Detour to Terror

. . .but it was on a UHF channel and the reception was very fuzzy. I'd really like to own the movie since the reason I watched it in the first place is because I am a bus driver and at the time I saw this movie, I was driving that model bus. It was only (during his murder trial some 15 years later) that I remember vaguely that OJ was one of the stars in it. I only recall that he was the driver and of the bus' being shot up and driven wildly. I've been looking all over for this movie to no avail, since viewing it in the mid-80s. I liked the movie, I don't usually watch thrillers, but after reading the summary in the TV guide, and viewing its beginning (although fuzzy) I stayed for the whole thing.

A tour group (led by Arte Johnson!) heads to Las Vegas via a greyhoud bus (driven by O. J. Simpson!). Crap tables are soon the least of their worries though as they are taken hostage by a group of criminals (led by Lorenzo Lamas!). Seems they want to kidnap the wife of a wealthy businessman, but don't know he is on this trip with his girlfriend instead.

According to the L. A. Times, this was the second of a three picture deal Simpson had signed with NBC (it was preceded by Goldie and the Boxer in 1979 and followed by Goldie and the Boxer go to Hollywood in 1981) and they ran it in February 1980 as counter programming against the Winter Olympics. This is entertaining and makes good use of the desert locations. The cast is good and Johnson even has a nice dramatic bit where he talks about being a lonely tour guide. Fans of Deathstalker (1983) will be excited to see Rick Hill in here. He plays - what else? - an athlete. The one weird thing is Lamas apparently adopts an Elvis-like voice as the ring leader. Also, look closely in the background and you'll see Simpon's future wife Nicole as one of the bus passengers. The film was directed by Michael O'Herlihy (brother of Dan!) and it was one of six tele-films he had debut that year.

I haven't seen it in over twenty years. OJ was the bus driver, Arte Johnson was the tour guide, Lorenzo was the kidnapper.

Yea, Lorenzo looked very much at home as the villain, a natural. I think I watched it back then most for OJ, who I had seen Towering Inferno and Cassandra Crossing, but also to see Arte Johnson.

I was a little bored that Johnson was so serious.

And yes, it shifted plots. In reading other posts, I remember that was some plot that they were going to kidnap some rich girl, but then that priceless stamp business turned up out of the blue.

I was going, a stamp? If it came on as a late movie, I would probably record it to check it out again, but I wouldn't be nostalgic over it. Not yet anyway.

There are better movies from the seventies like this to check out.

Well you take O.J. Simpson as a all american soldier turned all american bus driver who decides to rescue his passengers on his own just incase no one else is going to and Arte Johnson in an absolutely straight role as the tour guide who doesn't know what to do but doesn't want to admit they are in trouble and combine it with Lorenzo Lamas as one of three baby faced bad boys who intend to kidnap an heiress and leave a busload of people to die on the dessert and you have got to have action, plot twists and a lot of drama. Everyone was good but seeing Lamas as the baddest of the bad boys really blew my mind. He was much too believable as the overbearing bad guy who not only wanted to kidnap the heiress but rape the women and humiliate the guy who tried to stop him. This was evidently long before he cultivated his good guy image. And believe me a 20 year old Lorenzo in tight jeans you really don't want to miss!

(Some Spoilers) O.J Simpson as the sweet kindly and lovable bus driver Lee Hayes saves the day and his passengers from a trio of ruthless hijacker/kidnappers lead by a clean-cut and innocent looking Neil, Randall Carver. O.J or Lee Hayes does it with his take charge bravado, when the chips are down, and his cut and slice bus driving exploits that eventually puts the three hoodlums out of business permanently.

Just expecting a average and boring ride to Las Vegas from Albuqerque Lee's bus ride ended up being anything but. Tailed in the open desert by two dune buggies the bus is driven off the road and almost overturns. With Lee skillful driving he gets back on track only to later have two of the the dune buggies drivers enter the bus at the next stop and then hijack it.

These three desperado's, one was waiting for the bus at a prearrange site in the desert, were trying to kidnap Mrs. Brain a rich New Mexico socialite, for a $50,000.00 ransom, only to find out much later that Mrs Brain is really Mr. Brain's, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, mistress Joyce Landry, Pat Keating,instead.

While on the bus Neil shot one of the passengers Finch, Phil Mead, who pulled a gun on his hijack partner Jamie, Leranzo Lammas. As Finch later lies dying from his wound he reveals to bus' tour director Harry Edwards, Art Johnson,that he has a stamp worth $90,000.00 sewn into his jacket, for safekeeping, thus having theses three jerks screw themselves out of making a quick and easy buck twice not once within a few hours.

Taking over and getting everyone to pitch in Lee gets the disabled bus, the hijackers shot the tires out and cut the electrical cables, up and going in no time at all but as soon as he's heading for the nearest highway, some twenty miles away, the hoods are back on their dune buggies trying to get the $90,000.00 stamp that still on th bus and thus salvage whatever they can of their bungled and deadly bus heist.

A very likable O.J Simpson together with his wife Nicole who has a very visible, she's the blond with the low-cut white top and gray dress, but non-speaking part as one of the bus passengers make up the cast of the film "Detour to Terror". There's also Rich Hill as Kurt a well known collage football player who's brutally abused and beaten by the vicious Jamie in front of all the bus passengers.

Hurt and humiliated Kurt is made to stop feeling sorry for himself by Lee, who gave him a heart to heart as well as pep talk, and later saves the bus from being hijacked, again, with his new found courage and heroics thanks to Lee.

Average made for TV movie that has become somewhat of a curiosity piece, since Mrs. Simpson's brutal murder in 1994, with O.J and Nicole Simpson together in a major motion picture for their first and only time.