The Creative Life Adventure

I love a good 1970s disaster film, movies like Airport (1970), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Towering Inferno (1974), and The China Syndrome (1979). Some of these films promoted potential danger in everyday events or locations, like office buildings or cruise ships. Others exploited fears that were more specific to the 1970s, like killer bees and nuclear power plants. In 1980, Airplane! was the perfect disaster film that spoofed disaster films. For many years, I naively thought Airplane! was the first disaster movie parody. But this week I was corrected when I watched The Big Bus (1976). While Airplane! was heavily influenced by 1957’s Zero Hour!, it also follows the template of The Big Bus so closely that I assumed the same creators were involved, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. Instead, The Big Bus was directed by James Frawley and written by Lawrence J. Cohen and Fred Freeman.

In fairness, the disaster film formula is fairly consistent, regardless of who is writing or directing. The Big Bus, like all such movies, begins with a lengthy setup that introduces our cast of ordinary folks. That leads to a series of implausible coincidences that result in an escalating disaster that only our heroic protagonists can resolve. And it boasts a heavyweight cast that elevates the material. Just look at all the stars in The Big Bus: Rene Auberjonois, Ned Beatty, Joseph Bologna, Stockard Channing, José Ferrer, Ruth Gordon, Larry Hagman, Howard Hesseman, Sally Kellerman, Richard Mullligan, Lynn Redgrave, Vic Tayback, and more.

I watched The Big Bus on Hoopla, a service that has been around since 2010 but a new one for me. While I’m grateful Hoopla is available through our local public library, the system seems a little wonky at times. For example, I was able to set up an account, but after I logged in the system told me my library card was not accepted and I would need to check with my library. (I’m a regular library patron and use my card frequently, so I know it’s valid.) Luckily, my wife was able to set up an account and borrow titles. Also, it seems individual libraries can limit categories of titles without necessarily making that clear up front. For example, we searched for the film Mumford (1999), which is definitely available on Hoopla, but apparently our library does not allow borrowing of R-rated titles. So I encourage you to take advantage of Hoopla if it’s available to you, just be prepared for possible limitations.