Bus Stop (Widescreen)

Bo's other problem is that he tends to overdo everything. He does pushups in the bus, to the surprise and annoyance of the passengers and bus driver. But the worst flaw in his character is that he has no manners. As the bus driver asks him later, "Were you born in a barn?" Well, close, as he has been isolated on a ranch all his life.

At the Blue Dragon inn, Bo finds his "angel," a much put-upon singer named Cheri. He falls so in love with her that he announces to a stunned Virgil, and more than stunned Cheri, that he has found his girl and is going to marry her tomorrow.

Cheri herself has a long string of boyfriends and lovers, something that the naive Bo is unaware of. In her opening scene, when she's resting on the window sill, she is instantly harassed by rowdy cowboys pawing at her, and then by the manager. She's clearly not lived a happy life, but she does have a dream to go to Hollywood. What she's longing for is to be treated with respect, hence her identifying herself as a chanteuse and reminding Bo that her name is Cheri, not Cherry.

Eventually, Bo's faults come to a head at the title place, where he gets a much deserved lesson. I'd find Don Murray likeable if his characterization of Bo wasn't so obnoxious. I detest rude people sans manners and loud, whooping cowboys, and unfortunately, Bo is both. While his meanings are noble, it's the way he does it that caused me to flare in exasperation.

Arthur O'Connell is a relief in this picture as the wiser and more maturer Virgil. Virgil gives the fatherly patience and love to Bo, exasperated, angry, and hoping that his young friend grows up. In the scene where Bo gets his comeuppance, he generates a "this is gonna hurt me more than it's gonna hurt you" atmosphere.

This is Hope Lange's debut film as Elma, the young girl on a trip to a concert. The woman to woman talk between her and MM in the bus is a standout. And Betty Field stands out as the diner owner Grace, a woman with an Eve Arden-ish sense of humour.

Some trivia in this picture. Marilyn had issue with Don Murray, because of his relative inexperience, and she asked for Hope Lange's hair to be dyed a darker shade of blonde, because after all, MM was THE star. A bit of ego there. And the younger LIFE magazine reporter is Casey Adams, who also came out in Niagara as Ray Cutler. Also, this picture was the first with Marilyn's new acting coach, Paula Strasberg, utilizing Method acting.

While this film is generally touted as the one where Marilyn finally could act, I take issue. Marilyn was "acting" way before then, from her B+ acting in Don't Bother To Knock to her compassionate blonde goofball in The Seven Year Itch. But if you take into account the strong backwoods accent of an Ozark hillbilly, then yes, her acting is definitely good, but nothing Oscar-worthy here.