Bus Stop [VHS]
Though it seems dated now, this film adaptation of William Inge's romantic comedy-drama was considered pretty hot stuff in its day, which was 1956. Directed by Joshua Logan from George Axelrod's script of Inge's Broadway hit, the film stars Marilyn Monroe as the kind of woman who can't understand why she always brings out the worst in men. A singer who has attracted the attention of a young rodeo rider (Don Murray) whom she meets on a bus, she finds herself trapped at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere during a blizzard. The young cowboy, whose intentions are honorable, can't control his temper and can't understand why this experienced woman won't take him seriously--and why she rejects him when he begins acting jealous and possessive. Love takes its lumps but comes out slugging in the end, with Marilyn at her vulnerable, jaded best.--Marshall Fine