Bus Stop (1956)

Plot:  A rambunctious young cowboy falls for a saloon singer and tries to take her back to his Montana Ranch. Adapted from a successful Broadway play by Inge
Stars:  Marilyn Monroe,  Don Murray, Arthur O'Connell

While Director Josh Logan does a good job of "opening up" Bus Stop (especially in the first half), there's not much action.  This is a "relationship movie"  that focuses on 3 main characters:  "Bo" a head-strong cowboy, "Virgil" his older friend, and "Cherie" a tortured saloon singer he falls in love with. Accordingly, the acting/casting is of prime importance and Monroe, at least, delivers.

Acting
Without a doubt this is Monroe's best dramatic performance. She plays the part with touching childish naivete and beauty. Her purposely off-tune rendition of "Old Black Magic" is a highlight.  But she's only part of the movie - the other two parts aren't cast/played as well.

We can start with Don Murray.  He's too old for Bo, which calls for a 17-19 year old, unless you wish to believe Bo is brain damaged.  Even worse, Murray is too loud and obnoxious, resulting in a cartoon-like character.  However, Murray's performance improves at the end, after Bo literally has some sense beaten into him.

As for Arthur O'Connell as Virgil, he's neither good nor bad.  He lacks any real chemistry with Murray, and is too bland.  Its too bad a  better actor like Walter Brennan or  Arthur Kennedy couldn't have played the part.

Direction and Story
Incredibly, given Josh Logan directs, Bus Stop is a fairly fast-paced 96 minutes.  Its mostly talk, of course, so it does drag in the middle.  Story-wise, its an engaging but somewhat patronizing Hollywood/Broadway story about "Little people" in the "fly-over" country. It no doubt caused a few "eye-rolls" back in 1956 Montana/Denver.

Summary:  Monroe's best dramatic performance is undercut by the mediocre performance of the other two main characters.  Its worth a look, if only for Marilyn Monroe.