director: Stuart Allen - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Bob Grant, Stephen Lewis, Anna Karen, Michael Robbins, Reg Varney more
The complete episodes from the first series that follows the antics of Stan the bus driver and Jack, his conductor as they try to avoid the miserable Inspector Blake.
On The Buses: Series 1 DVD
One of the most successful TV series ever made running from 1969 to 1973 On the Buses is ... more
great British comedy at its best. Starring Reg Varney as jack-the-lad bus driver Stan and Stephen Lewis as the long-suffering dim-witted Inspector Blake ('Bla...
and driver of the No.11 bus who still lives with his Mum (Cicely Courtneidge), his plain sister Olive (Anna Karen) and disgruntled brother-in-law Arthur (Michael Robbins). At work, he fraternises with the laddish and lecherous Jack (Bob Grant), with whom he pursues innumerable (and improbable) giggly, mini-skirted "clippies" (conductors) and cheeks the beady-eyed and punctilious bus inspector, Blakey (Steven Lewis)This first series was broadcast in black and white in 1969. Much of the comedy derives from gender role reversal--Stan and Arthur forced to do the household chores when Olive and Mum fall ill ("Family Flu"); "The Canteen", in which the busmen decide to run the canteen themselves; or "The Darts Match", in which Stan and Jack are bested at darts by--imagine--a pair of dollybird clippies.Despite its immense popularity,On the Buseshasn't dated well. Like the buses themselves, the jokes don't arrive very often and when they do, they're visible a long way off. The studio audience whoops cathartically at anything remotely alluding to sex, making you wonder at the repressed nature of British society in 1969. In later decades it would come to be treasured as somewhat creaky kitsch by audiences nostalgic for an age of politically incorrect innocence.On the DVD:On the Buseshas no extra features here. The original black and white versions have scrubbed up reasonably well, although defects such as fading sound and poor dubbing have proven beyond amendment. --David Stubbs
and driver of the No.11 bus who still lives with his Mum (Cicely Courtneidge), his plain sister Olive (Anna Karen) and disgruntled brother-in-law Arthur (Michael Robbins). At work, he fraternises with the laddish and lecherous Jack (Bob Grant), with whom he pursues innumerable (and improbable) giggly, mini-skirted "clippies" (conductors) and cheeks the beady-eyed and punctilious bus inspector, Blakey (Steven Lewis)This first series was broadcast in black and white in 1969. Much of the comedy derives from gender role reversal--Stan and Arthur forced to do the household chores when Olive and Mum fall ill ("Family Flu"); "The Canteen", in which the busmen decide to run the canteen themselves; or "The Darts Match", in which Stan and Jack are bested at darts by--imagine--a pair of dollybird clippies.Despite its immense popularity,On the Buseshasn't dated well. Like the buses themselves, the jokes don't arrive very often and when they do, they're visible a long way off. The studio audience whoops cathartically at anything remotely alluding to sex, making you wonder at the repressed nature of British society in 1969. In later decades it would come to be treasured as somewhat creaky kitsch by audiences nostalgic for an age of politically incorrect innocence.On the DVD:On the Buseshas no extra features here. The original black and white versions have scrubbed up reasonably well, although defects such as fading sound and poor dubbing have proven beyond amendment.--David Stubbs
and driver of the No 11 bus who still lives with his mum (Cicely Courtneidge in the first series, Doris Hare in the second), his plain sister Olive (Anna Karen) and disgruntled brother-in-law Arthur (Michael Robbins). At work, he fraternises with the laddish and lecherous Jack (Bob Grant), with whom he pursues innumerable (and improbable) giggly, mini-skirted "clippies" (conductors) and cheeks the beady-eyed and punctilious bus inspector, Blakey (Steven Lewis)The first series was broadcast in black and white in 1969, and the show eventually ran until 1973. Eventually,On the Buseswould be both celebrated and reviled for its leery, pre-feminist sauciness, and for the exasperated gurning of Lewis' little Hitler-esque inspector. The first series in particular, however, is more keen to develop the theme of Stan as Mummy's boy, with Lewis only a secondary character. Much of the comedy derives from gender role reversal--Stan and Arthur forced to do the household chores when Olive and Mum fall ill ("Family Flu"); "The Canteen", in which the busmen decide to run the canteen themselves; or "The Darts Match", in which Stan and Jack are bested at darts by--imagine--a pair of dollybird clippies.Despite its immense popularity,On the Buseshasn't dated well. Like the buses themselves, the jokes don't arrive very often and when they do, they're visible a long way off. The studio audience whoops cathartically at anything remotely alluding to sex--even a bared male nipple--making you wonder at the repressed nature of British society in 1969. In later decades it would come to be treasured as somewhat creaky kitsch by audiences nostalgic for an age of politically incorrect innocence.On the DVD:On the Buseshas no extra features here. The original black and white versions have scrubbed up reasonably well, although defects such as fading sound and poor dubbing have proven beyond amendment. --David Stubbs
and driver of the No.11 bus who still lives with his Mum (Doris Hare), his plain sister Olive (Anna Karen) and disgruntled brother-in-law Arthur (Michael Robbins). At work, he fraternises with the laddish and lecherous Jack (Bob Grant), with whom he pursues innumerable (and improbable) giggly, mini-skirted "clippies" (conductors) and cheeks the beady-eyed and punctilious bus inspector, Blakey (Steven Lewis)Despite its immense popularity,On the Buseshasn't dated well. Like the buses themselves, the jokes don't arrive very often and when they do, they're visible a long way off. The studio audience whoops cathartically at anything remotely alluding to sex--even a bared male nipple--making you wonder at the repressed nature of British society in 1969. In later decades it would come to be treasured as somewhat creaky kitsch by audiences nostalgic for an age of politically incorrect innocence.On the DVD:On the Buseshas no extra features here. The original black and white versions have scrubbed up reasonably well, although defects such as fading sound and poor dubbing have proven beyond amendment. --David Stubbs
Comedy - Director: Blake Edwards - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Capucine, David Niven, Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers
Comedy - Director: John Howard-Davies, Bob Spiers - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Connie Booth, Andrew Sachs, Prunella Scales, John Cleese
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
A review by sunmeilan on On The Buses - Series 1 (DVD) January 24th, 2006
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Liked it
Story
Satisfactory
Characters / Performances
Good
Special Effects
Standard
How does it compare to similar films?
