Busses Roar
A group of Axis spies in the US are discussing how one of their submarines moored off the west coast will be able to bomb Columbia Aircraft, a military facility on the Central California coast. The pr…
Busses Roar
A group of Axis spies in the US are discussing how one of their submarines moored off the west coast will be able to bomb Columbia Aircraft, a military facility on the Central California coast. The problem is the black-out because of the war, and the submarine not being able to see their target. They decide to set fire to an oil well in a field 8 miles from Columbia. Because of the strategic nature of the facilities in the area, it is heavily guarded by the army, and most forms of transport have been rerouted to other roads. One form of transportation still allowed on the road adjacent to the oil field is intercity buses. So they decide to set a time bomb aboard the 20:00 Los Angeles to San Francisco Mercury Bus Lines bus, the bomb to detonate at exactly 22:08:00 when the bus is supposed to pass by the oil field. They relay the message of the plan to the waiting submarine. One of the spies, a nervous man named Jerry Silva (Rex Williams), is tasked with taking the night bus carrying the bomb aboard, making sure he is off the bus by the time it reaches the oil field at 22:08:00. The Mercury Bus Lines bus terminal in Los Angeles. Some of the regular faces in the terminal this evening are: Norma (Eleanor Parker), the concession stand/luggage drop off clerk; Sunshine (Willie Best), the high strung porter; Dick Remick (Richard Fraser), a bus driver and Norma's boyfriend, who is driving the 20:00 bus to San Francisco; and Eddie Sloan (Charles Drake), another bus driver who has just arrived driving the bus from San Francisco. He and Norma flirt innocently. Norma, who encourages it if only to make Dick jealous, knows it's all in fun as Eddie will soon be engaged. Other non-regulars in the terminal tonight are: Quinn (Frank Wilcox), a police detective; and a vagabond (Bill Kennedy), who no one recognizes as ever having been in the terminal before. Many of the other people in the terminal are those who have tickets or are trying to get tickets on the 20:00 bus to San Francisco: Silva; Sergeant Ryan (Richard Travis), a US Marine; generally streetwise Reba Richards (Julie Bishop), who came to Los Angeles on a marriage proposal that fell through, but is broke so doesn't have the $5.40 bus fare to get her home to San Francisco, to where she needs to get by tomorrow morning to get her old job back; an innocent named Betty (Elisabeth Fraser), who is nervously waiting for her new husband Danny (Harry Lewis) so that they can run off together against the wishes of her family; Mr. & Mrs. Henry Dipper (Harry C. Bradley & Vera Lewis), an elderly couple who are celebrating their golden anniversary with this trip, their marriage which is characterized by frugality despite being well off, and him being henpecked by her; Nick Stoddard (George Meeker), a slick clock salesman; and two prudish elderly matrons (Lottie Williams & Leah Baird). Reba, using her feminine wiles much to the horror of the two elderly women who are watching her every move, tries to get the bus fare from anyone she can, primarily the men in the terminal. After she fails with most, Silva senses an opportunity that would not require him to be on the bus. He offers Reba a proposition: he will pay her fare if she delivers a package in San Francisco for him. Not knowing or caring what's in the package, she agrees as it achieves her goal of getting home by tomorrow morning, and despite she believing that the package contains hot goods as he swears her to secrecy about her task. In the baggage room alone, Silva is in the process of transferring the time bomb from his briefcase into what will be Reba's checked luggage. With Betty not yet having seen him, Danny, who has just arrived at the terminal, enters the luggage room and recognizes what Silva has as a time bomb. Silva is able to knock Danny unconscious, and place him into the janitor's closet. It's call time for the 20:00 bus to San Francisco. Betty laments Danny not being at the terminal. In addition, her suitcase is missing, she unaware that Danny saw it, recognized it as hers and went looking for her. Just then, Sunshine finds Danny's unconscious body in the janitor's closet. Quinn orders Dick not to take the San Francisco bound bus out until these issues have been resolved. Ryan, using smelling salts, is able to revive Danny. A revived Danny didn't see the face of the man who hit him, but does tell Quinn and Ryan of the bomb. Ryan is able to figure out the bomb's general target. Silva, overhearing this discussion, is able to retrieve the bomb out of Reba's suitcase without detection. Just then, Quinn calls all the passengers into the baggage room so that all the luggage can be hand searched. As Quinn goes through that process with the passengers, Silva is by the bus trying to find a place to stash the bomb aboard. He is approached by the vagabond from behind, the vagabond who is really a US spy who