| The Wayward Bus | |
|---|---|
Original 1957 theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Victor Vicas |
| Produced by | Charles Brackett |
| Written by | Ivan Moffat John Steinbeck (novel) |
| Starring | Jayne Mansfield Joan Collins Dan Dailey Rick Jason |
| Music by | Leigh Harline |
| Cinematography | Charles G. Clarke |
| Editing by | Louis R. Loeffler |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | May 27, 1957 (US) |
| Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,465,000[1] |
| Box office | $1,750,000 (US rentals)[2] |
The Wayward Bus is a 1957 drama film released by 20th Century Fox that starred Jayne Mansfield, Joan Collins, Dan Dailey and Rick Jason. The film was based on the novel of the same name by John Steinbeck.
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A black and white feature released in May 1957 by 20th Century Fox; this project received disappointing reviews.[3] Fox hoped to reinvent the success of 1956's Bus Stop (starring Marilyn Monroe) film adaptation but instead ended up crafting the Steinbeck novel into what one commentator called "the kind of lowbrow schlock the novel had satirized".[4]
Mansfield was signed to the film because Fox was eager to capitalize on its new star. She had just made it big with The Girl Can't Help It. Fox was also waiting for the film script of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, Mansfield's Broadway hit that ran from October 1955 to May 1956 starring Mansfield as Rita Marlowe and featuring Orson Bean. While waiting for Rock Hunter to be ready for the big screen, Fox tried their best to keep Mansfield busy; Wayward Bus was made quickly after Girl Can't Help It to keep Mansfield's name in front of the public's eye. In The Wayward Bus, however, Mansfield would have to play Camille Oakes seriously, rather than the cheesy and light-headed Jerri Jordan of The Girl Can't Help It.
Joanne Woodward was supposed to have the part of "Mildred Pritchard", but Woodward dropped out to star in The Three Faces of Eve, and the part went to Dolores Michaels at the last minute, her first acting role.[5] United Press International said in a review of the film that Michaels' "torrid" scene, a seduction scene in a hayloft where she makes a pass at the bus driver (Rick Jason), "manages to steal the sexist scene in the picture," over better known sirens as Jayne Mansfield and Joan Collins. And also said that Hollywood had not had a scene like this since Jane Russell in The Outlaw. Director Victor Vicas shot the scene twice, an "A" scene and a "B" scene because of the censors.[6]
The Wayward Bus was one of 33 films nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear Award at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival but lost to Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men.[7]
Alice Chicoy (Collins) is the wife of driver Johnny (Jason). He owns a small and rundown little bus that makes side trips. Alice is the owner of a little restaurant and likes liquor a bit too much.
Unhappy with what has become of her life, she decides to "surprise" her husband mid-way through his bus trip. Among the passengers, Camille Oakes (Mansfield) is a shamed burlesque dancer on the way to a well-paying job in San Juan. Camille gets caught up in a flirtation with traveling salesman Ernest Horton (Dailey).
Most of the story takes place on the charter bus. Slowly making their way through a treacherous California mountain region, the passengers undergo a variety of life-altering experiences. The journey has its most profound effects upon the iconoclastic salesman and the lonely stripper.