Bus Riley's Back in Town
| Bus Riley's Back in Town | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Harvey Hart |
| Produced by | Elliott Kastner |
| Written by | William Inge Credited as William Gage |
| Starring | Ann-Margret Michael Parks Kim Darby Jocelyn Brando Larry Storch |
| Music by | Richard Markowitz |
| Cinematography | Russell Metty |
| Editing by | Folmar Blangsted |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 7 April 1965 |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Bus Riley's Back in Town (1965) is a movie written by William Inge, directed by Harvey Hart, and starring Ann-Margret and Michael Parks.
The intense drama depicts a man (James Dean look-alike Parks) returning home from three years in the Navy only to find that his girlfriend (Ann-Margret) has married an older man. He also finds out a male friend, who was holding a job for him while he was away, wants to live with him and apparently sleep with him as part of the bargain, giving a controversial gay angle to the plot.
Jocelyn Brando plays Riley's mother while Kim Darby plays his sister, and Janet Margolin plays Judy, a friend who loses her mother in a fire, and moves in with the Rileys, leading to a romance with Bus.
Inge stenuously objected when the film's focus was diverted from Riley to his girlfriend since this radically diverged from his original concept. He was so outraged that he insisted his writing credit be under the name of William Gage. The studio preferred to spotlight Ann-Margret, however, and the film is in fact one of the best showcases for her early, phenomenally seductive persona.
It is considered one of Michael Parks best showcases as well, highlighting talents unseen until the later opportunities he received in the horror flicks of Robert Rodriguez.
Bus Riley's Back in Town finds the hero returning to a world that is not quite the one he left behind. The unscrupulous and devastating ex-girlfriend (Ann Margeret) has apparently married an older and wealthier man. Bus Riley's relationship with her is no less than a drug, he cannot resist her as she she zaps him of all his morality and his resolve and sense of self. His mother watches him sink, trying to hold on to her son and leave him enough room to find his way back from the hell of sexual addiction. The film is provocative and sexy and yet rather sweet. Perhaps the between the two teen girls keep the film from devolving into bathetic melodrama. This is a crossroads when the 50's greaser chic meets 60's Beatle chic, a cultural phenomenon rarely noted.
Riley arrives back in town, determined to start his life anew. But his old girlfriend shows up and he soon is visiting her at night when her husband is out of town. Just when it seems he is losing himself again, his little sister's best friend's mother sets their house on fire in an alcoholic haze, killing herself and leaving the girl homeless. The tragedy brings the Rileys together as they remember what matters - family - and the young girlfriend finds a home with the Rileys.
It is interesting to note one piece of contemporary pop culture: Bruce Springsteens video for "I'm on Fire" is a homage to Bus Riley's Back in Town, with a young woman dropping off the keys to a charismatic young man under a car, and insisting he drop it off.
[edit] Cast
Ann-Margret ... Laurel
Michael Parks ... Bus Riley
Janet Margolin ... Judy
Brad Dexter ... Slocum
Jocelyn Brando ... Mrs. Riley
Larry Storch ... Howie
Crahan Denton ... Spencer
Kim Darby ... Gussie
Brett Somers ... Carlotta
Mimsy Farmer ... Paula
Nan Martin ... Mrs. Nichols
Lisabeth Hush ... Joy
Ethel Griffies ... Mrs. Spencer
Alice Pearce ... Housewife
Chet Stratton ... Benii
David Carradine ... Stretch
Marc Cavell ... Egg Foo
Parley Baer ... Jules Griswald