Satisfactory
Advantages:
Light, fun entertainment
Disadvantages:
Sexist, racist, old - fashioned
Recommend to potential buyers:
no
Full review
Introduction On the Buses was televised from 1969 to 1973 - hard to believe that it's now as old as me! I can't say I can remember it when it was first shown, but remember seeing replays as a child and my mum's always telling me about cosy evenings in by the fire watching it. It is thoroughly politically incorrect, but whatever this says about the period, On the Buses was one of the most successful comedy series ever made and 74 episodes were made in all.
The writers Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney, the primary writers for the show, are also responsible for bringing 'Allo 'Allo to our TV sets!
The packaging Series one comes as two DVDs - one containing episodes 1-3, the second, episodes 4-7. The packaging is decorated with three of the main actors as cartoon characters on the front.
The actors/characters The sitcom revolves around Stan Butler, played by Reg Varney, and his family. Stan is a bus driver who struggles to make a living to support himself and his mother. In his late 30s/early 40s, he still lives at home and has never had a steady girlfriend. His life is thwarted at every turn by Inspector Blake, who keeps a close eye on Stan and his shenanigans. Stan's friend, Jack, played by Bob Grant, is Stan's ticket inspector and partner in crime. Reg Varney is still alive, but hasn't taken any acting roles for a number of years; Bob Grant died in 2003.
Stephen Lewis as Inspector Blake is probably the best actor in the show. He looks, as Stan tells him, like an undertaker and has a strong sense of right and wrong, with no flexibility when Stan and Jack get themselves into trouble for breaking the rules. He rarely sees the funny side of anything and has such a deadpan face that it is hard not to smile.
Stan's family consists of his mum, played by Cicely Courtneidge, his sister Olive (Anna Karen) and her husband Arthur (Michael Robbins). Olive, not the most attractive of girls and always ill, is the butt of many jokes. Stan and Arthur are always trying to prove which of them is the best - Stan works on the buses and Arthur works for the railway. I think Anna Karen does a good job of her role - none of the others really have much chance to show off their acting skills in between the gags. She has recently been in The Second Quest, along with David Jason.
What happens Well, nothing much really. In each episode, Stan tries to avoid working as far as possible and gets himself into trouble in various ways: taking a girl home, then not being able to get rid of his mum; getting himself promoted to inspector for the extra money, but losing his friends in the process; taking over the canteen, but unable to cater for his colleagues. But no matter what the problem is, he manages to do all right in the end, even if his record with the ladies doesn't improve.
Conclusion If you like your comedy to have some kind of purpose, then this isn't for you. It is slapstick comedy of a similar type to the Carry On films. I find it hard to watch more than a couple of episodes at any one time, but I do enjoy it when I want something light and daft. It is interesting to see the changes in family life that have taken place since then, when it was normal for an entire working class family, mother, son, daughter, daughter's husband, all living together in house. There may not have been as many choices then, but sometimes I wonder if there are too many choices now. It is also interesting to note that the 'sexy' girls in the sitcom are distinctly plump - none of the skinny things that are considered attractive these days.
One thing that makes the series seem old-fashioned is the plethora of sexist and racist jokes that just don't seem funny any more. And can you believe that women could not be bus drivers?! The nearest they got to it was ticket inspector.
All in all, recommended as a way to fill an evening, but it's not at the top of my sitcom list. You're probably better off waiting for the repeats on the TV.
I bought the series from HMV for about ₤12 in a sale. It is also available from Amazon for £11.42 if you're still interested in buying a copy. Series one can also be bought separately in two parts.
Advantages: Brilliant comedy Disadvantages: Cecily Courtneidge as mum
On the Buses is a classic TV comedy that ran for seven series between the years of 1969 and 1973. This situational comedy revolved around the life of bus driver Stan Butler and the rest of his family, which include his overly doting mother, his sister Olive and her husband Arthur. Other important characters include Stan's best friend Jack, the conductor on his bus and Inspector Blake. The On the Buses series 1 DVD contains the first 7 episodes of ... ...this however I can only give this series 4/5 stars due to the fact that Cicely Courneidge's performance as mum simply isn't the best it could be and seeing as she is such an integral character this does put a bit of a dampers on the series as a whole. ...
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Plot: The complete episodes from the first series that follows the antics of Stan the bus driver and Jack, his conductor as they try to avoid the miserable Inspector Blake.
DVD Description
The complete episodes from the first series that follows the antics of Stan the bus driver and Jack, his conductor as they try to avoid the miserable Inspector Blake.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): NETWORK; FREMANTLE HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Release date: 20/02/2006
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: 7952406
Barcode: 5027626240646
Screenwriter: Ronald Wolfe, Ronald Chesney
Languages
Main Language: English
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since : 24/01/2006
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