Sometimes a title tells you everything you need to know and Bus Riley’s Back in Town is definitely like that. Directed by Harvey Hart, the reason Bus (Michael Parks, Kill Bill) is back is because he’s finished with the Navy. The reason he enlisted (or so it’s heavily implied) is because the girl he loved was meant to marry someone else.
If Bus thought signing up would make a difference, it didn’t. Laurel (Ann-Margret, Kitten with a Whip) is married and, as a result, Bus plans to stay away and focus on finding a job, but that’s not going to happen (it’s Ann-Margret), and soon Bus is just as ensnared in her web as always (even if she did marry for money).
While Bus might not be Parks’ first role as advertised (that would be Wild Seed according to film historians, Lee Pfeiffer and Paul Scrabo in their commentary track), it’s still not hard to tell Parks is new to acting. At times his performance feels overly loud and indulgent, but he does play the serious scenes well. Pfeiffer and Scrabo compare his acting style with James Dean‘s and Marlon Brando‘s but to me it felt like he was going for Albert Finney.
The reason Bus Riley is worth seeking out has to do with the female performances. Laurel isn’t Ann-Margret’s best or biggest role, but as Pfeiffer and Scrabo explain in their commentary (and Ann-Margret revealed in an interview she did in the ’70s) three scenes involving her character were reshot at the studio’s insistence. It would’ve been five scenes but Ann-Margret refused to do two of them but, in her opinion, the film suffered as a result (and the changes were enough that playwright, William Inge, had his name taken off the screenplay and changed to a pseudonym, Walter Gage).
Pfeiffer and Scrabo don’t seem to know what to make of Kim Darby’s performance as Bus’ little sister, Gussie, or how Hart directed her, but I personally found her acting to be a revelation and would’ve almost had the film told from her perspective (like To Kill A Mockingbird). Best known for starring in True Grit, Darby is amazing at changing tones and convincingly switching from joy to tears. Her character is asked to do this a lot, too. My favorite scene is when Bus brings her back a camera and Darby goes from childlike glee at getting a present to being so moved as to be at a loss for words. Janet Margolin (David and Lisa) Is excellent as well as Gussie’s best friend, Judy, while Jocelyn Brando (sister of Marlon) elevates what could’ve been an alarmist, frumpy mom role.
TV fans will be delighted by some of the actors who show-up in small roles. Brett Somers is great as a pearl clutching local teacher who’s deeply rattled by Bus’ appearance (you forget how tall Somers was when she’s always sitting on Match Game) while Alice Pearce (aka the original Gladys Kravitz on Bewitched) is a housewife Bus meets during his brief stint as a door to door salesman.
Loneliness is a common theme throughout the movie and, while there are moments that probably could’ve been taken further, the film still seems shockingly direct about alcoholism and infidelity. There’s also a character who you realize is gay when the camera angles inexplicably turn predatory, yet later when Bus runs into him again he doesn’t avoid him or act homophobic like the earlier camera angles suggested.
In addition to the commentary, Imprint’s Blu-ray includes a featurette on Ann-Margret by film professor, Lucy Bolton, who provides an overview of her career. She also talks about Ann-Margret’s relationships with her parents, Elvis, and husband, Roger Smith (who took over management of her career, but not in a Hollywood horror story way, but a positive one).
Bus Riley’s Back in Town is available on All-Region Blu-ray from Imprint Films.
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