Bus Stop (1956)

Director:

Joshua Logan

Writers:

George Axelrod (screenplay)
William Inge (play)

Release Date:

31 August 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The coming of age of Bo Decker...and the girl who made him a man!

Plot:

A naive but stubborn cowboy falls in love with a saloon singer and tries to take her away against her will to get married and live on his ranch in Montana.

Plot Keywords:

Chimpanzee | Apology | Underwear | Ranch | Horse

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Marilyn Monroe	...	Cherie
Don Murray	...	Beauregard 'Bo' Decker
Arthur O'Connell	...	Virgil Blessing
Betty Field	...	Grace
Eileen Heckart	...	Vera
Robert Bray	...	Carl
Hope Lange	...	Elma Duckworth
Hans Conried	...	Life Magazine Photographer
Max Showalter	...	Life Magazine Reporter (as Casey Adams)

Also Known As:

The Wrong Kind of Girl

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:14A (video rating) | Iceland:L | USA:Approved (certificate #18041) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | UK:U | West Germany:12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Marilyn Monroe Productions

Trivia:

The role of Bo Decker was intended for 'Fess Parker' but it was declined by Walt Disney for whom Parker was contracted at the time. Parker was also refused the Jeffrey Hunter role in The Searchers (1956) for the same reason and it was many years before he was even aware of it.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Grace receives a call at the diner that the roads are open, she wakes up Carl and helps him put on his shirt. In the next scene Carl is putting on his shirt again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Beauregard 'Bo' Decker: Are you ready, Virge?
Virgil Blessing: Anytime.
Beauregard 'Bo' Decker: Turn him out!
[calf is released from chute]

Movie Connections:

Spin off "Bus Stop" (1961)

Soundtrack:

The Right Kind

Great combination of comedy and pathos

The thesis of the film seems to be that, though opposites may not attract, two individuals with real but complementary needs can make their way toward a fulfilling relationship. As Beau tells Cheri at the end: If I have no experience with love and you have too much, maybe we can meet somewhere in the middle. The viewer is intended to feel humor toward and sympathy for both the cowboy and the saloon singer; and I at least do, even after having seen the movie 7 or 8 times. The cast is uniformly excellent. As often noted, Monroe has never been better in subtly conveying a range of emotions. It is difficult to avoid comparing Cheri's history and needs with her own pursuit of success as an actress. Murray is hilarious as the naive cowboy in the first sequences, until the unattractive side of his innocence appears and must be subdued before the finale. For an old timer like myself, it was great to see Betty Field playing against the fragile character she created in a few films from the 40s.