Posted July 11, 200619 yr :cheer: HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY REG VARNEY :cheer: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e9/Onthebuses.jpg The Buses was a British situation comedy created by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney. The pair had already had successes with The Rag Trade and Meet the Wife for the BBC. The BBC rejected this offering and so the pair turned to ITV. The show was accepted and although the critics disliked it, the show was a huge hit with the viewers. In the series Stan Butler (Reg Varney) works as a bus driver for the Luxton & District Traction Company. He lives at home with his bingo-loving, widowed and overbearing mother, his frumpy sister Olive (Anna Karen) and his lazy brother-in-law Arthur. The bane of Stan's life is Inspector "Blakey" Blake (Stephen Lewis) who is often checking up on him and his conductor Jack (Bob Grant), and threatening them with the sack for lateness and untidiness. Not coincidentally, Blakey sports a toothbrush moustache and general appearance very much in the image of Adolf Hitler. His catchphrase is "I 'ate you Butler!". In later years Stan and Arthur left the series, and Olive worked for the bus company and Blakey moved in to board at Mum's house. 74 half-hour episodes were made. Also popular were the spin-off feature films made by Hammer Film Productions (On The Buses, 1971; Mutiny On The Buses, 1972; Holiday On The Buses, 1973). Holiday On The Buses was Britain's top box-office film at the time, surpassing even the James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever. Like several other London-made ITV sitcoms of the era, the format of On The Buses was sold to American television, where it was remade by NBC as Lotsa Luck, starring Dom DeLuise, running for 24 episodes in 1973–74. It failed to succeed and has never been screened in Britain.
July 11, 200619 yr I quite enjoyed it. Then again it was the 1970s.... I didn't know Reg Varney was still alive. :o
July 11, 200619 yr Horrible horrible programme :puke2: Sexist, racist, homophobic tripe :puke2: So? It's funny. ^_^
July 11, 200619 yr It tickles me in places ^_^ Apart from that, TRIPE :lol: Not tripe. -_- Have you seen the films? They are hilarious. :lol:
July 11, 200619 yr There was one on not long ago. I did chortle. :lol: Olive and (I think) Jack were on a motorbike that disappeared into a manhole. I liked Olive. One of the dames I work beside just got a new pair of specs that are dead ringers for Olive's. :P On the Buses wasn't a patch on Rising Damp though (possibly my all-time favourite comedy) :cheer:
July 11, 200619 yr On the Buses wasn't a patch on Rising Damp though (possibly my all-time favourite comedy) :cheer: Rising Damp's alright, quite funny. Did you like The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perin? They've been showing it recently but I missed the first episodes. :(
July 11, 200619 yr You know strangely enough I never got into that. I remember my best friend's family were all major fans at the time but I don't think my mum and dad were too keen. And we only had one telly in the house then so I probably never got to see it. :( I remember Rising Damp, Porridge, Fawlty Towers :cheer: . Oh and Love Thy Neighbour which for some reason everybody loved but now would be considered totally racist. :wacko:
July 11, 200619 yr Oh and Love Thy Neighbour which for some reason everybody loved but now would be considered totally racist. :wacko: Never seen Love Thy Neighbour. :blink:
Create an account or sign in to comment