On the Buses

Watching this for the first time since I saw it and its mother series as a kid, I was struck not by its supposed naffness, nor by its vulgar humour but by its sheer authenticity. Surely the true face of the British Working class has never been so accurately portrayed. Here are people in all their sweaty, ugly, sexed-up un-glory. Everything has to be a vulgar laugh, sensitivity is outlawed, sex is a constant obsession and everyone is potentially the butt of a joke. Authority is mocked but never really challenged and money is continuously short. If, in years to come, people want to understand what it was like to be working class in Britain in the early 1970s, they could do no worse than catch this film!

We seem to live in a world of "watch what you say & do". Today's sitcoms are ruled by very well calculated PC rules. We have all embraced this refreshingly new approach to behavior. Unfortunately we are losing our sitcom heritage. We can now only laugh at a very narrow band of situations e.g "man bashing" seems to be a favourite with modern writers. Can't blame 'em, they've got bills to pay as well as me & thee. On The Buses gives us a window into the past. Prior to the 1980's this is how life was. I know I've lived there. All the characters are charicatures (eh?) of people we have known and either loved or hated. Mum (Doris Hare) is holding on to her long suffering but loyal son Stan (Reg) who never gets his way with the ladies as does Jack (Bob). This is one of the mysteries of the universe!!. Blakey is the boss we've all had & hated. Bring back British Sitcom.

Despite almost universal condemnation these days as one of Hammer's worst, this film adaptation of a popular TV comedy was the most successful film of the year at the British box office. I watched it with some trepidation, knowing it to be resented by the majority of Hammer fans, but to my relief I found it a witty, knowing and altogether nostalgic '70s comedy.

Like the best of the genre, ON THE BUSES provides a time capsule of working class life in the 1970s. The humour feels natural rather than forced, the characters feel true to life and the situations feel realistic. Yes, there's a preoccupation with sex and the film itself is crushingly misogynistic by modern standards, but the same can be said about comparable '70s movies of the era like CARRY ON LOVING or CARRY ON GIRLS.

As ever, my favourite character in the whole thing is Stephen Lewis's dogged inspector, but it's the dependable Reg Varney who holds the whole thing together as the lead. The storyline, which encapsulates a battle of the sexes, works well and there's a definite predominance of successful over unsuccessful gags. If you're a fan of British comedy in the 1970s then this is a must.

This is a disgracefully, unfunny and dire film in every respect. To call it backward and sexist is an understatement. It really is quite sad that it was only 34 years ago that tripe like this was considered acceptable let alone amusing. We would never know if the actors and director involved had any talent considering the crassness of the subject matter. All the men are irresistible, womanising cheeky chappies and all the women are either pathetic doormats or big-busted nymphomaniacs who enjoy being groped at every opportunity. This, by the way, sums up the complexity of the plot. For those who say that it is an accurate and genuine representation of working class life in the 70's, WHAT UTTER RUBBISH! And what an insult to working class people. If you enjoy this type of "classic" British sex comedy then good luck to you but its portrayal of both men and women is insulting and its not just "politically incorrect" its bloody wrong! Thank God they "don't make them like this any more".

This spin-off from the popular ITV sitcom was the most popular British film of 1971, it's takings even outgrossing Diamonds Are Forever, the James Bond film of that year. Take my word for it, the critics tore it to pieces and they still do now when it's shown on television.

I don't think it's overly funny but I still love it. Okay so it's sexist, but like the Carry On films, even though it's not hilarious it still possesses a certain charm that these overblown American comedies cannot hope to achieve.

All the series regulars are here. Reg Varney, Doris Hare, Anna Karen,Bob Grant and Stephen Lewis. While they were all charming, Michael Robbins stands out for me because his comic timing was impeccable. For example, he would sit there reading the paper and suddenly he would look up and utter something amusing.