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Carl (the bus driver): "Our next official stop is Grace's Di

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 10/05/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"William Inge's BUS STOP had a 478 performance run on Broadway between 3/2/55 and 4/21/56. Production on Joshua Logan's film version began prior to the stage show's close. This was the movie debut of both Hope Lange and Don Murray. Edw. G. Robinson Jr. has an uncredited cameo as a rodeo cowboy.



Marilyn Monroe's superb performance as an Ozark Mountain gal working her way due west to Hollywood is compromised by a single script flaw. Off-key saloon singer 'Cherie' has for a couple of days been terrorized by yahooing Montana cowboy 'Bo' Decker (Murray), who blew into Phoenix to appear in a rodeo. After just meeting Cherie, Bo loudly insists she will marry him and live on his ranch. He even kidnaps the poor girl at the bus station when she tries to get away from him.



They arrive at Grace's remote Rocky Mountain diner (an "official" bus stop) in a blizzard. Cherie begs all who will listen to free her from her captor. Carl (Bray), the chivalrous bus driver that considers himself captain of his ship, challenges Bo to a fistfight. They go at it in the storm and Carl whales the tar out of Bo, who eventually gives up when he's caught in an unbreakable wrestling hold.



Cherie first watches their fight from inside Grace's and then goes in the cold to beg the two men to stop. Her dread of Bo has suddenly turned to sympathy at the sight of him getting beaten. When Bo, as preface to saying goodbye the next morning, apologizes for scaring heck out of her, ordering her around and abducting her, Cherie melts like an ice cube in a hot frying pan and coos that "I would go anywhere with you now."



Shrinks would have a field day analyzing the behavior of these two. What sort of message did this send in 1956 to young women seeing the film with a date? He can mistreat you, boss you around, make you go where he wants, do what he wants, as long as your boyfriend/husband apologizes every so often for being a total ogre? Feh.





This turn of events is certainly no fault of the actors playing out Inge's ultimately insensitive and perhaps misogynistic plot. Everyone did a wonderful job in their roles. Kudos all around. As for Cherie and Bo, one can only hope that both survive a marriage forged on the quick and under rather dubious circumstances.





Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.



(6.8) Bus Stop (1956) - Marilyn Monroe/Don Murray/Arthur O'Connell/Betty Field/Eileen Heckart/Robert Bray/Hope Lange/Hans Conried/Max Showalter"