The Big Bus (1976)

The world's first nuclear powered bus makes its maiden run from New York to Denver with a disparate group of passengers on board. But a sinister tycoon (Jose Ferrer) has a bomb planted aboard the bus. Directed by James Frawley (THE MUPPET MOVIE), this satire on the popular disaster movies of the 1970s is a disaster. How does one spoof a genre that often (unintentionally or not) parodies itself? AIRPORT 1975 anyone? There's not a laugh to be had in the movie's 90 minute running time. Not only is the script not funny, but the actors play too broadly as if we won't get (wink-wink) that it's a satire. The film might (and that's a big "might") have played better if the actors played it straight instead of their "wink-wink" acting. Where's Leslie Nielsen when you need him? Still, the movie does have a small cult following. The huge cast includes Stockard Channing, Sally Kellerman, Joseph Bologna, Lynn Redgrave, Larry Hagman, Ruth Gordon, Ned Beatty, Richard Mulligan, Bob Dishy and Rene Auberjonois.