has been tailing the Axis spies. As the US spy is about to take Silva in at gunpoint, Hoff (Peter Whitney), the mastermind of the spy plot, arrives and knocks the US spy unconscious. Hoff and Silva are able to hide his body outside behind some crates. Silva is aboard the bus trying to find someplace to hide the bomb, when a few of the other passengers start to board, first Reba then Stoddard. Silva hides at the back of the bus undetected. Without them knowing, Silva is able to place the bomb back in his briefcase which Reba has brought on board. Reba, on bad terms now with Stoddard, exits the bus to get away from him. She meets Ryan outside, the two who start to fall for each other as they walk off together for some alone time. On board, Stoddard is about to open the briefcase, when Silva comes up behind him and stabs him to death. Silva props him up on one of the seats to make it look like he's sleeping. Silva, taking the bomb with him, joins Hoff nearby to watch the proceedings, Hoff who is angry that Silva failed in his mission. All the passengers now board while Sunshine stacks the luggage in the luggage area on top of the bus. Just as the bus is about to leave without the bomb aboard, Stoddard's dead body is discovered. Quinn boards to question the passengers. He is finally able to get the story about the briefcase, tying it to a now missing Silva. Not knowing where the bomb is and unable to move the dead body until the official investigation is complete, Quinn and Dick order a new bus for the trip to San Francisco. Hoff and Silva, seeing what is happening, sense another opportunity to stash the bomb aboard the new bus. As Sunshine transfers the luggage, Silva is able to plant the bomb in the Dippers' crate of oranges. The passengers and luggage aboard, the bus takes off for San Francisco ten minutes late, that time which will be made up by the time they reach the oil fields. Hoff and Silva leave to go to their hideout located just before the site to be bombed. Shortly thereafter, Norma and Eddie are about to leave for the evening when they see the beaten up vagabond, still unconscious. When the vagabond is revived, he is able to tell Quinn that he is really a US agent who had been following Silva. In his semiconscious state at the time, he saw Silva put the bomb into the crate of oranges, which is now on the bus. They plan to radio the bus of this information. Aboard the bus, a young boy named Billy (Henry Blair) is trying to pilfer an orange out of the crate without detection. Just then, an emergency black-out notice is issued, meaning that the bus needs to pull over and there is no more radio transmission until the black-out is cleared. Using an ambulance as only an emergency vehicle can make it through, Quinn, Eddie, the US agent, Norma and Sunshine plan to drive the route in the dark, which Eddie thinks he can do, to try and catch up to the bus. The Axis spies know the black-out threatens their plans, so they also head to where they believe the bus is pulled over. At the bus, a few of the men, including Dick, Ryan and Danny decide to go out for a smoke and/or to stretch their legs. As those men are a good distance away from the bus, the Axis spies arrive. Seeing no driver on board, they storm the bus at gunpoint. Hoff turns the ignition and drives the bus away, leaving the men outside behind. The bus races toward the bomb site. A few minutes later, the ambulance arrives and spots the men, who tell of what happened with the bus. Dick, Ryan and Danny join the group in the ambulance and head in the same direction as the bus. Just before they reach the bomb site, Hoff stops the bus and gets Silva to cut the brake air hose. The Axis spies, now off the bus, then start the bus rolling down the hill, with the bomb set to go off in less than two minutes. Reba quickly jumps behind the steering wheel to try and prevent them from crashing. Billy tries the hand brake, which does little. With the bus jostling down the winding road, the bomb is dislodged from the orange crate and lands in Mrs. Dipper's lap. The ambulance arrives at the top of the hill, and they as a group are able to subdue the Axis spies. Reba is steering the bus down the winding hillside road. Billy continues to try the hand brake which seems to be working. Reba gets to a plateau in the road and crashes into a fence in a slight uphill grade. The bus stops. By the time the ambulance arrives, they are most concerned about the bomb. Mr. Dipper has it in his hand, and was able to diffuse it. As Mrs. Dipper is about to tell the story, Mr. Dipper tells her to shut up, the first time he has stood up to her in years. In conclusion: the two prudish women want to foster a relationship with Reba, who brushes them off sarcastically; Dick and Eddie patch up their misunderstanding about Norma; Billy is eating an orange; Ryan and Reba continue their romance, during which Ryan tells her of the strength and ingenuity of the American way, including how she prevented the bus from crashing; the black-out is over with news that the submarine had been spotted and sunk.
