The Wayward Bus

You would expect a total bitchfest with a movie starring both legendary bombshell Jayne Mansfield and soap opera diva Joan Collins....but what you get is a fascinating film based on the John Steinbeck novel of a bus driver and his passengers and their adventures as they get detoured and sidetracked...both on the bus and in life. Joan Collins is the wife of driver Rick Jason (so gorgeous). It's a small and run down little bus that makes side trips. Joan Collins is the owner of a little restaurant who likes the bottle a bit too much. Unhappy with what has become of her life, she decides to "surprise" husband Jason mid-way through his bus trip. Jayne Mansfield is the shamed burlesque dancer on the way to a heavy paying gig in San Juan and gets caught up in the flirtation by a traveling salesman, played by Dan Dailey. Delores Pritchard gives a great performance as the "fast" daughter traveling with her parents on this trip. Also noteworthy is Betty Lou Keim who plays Norma. A really good ensemble piece that deserves a remastered DVD version.

I was surfing the channels and came upon this gem. I liked it! Interesting to see Rick Jason out of uniform. The one neat thing about it is the ending. Good movie.

Starting from a backwater bus stop, a load of assorted passengers and their hunky driver have to negotiate terrible road conditions, while dealing with personal problems along the way.

Catch that bus. No wonder it's "wayward". Looks like it was bought at a junk yard sale, but, hey, it proves to be a real trouper. Chicoy (Jason) is the driver and he's got to get his assorted passengers to their destination, come heck or high water, both of which make a scary appearance. Meanwhile, the passengers have to pair up or straighten out, meaning the bus journey is not just literal but symbolic of personal discoveries. That may not be an original plot device, but the road effects are really well done. One thing for sure, except for Mansfield the film has a really drab look to it. Even the usually glamorous Collins is dressed down. Speaking of Collins, she's the only one to go over- the-top amongst a generally well-acted storyline. Going in, I thought this would be a Mansfield showcase, but it's not. She's just one of the passengers with her own personal difficulties to get straight. In fact, her budding romance with an aging Dailey is rather poignant. All in all, the movie adds up a decent time-passer with a few thrills and some non-sappy soap opera to carry the narrative.

This will be short as there are many positive reviews here and few wrinkled noses!

I watched the film immediately after reading the book (again), and it does what you'd expect in re-jigging a series of individual character studies (with their thought processess) into a mini disaster movie, and I'm fine with that as it didn't deviate too far from the central story line.

The theme of book and almost all of it's characters throughout is sex, trying to get it, or fending it off. If you want to know more read it. However, that was not possible to integrate integrate much into a film of the era, apart from one scene in a barn.

BUT Jayne Mansfield was excellent as the beautiful but battle-hardened wanting-out stripper, and Steinbeck would have been very happy with her portrayal.

The storyline involving Joan Collins was padded out to give her screen time (and over act).

Finally and the MOST disappointing aspect of the film was the usual Hollywood practice of giving a romantic male lead to a guy who was too old. Dan Dailey was 18 years older than Jayne Mansfield and at 42 looked it. You can't suspend disbelief for that sort of nonsense.

A bunch of random strangers get on a bus for a short haul across the border to Mexico. They find out something about the other passengers, but more about themselves.

At one time this had been planned as a prestige production, with names like Marlon Brando, Anthony Quinn, Susan Hayward, and Gene Tierney mentioned for the role. By the time it came to the screen, the cast consisted of lesser-regarded players like Dan Dailey, Joan Collins, Jayne Mansfield, and Larry Keating in the roles. Although on paper it looks like a low-rent version of GRAND HOTEL, the characters are well drawn from a Steinbeck story, and the performers offer much stronger performances than the usual work they are noted for.

Credit producer Charles Brackett. He started as a writer, and in the mid-1930s, he hooked up with Billy Wilder. When they grew tired of directorial interference with their scripts, Wilder began to direct regularly, with Brackett as the producer. After 1950, they went on their own ways. Brackett continued to produce, occasionally taking writing credit, through 1962. Along the way, he picked up three Oscars, including one honorary one, amidst a baker's dozen nominations. He died in 1969, aged 76.