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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

The Wayward Bus (1957)

A motley group of passengers travel in a rundown bus from a small bus stop town called Rebel Corners to San Juan De La Cruz, another small town but with a mission that attracts tourists. The journey proves quite intense, both physically (landslides, floods) and emotionally (romance and conflict). Based on a lesser John Steinbeck novel, the film plays out like one of those 1970s disaster films: a group of disparate characters are thrown together as fate toys with them and by the end of the journey, they've all learned a lesson. The execution is rather trite and, as written, the script doesn't deal a fair hand to its cast. The 23 year old Joan Collins looking quite lovely is hopelessly miscast. Clearly, the role was written for an older woman (probably late 30s) whose looks are fading and has turned to booze. The part cries out for a Jan Sterling or Ann Sothern. Jayne Mansfield as a stripper involved in a tabloid scandal surprisingly gives the film's best performance. The film could have used more grit instead of polish. Directed by Victor Vicas, a Russian director who worked principally in Europe. Also in the cast: Dan Dailey, Dolores Michaels, Rick Jason, Betty Lou Keim, Kathryn Givney, Robert Bray and Larry Keating.

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