In this romantic comedy (of sorts), Marilyn Monroe plays saloon singer (or ‘chanteuse’ as she would have it) Cherie. Don Murray plays Bo, a naive cowboy with no social skills, due to his having lived an extremely sheltered life. He goes to Phoenix for a rodeo competition, sees Cherie and immediately falls for her. He decides that whether she likes it or not, they are going to get married, and he’s taking her back with him to live on his ranch!
Marilyn received a lot of acclaim for her role in this film, and it probably is her best work. She manages to combine innocence with knowingness – Cherie has been promiscuous in the past, but really she is like a young girl waiting for a nice man to come and rescue her. She and the other main female characters (her friend Vera, played by Eileen Heckart; and Grace, the owner of the diner at the diner at the titular bus stop, played by Betty Field) are what make this film worth watching.
Bo however, was an extremely irritating character – way over-the-top with his whooping and hollering at every moment. I imagine he was supposed to be childlike in his enthusiasm, but he came across as more childish when it came to what he wanted. At one stage, he literally lassoes Cherie to prevent her getting on a bus and leaving him, and carries her away despite her protests. It may have been that in 1956, this was a comedic moment, but watching it in 2013, it is simply silly and were it not SO silly, it would have been disturbing. Don Murray received an Oscar nomination for this performance, but honestly I can’t see how. (I feel almost guilty writing this, as Murray is by several accounts, a thoroughly lovely man, but I couldn’t help it – this character really grated on me.) The performance reminded of Jim Carrey in full manic mode!
Despite this though, the film was quite watchable, and did have a few amusing moments. It was one I had wanted to see, being a Marilyn Monroe fan, and I’m glad I watched it, but I wouldn’t rush to watch it again.
Year of release: 1956
Director: Joshua Logan
Producer: Buddy Adler
Writers: William Inge (play), George Axelrod
Main cast: Marilyn Monroe, Don Murray, Arthur O’Connell, Betty Field, Eileen Heckart, Robert Bray
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