Holiday on the Buses – 1973

A Hammer production presented by Nat Cohen for Anglo-EMI Film Distributors Limited Copyright MCMLXXIII Hammer Film Productions Limited – All rights reserved
MPAA Approved Certificate

The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious and any similarity to the name, character, or history of any person is entirely accidental and unintentional

RCA Sound Recording
Made on location in Wales and at EMI-MGM EIstree Studios, Hertfordshire, England
Technicolor 85 mins

Storyline

When Stan, Jack and Blakey all get the sack from the bus company, Blakey could not be more pleased; after all, now at least he will not have to work with the two layabouts who have been a pain in his neck for so long. He gets a job as a security man at a Welsh holiday camp, then, to his horror, discovers that Stan and Jack have found work there as well on the leisure buses. Add in Stan’s family, who descend on the place on holiday, and you have a sure recipe for more comic chaos!

Crew


Function	Credited	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info						Credited	Uncredited	Total
Art Director	Don Picton	57	22 Feb 1916		Nov 1981	65	15	2	17
Ast. Director	Ken Baker						18		18
Camera Operator	Chic (Rodney) Anstiss	42	1 Feb 1931		30 Jun 2011	80	12		12
Choreographer	Malcolm Clare						1		1
Construction Manager	Arthur Banks						18	29	47
Continuity	Sally Ball (Jones)	28	1945		Oct 2009	64	4		4
Director	Bryan Izzard	37	4 Jul 1936		27 Apr 2006	69	1		1
Director of Photog.	Brian Probyn BSc	53	30 Nov 1920		25 Nov 1982	61	6		6
Dubbing Mixer	Bill Rowe	42	2 Feb 1931		29 Sep 1992	61	10		10
Film Editor	James Needs	54	17 Oct 1919		4 Feb 2003	83	110	1	111
Gaffer	Ted Hallows	60	1913		2007	94	3		3
Hairdressing S/visor	Elaine Bowerbank	28	1 Jan 1945	01.01.1945		78	2		2
Make-up Supervisor	Ricky Rickerby						1		1
Music Composer	Denis King	34	25 Jul 1939	25.07.1939		83	1		1
Musical Supervisor	Philip Martell	66	6 Oct 1907		11 Aug 1993	85	104	1	105
Producer	Ronald Chesney	53	4 May 1920		12 Apr 2018	97	6		6
Producer	Ronald Wolfe	51	8 Aug 1922		18 Dec 2011	89	6		6
Production Manager	Ron Jackson	38	1935		1993	58	34	1	35
Production Supervisor	Roy Skeggs	39	1 Apr 1934		29 Dec 2018	84	45	1	46
Recording Director	A.W. Lumkin	60	1 Feb 1913		25 Oct 1985	72	30		30
Sound Editor	Roy Hyde	53	15 Feb 1920		28 Jun 1985	65	30	1	31
Sound Recordist	Claude Hitchcock	55	8 Nov 1918		4 Oct 2010	91	14	4	18
Special Effects	Les Bowie	60	10 Nov 1913		27 Jan 1979	65	32	11	43
Wardrobe Supervisor	Laura Nightingale						35		35
Writer	Ronald Chesney	53	4 May 1920		12 Apr 2018	97	6		6
Writer	Ronald Wolfe	51	8 Aug 1922		18 Dec 2011	89	6		6
Uncredited
Sound Recordist	Malcolm Davies				Feb 2019			2	2

Cast


Character	Actor	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info						Credited	Uncredited	Total
Arthur	Michael Robbins	43	14 Nov 1930		11 Dec 1992	62	5		5
Bert	Wilfrid Brambell	61	22 Mar 1912		18 Jan 1985	72	1		1
Blakey, his Inspector	Stephen Lewis	47	17 Dec 1926		12 Aug 2015	88	3		3
Camp Manager	Henry McGee	45	14 May 1928		28 Jan 2006	77	1	1	2
Depot Manager	Michael Sheard	35	18 Jun 1938		31 Aug 2005	67	1		1
Doreen	Carolae Donoghe						1		1
Jack, his Conductor	Bob Grant	41	14 Apr 1932		8 Nov 2003	71	3		3
Joyce	Tara Lynn						1		1
Little Arthur	Adam Rhodes						1		1
Luigi	Franco Deosa	29	16 Jul 1944	16.07.1944		79	1		1
Maria	Gigi Gatti	37	1 Jan 1936		25 Mar 2003	67	1		1
Mavis	Maureen Sweeney						1		1
Mr Briggs	Arthur Mullard	63	19 Sep 1910		11 Dec 1995	85	1	3	4
Mrs Briggs	Queenie Watts	50	21 Jul 1923		25 Jan 1980	56	1		1
Mrs Coombs	Hal Dyer	38	1 Jan 1935		7 Dec 2011	76	1		1
Mrs Hudson	Eunice Black	59	23 Oct 1914		27 Aug 2007	92	2		2
Nurse	Kate Williams	32	12 Dec 1941	12.12.1941		81	2		2
Olive, his Sister	Anna Karen	37	19 Sep 1936		22 Feb 2022	85	3		3
Patient	Alex Munro	62	6 Mar 1911		20 Jan 1986	74	1		1
Sandra	Sandra Bryant	28	30 Sep 1945	30.09.1945		77	1		1
Stan Butler	Reg Varney	57	11 Jul 1916		16 Nov 2008	92	3		3
Stan's Mum	Doris Hare	68	1 Mar 1905		30 May 2000	95	3		3
Uncredited
Betty	Annette Long							1	1
Bus Driver	Harry Fielder	33	26 Apr 1940		6 Feb 2021	80		10	10
Job Seeker	Eric Kent	36	16 Jul 1937		5 Dec 2012	75		6	6

Production


FILMING BEGAN	10 May 1973
UK RELEASE	26 December 1973
STUDIO	Elstree Studios of Associated British Picture Corporation, Hertfordshire, England
LOCATION	Station Road Bridge, Rhuddlan Castle, Wales	Bridge near to Castle - Where the family's luggage goes into the river
	Rhyl, Denbighshire, Wales	Beginning of Mystery tour including sea front and bridge
	Dyserth Falls, Prestatyn, Denbighshire, Wales
	Gwrych Castle, Abergele, Conwy, Wales	Main part of mystery tour; grounds only shown
	Pontins Holiday Camp, Prestatyn, Denbighshire, Wales

Footnotes

By this time, even Hammer’s buses were running unreliably and a fourth film was cancelled.

Another milestone in Hammer’s history was reached about this time and it was one which did not bode well for the future – James Carreras, whose showmanship had carried the Company for so long, finally retired in 1973, leaving his son Michael in sole charge.

The guest stars are all from television comedies of the time – Wilfrid Brambell from “Steptoe and Son”, Kate Williams from Love thy Neighbour, Arthur Mullard and Queenie Watts from “Queenie’s Castle” and Henry McGee was the butt of many a joke in “The Benny Hill Show”.

This was last Hammer film to be edited by James Needs, who started with them in 1949.

Details were complied viewing the actual film.
Source of viewing copy – The Hammer Graveyard Collection