Busses Roar
Drama,Romance,War
Film Details
A group of Axis spies in the US are discussing how one of their submarines moored off the west coast will be able to bomb Columbia Aircraft, a military facility on the Central California coast. The problem is the black-out because of the war, and the submarine not being able to see their target. They decide to set fire to an oil well in a field 8 miles from Columbia.
Because of the strategic nature of the facilities in the area, it is heavily guarded by the army, and most forms of transport have been rerouted to other roads. One form of transportation still allowed on the road adjacent to the oil field is intercity buses. So they decide to set a time bomb aboard the 20:00 Los Angeles to San Francisco Mercury Bus Lines bus, the bomb to detonate at exactly 22:08:00 when the bus is supposed to pass by the oil field.
They relay the message of the plan to the waiting submarine. One of the spies, a nervous man named Jerry Silva (Rex Williams), is tasked with taking the night bus carrying the bomb aboard, making sure he is off the bus by the time it reaches the oil field at 22:08:00. The Mercury Bus Lines bus terminal in Los Angeles.
Some of the regular faces in the terminal this evening are: Norma (Eleanor Parker), the concession stand/luggage drop off clerk; Sunshine (Willie Best), the high strung porter; Dick Remick (Richard Fraser), a bus driver and Norma's boyfriend, who is driving the 20:00 bus to San Francisco; and Eddie Sloan (Charles Drake), another bus driver who has just arrived driving the bus from San Francisco. He and Norma flirt innocently. Norma, who encourages it if only to make Dick jealous, knows it's all in fun as Eddie will soon be engaged.
Other non-regulars in the terminal tonight are: Quinn (Frank Wilcox), a police detective; and a vagabond (Bill Kennedy), who no one recognizes as ever having been in the terminal before. Many of the other people in the terminal are those who have tickets or are trying to get tickets on the 20:00 bus to San Francisco: Silva; Sergeant Ryan (Richard Travis), a US Marine; generally streetwise Reba Richards (Julie Bishop), who came to Los Angeles on a marriage proposal that fell through, but is broke so doesn't have the $5.40 bus fare to get her home to San Francisco, to where she needs to get by tomorrow morning to get her old job back; an innocent named Betty (Elisabeth Fraser), who is nervously waiting for her new husband Danny (Harry Lewis) so that they can run off together against the wishes of her family; Mr. & Mrs.
Henry Dipper (Harry C. Bradley & Vera Lewis), an elderly couple who are celebrating their golden anniversary with this trip, their marriage which is characterized by frugality despite being well off, and him being henpecked by her; Nick Stoddard (George Meeker), a slick clock salesman; and two prudish elderly matrons (Lottie Williams & Leah Baird). Reba, using her feminine wiles much to the horror of the two elderly women who are watching her every move, tries to get the bus fare from anyone she can, primarily the men in the terminal.
After she fails with most, Silva senses an opportunity that would not require him to be on the bus. He offers Reba a proposition: he will pay her fare if she delivers a package in San Francisco for him. Not knowing or caring what's in the package, she agrees as it achieves her goal of getting home by tomorrow morning, and despite she believing that the package contains hot goods as he swears her to secrecy about her task.
In the baggage room alone, Silva is in the process of transferring the time bomb from his briefcase into what will be Reba's checked luggage. With Betty not yet having seen him, Danny, who has just arrived at the terminal, enters the luggage room and recognizes what Silva has as a time bomb. Silva is able to knock Danny unconscious, and place him into the janitor's closet.
It's call time for the 20:00 bus to San Francisco. Betty laments Danny not being at the terminal. In addition, her suitcase is missing, she unaware that Danny saw it, recognized it as hers and went looking for her.
Just then, Sunshine finds Danny's unconscious body in the janitor's closet. Quinn orders Dick not to take the San Francisco bound bus out until these issues have been resolved. Ryan, using smelling salts, is able to revive Danny.
A revived Danny didn't see the face of the man who hit him, but does tell Quinn and Ryan of the bomb. Ryan is able to figure out the bomb's general target. Silva, overhearing this discussion, is able to retrieve the bomb out of Reba's suitcase without detection.
Just then, Quinn calls all the passengers into the baggage room so that all the luggage can be hand searched. As Quinn goes through that process with the passengers, Silva is by the bus trying to find a place to stash the bomb aboard. He is approached by the vagabond from behind, the vagabond who is really a US spy who has been tailing the Axis spies.
