Few Marilyn Monroe fans can listen to "That Old Black Magic" without recalling Monroe's tinny, off-key, magically poignant rendition of the standard in BUS STOP. In her energetic and warm portrayal of Cherie, whose dream of Hollywood and Vine is interrupted by the reality of a layover in
Phoenix, Monroe exposes her vulnerability without sacrificing any of her radiance--for many viewers, this was the film that proved she could act.
In the Blue Dragon Cafe in Phoenix we meet Bo (Don Murray in his first screen role), a rambunctious cowboy who is in town to take part in a rodeo. He bullies the noisy patrons into a respectful silence during Cherie's big song and is rewarded with an innocent kiss of appreciation. From that moment
on, he's determined to make her his wife, in spite of her protestations and the dismay of his loyal sidekick Virgil (Arthur O'Connell). Cherie boards a bus headed out of town to escape him, but Bo follows. The bus is stranded in a snowstorm and the passengers are forced to spend the night in a
diner, where a fight involving the bus driver, protecting his passenger, and the cowboy, claiming his woman, leaves Bo defeated and humiliated. By the time the road is cleared the next day, a chastened Bo has begun to realize that he'll get nowhere acting like a brute.
During her year-long absence from the screen, Monroe had diligently pursued her craft under the firm hand of theater legend Lee Strasberg, and it shows. William Inge's rowdy play was adapted by George Axelrod (LORD LOVE A DUCK) with delightful results. The play, which unfolded on a single diner
set, is skillfully opened out to include a ranch, a dance hall, a rodeo, and scenes of the countryside. The film is further enhanced by some action-packed rodeo sequences. leave a comment