Flu strikes the Butler household. Olive and Mrs.Butler take to their beds, hot water bottles at the ready, while Stan and Arthur are forced to carry out the domestic chores. Poor Stan is driven to the point of nervous breakdown by the insistent demands of his family. They recover, but then Stan goes down with it!
With Cicily Courtneidge gone, the show needed a new Mrs.Butler. Doris Hare brought warmth to the role. Her cries of "Stannnnnnnnnnnnnnn!" gave the show its second major catchphrase after "I 'ate you, Butler!". The classic 'Buses' line-up was in place. Within a very short space of time, it had overtaken 'Coronation Street' and 'Crossroads' in the ratings.
But why should a piece of homespun Cockney humour about busmen prove so astonishingly successful? And not just in Britain either; it was No.1 in Yugoslavia, and a hit in Holland. It certainly was not down to the quality of the writing. Many of the 'On The Buses' plots are not much different to those you'll find in other shows of the period. I think the secret of its success lay in the fact that viewers could readily identify with the Butlers, and thus care about them. 'Buses' hit a chord because viewers recognised the truthfulness of it. There's a scene in the Season 3 episode 'The Squeeze' when the milkman calls and, unable to pay him, the Butlers pretend to be out by hiding under the kitchen table. This was how millions of working-class people all over Britain lived from week to week. I saw Stan and Jack as naughty schoolboys, forever playing childish pranks on the headmaster figure ( Blakey ). Almost everyone who watched 'Buses' found at least one character they recognised.
'Family Flu' is more than adequate an introduction for Hare. Animated credits were used for the first time, though these had to be amended to make the cartoon 'Stan' look more like Reg Varney, and to correct a spelling mistake - Anna Karen's surname had been misspelled 'Karan'! From now on, viewers eagerly awaited those little cartoon figures opening the depot doors, heralding yet another half-hour of great comedy.
Funniest moment - Stan's problems with a tapioca pudding!
With Cicily Courtneidge gone, the show needed a new Mrs.Butler. Doris Hare brought warmth to the role. Her cries of "Stannnnnnnnnnnnnnn!" gave the show its second major catchphrase after "I 'ate you, Butler!". The classic 'Buses' line-up was in place. Within a very short space of time, it had overtaken 'Coronation Street' and 'Crossroads' in the ratings.
But why should a piece of homespun Cockney humour about busmen prove so astonishingly successful? And not just in Britain either; it was No.1 in Yugoslavia, and a hit in Holland. It certainly was not down to the quality of the writing. Many of the 'On The Buses' plots are not much different to those you'll find in other shows of the period. I think the secret of its success lay in the fact that viewers could readily identify with the Butlers, and thus care about them. 'Buses' hit a chord because viewers recognised the truthfulness of it. There's a scene in the Season 3 episode 'The Squeeze' when the milkman calls and, unable to pay him, the Butlers pretend to be out by hiding under the kitchen table. This was how millions of working-class people all over Britain lived from week to week. I saw Stan and Jack as naughty schoolboys, forever playing childish pranks on the headmaster figure ( Blakey ). Almost everyone who watched 'Buses' found at least one character they recognised.
'Family Flu' is more than adequate an introduction for Hare. Animated credits were used for the first time, though these had to be amended to make the cartoon 'Stan' look more like Reg Varney, and to correct a spelling mistake - Anna Karen's surname had been misspelled 'Karan'! From now on, viewers eagerly awaited those little cartoon figures opening the depot doors, heralding yet another half-hour of great comedy.
Funniest moment - Stan's problems with a tapioca pudding!
