Bus Stop

"Bus Stop" was a memorable series, though very different from the movie and play, which were more farcical. The series was in black-and-white, and was usually very dramatic. Each week, there would be a mini-drama as people came in and out of the bus stop. The Marilyn Maxwell character, Grace, usually provided sympathy and advice; there was always a bantering relationship between Grace and the sheriff, the bus driver, and the waitress, which was behind the main drama. For some reason, i remember an episode which had Madelyn Rhue and Coleen Gray, which had to do with a woman trying to escape an abusive relationship who becomes friends with another woman on the bus. But "Bus Stop" was a good series; i was surprised to discover that Robert Altman had been involved with the series.

Now looking at IMDb cast and crew list for Bus Stop the series was directed Robert Altman (Prêt-à-Porter), whom I thought only did independent movies. You never know about most people's background until you search all the way back. I used to enjoy the series, it had a nice theme song, and the fact that they had new people with new problems was fascinating to me. I was then very young and all those little details such as who is coming to town next was a big Wow. Now days I realize that there were many series done afterwards which were similar as far as people coming and going such as: The Love Boat, and Hotel. I believe I watched the series in black and white and dubbed. The owner of the little restaurant was a very pretty lady.

It really is a shame that this show is barely remembered. And, if it is remembered at all, it is for the Fabian episode, A Lion Walks Among Us, which caused so much controversy at the time. If you watch that episode today, compared to what airs nowadays, you'll wonder what the fuss was all about. But getting back to the show, I've had the chance to view about 3/4 of the episodes and this is really one of the greatest dramatic series of all time. I would say that of the episodes that I've managed to see, all but two or three of them are great. Unfortunately there is no chance of this ever seeing the light of day again. Its in black and white, there are no big stars that are regulars and the biggest drawback is that the show is owned by Fox, a company which has no interest whatsoever in it's older television library. Really unfortunate but at least a full set of shows reside at both UCLA and the Library of Congress.