As the US spy is about to take Silva in at gunpoint, Hoff (Peter Whitney), the mastermind of the spy plot, arrives and knocks the US spy unconscious. Hoff and Silva are able to hide his body outside behind some crates. Silva is aboard the bus trying to find someplace to hide the bomb, when a few of the other passengers start to board, first Reba then Stoddard.
Silva hides at the back of the bus undetected. Without them knowing, Silva is able to place the bomb back in his briefcase which Reba has brought on board. Reba, on bad terms now with Stoddard, exits the bus to get away from him.
She meets Ryan outside, the two who start to fall for each other as they walk off together for some alone time. On board, Stoddard is about to open the briefcase, when Silva comes up behind him and stabs him to death. Silva props him up on one of the seats to make it look like he's sleeping.
Silva, taking the bomb with him, joins Hoff nearby to watch the proceedings, Hoff who is angry that Silva failed in his mission. All the passengers now board while Sunshine stacks the luggage in the luggage area on top of the bus. Just as the bus is about to leave without the bomb aboard, Stoddard's dead body is discovered.
Quinn boards to question the passengers. He is finally able to get the story about the briefcase, tying it to a now missing Silva. Not knowing where the bomb is and unable to move the dead body until the official investigation is complete, Quinn and Dick order a new bus for the trip to San Francisco.
Hoff and Silva, seeing what is happening, sense another opportunity to stash the bomb aboard the new bus. As Sunshine transfers the luggage, Silva is able to plant the bomb in the Dippers' crate of oranges. The passengers and luggage aboard, the bus takes off for San Francisco ten minutes late, that time which will be made up by the time they reach the oil fields.
Hoff and Silva leave to go to their hideout located just before the site to be bombed. Shortly thereafter, Norma and Eddie are about to leave for the evening when they see the beaten up vagabond, still unconscious. When the vagabond is revived, he is able to tell Quinn that he is really a US agent who had been following Silva.
In his semiconscious state at the time, he saw Silva put the bomb into the crate of oranges, which is now on the bus. They plan to radio the bus of this information. Aboard the bus, a young boy named Billy (Henry Blair) is trying to pilfer an orange out of the crate without detection.
Just then, an emergency black-out notice is issued, meaning that the bus needs to pull over and there is no more radio transmission until the black-out is cleared. Using an ambulance as only an emergency vehicle can make it through, Quinn, Eddie, the US agent, Norma and Sunshine plan to drive the route in the dark, which Eddie thinks he can do, to try and catch up to the bus. The Axis spies know the black-out threatens their plans, so they also head to where they believe the bus is pulled over.
At the bus, a few of the men, including Dick, Ryan and Danny decide to go out for a smoke and/or to stretch their legs. As those men are a good distance away from the bus, the Axis spies arrive. Seeing no driver on board, they storm the bus at gunpoint.
Hoff turns the ignition and drives the bus away, leaving the men outside behind. The bus races toward the bomb site. A few minutes later, the ambulance arrives and spots the men, who tell of what happened with the bus.
Dick, Ryan and Danny join the group in the ambulance and head in the same direction as the bus. Just before they reach the bomb site, Hoff stops the bus and gets Silva to cut the brake air hose. The Axis spies, now off the bus, then start the bus rolling down the hill, with the bomb set to go off in less than two minutes.
Reba quickly jumps behind the steering wheel to try and prevent them from crashing. Billy tries the hand brake, which does little. With the bus jostling down the winding road, the bomb is dislodged from the orange crate and lands in Mrs.
Dipper's lap. The ambulance arrives at the top of the hill, and they as a group are able to subdue the Axis spies. Reba is steering the bus down the winding hillside road.
Billy continues to try the hand brake which seems to be working. Reba gets to a plateau in the road and crashes into a fence in a slight uphill grade. The bus stops.
By the time the ambulance arrives, they are most concerned about the bomb. Mr. Dipper has it in his hand, and was able to diffuse it.
As Mrs. Dipper is about to tell the story, Mr. Dipper tells her to shut up, the first time he has stood up to her in years.
In conclusion: the two prudish women want to foster a relationship with Reba, who brushes them off sarcastically; Dick and Eddie patch up their misunderstanding about Norma; Billy is eating an orange; Ryan and Reba continue their romance, during which Ryan tells her of the strength and ingenuity of the American way, including how she prevented the bus from crashing; the black-out is over with news that the submarine had been spotted and sunk..