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Bus Stop (TV series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bus Stop
GenreDrama
Created byRoy Huggins
(based on William Inge's play, Bus Stop)
Directed byRobert Altman (selected episodes)
StarringMarilyn Maxwell
Richard Anderson
Rhodes Reason
Joan Freeman
Buddy Ebsen
Theme music composerArthur Morton
ComposersArthur Morton
Lionel Newman
Jeff Alexander
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producersWilliam Self
Roy Huggins
ProducersRobert Blees
John Newland (final episode)
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesBelmont Television Company, Inc.
Palomino Productions, Inc. (final episode), in association with 20th Century-Fox Television
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseOctober 1, 1961 (1961-10-01) –
March 25, 1962 (1962-03-25)

Bus Stop is a 26-episode American drama which aired on ABC from October 1, 1961, until March 25, 1962, starring Marilyn Maxwell as Grace Sherwood, the owner of a bus station and diner in the fictitious town of Sunrise in the Colorado Rockies. The program was adapted from William Inge's play, Bus Stop, and Inge was a script consultant for the series, which followed the lives of travelers passing through the bus station and the diner. Maxwell's co-stars were Richard Anderson as District Attorney Glenn Wagner, Rhodes Reason as Sheriff Will Mayberry, Joan Freeman as waitress Elma Gahrigner, Bernard Kates as Ralph the coroner, and Buddy Ebsen as Virge Blessing.[citation needed] Increasingly, as it became difficult to have guest stars be characters arriving by bus every week, the stories became more about people in the town which left little for Maxwell's character to do and led to her leaving the series after 13 episodes. She said, "There was nothing for me to do but pour a second cup of coffee and point the way to the men's room."[1]

Episodes

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No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Afternoon Of A Cowboy"Stuart RosenbergSally Benson (teleplay), Rex O'HaogainOctober 1, 1961 (1961-10-01)
2"Success Story"Stuart RosenbergLuther Davis (teleplay), Rex O'HaogainOctober 8, 1961 (1961-10-08)
3"The Resurrection of Annie Ahern"Don MedfordDon M. Mankewicz & Jerome Thomas (teleplay), Robert L. PalmerOctober 15, 1961 (1961-10-15)
4"The Covering Darkness"Robert AltmanJean Holloway & John Meredyth LucasOctober 22, 1961 (1961-10-22)
5"Portrait of a Hero"Robert AltmanLuther Davis (teleplay), Jonathan HughesOctober 29, 1961 (1961-10-29)
6"The Glass Jungle"Francis D. LyonNorman JacobNovember 5, 1961 (1961-11-05)
7"Cherie"Don SiegelRobert Blees (teleplay), William IngeNovember 12, 1961 (1961-11-12)
8"Accessory By Consent"Robert AltmanGilbert Ralston (teleplay), Stephen BeckerNovember 19, 1961 (1961-11-19)
9"The Man From Bootstrap"Joseph PevneyHoward BrowneNovember 26, 1961 (1961-11-26)
10"A Lion Walks Among Us"Robert AltmanEllis Kadison (teleplay), Tom WickerDecember 3, 1961 (1961-12-03)
11"Call Back Yesterday"Lamont JohnsonSamson RaphaelsonDecember 10, 1961 (1961-12-10)
12"...And The Pursuit Of Evil"Robert AltmanDennis Arbuthnot & Howard Browne (teleplay), Wilbur Daniel SteeleDecember 17, 1961 (1961-12-17)
13"The Runaways"Arthur HillerSally Benson (teleplay), Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.December 24, 1961 (1961-12-24)
14"Jaws Of Darkness"Stuart RosenbergAlvin Sargent (teleplay), Henry FarrellDecember 31, 1961 (1961-12-31)
15"Summer Lightning"Robert AltmanHarry Kleiner (teleplay), John WhittierJanuary 7, 1962 (1962-01-07)
16"Cry To Heaven"Stuart RosenbergJohn Francis O'Mara (teleplay), Nunnally Johnson, Patrick QuentinJanuary 14, 1962 (1962-01-14)
17"The Stubborn Stumbos"Richard L. BareEdmund L. Hartmann (teleplay), Jean MuirJanuary 21, 1962 (1962-01-21)
18"Turn Home Again"Stuart RosenbergHarry Kleiner (teleplay), Howard BrowneJanuary 28, 1962 (1962-01-28)
19"How Does Charlie Feel?"Richard L. BareRoy HugginsFebruary 4, 1962 (1962-02-04)
20"Put Your Dreams Away"Ted PostHarry Kleiner (teleplay), Howard BrowneFebruary 11, 1962 (1962-02-11)
21"The Opposite Virtues"Herman HoffmanJames P. Cavanaugh & Marie BaumerFebruary 18, 1962 (1962-02-18)
22"The Ordeal of Kevin Brooke"James B. ClarkFrank Fenton (teleplay), Rex O'HaogainFebruary 25, 1962 (1962-02-25)
23"Door Without A Key"Robert AltmanHoward Browne (teleplay), Robert AltmanMarch 4, 1962 (1962-03-04)
24"Verdict of 12"Felix E. FeistHarry Kleiner (teleplay), Howard BrowneMarch 11, 1962 (1962-03-11)
25"County General"Robert AltmanDavid ShawMarch 18, 1962 (1962-03-18)
26"I Kiss Your Shadow"John NewlandBarry Trivers (teleplay), Robert BlochMarch 25, 1962 (1962-03-25)

Controversial episode

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The episode "A Lion Walks Among Us", with guest star Fabian Forte and directed by Robert Altman, was highly controversial because of its depiction of violence. Twenty-five ABC affiliates refused to air the program.[2] It attracted negative comment from politicians in Washington. The episode was shown to a Congressional Committee discussing violence on TV.

References

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  1. ^ Thomas, Bob (November 19, 1961). "Marilyn Maxwell Just 'Rides Away' From Show". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. p. 63. Retrieved September 13, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ Val Adams (December 5, 1961). "Many TV Stations Omitted 'BUS STOP': Reports Indicate That A.B.C. Show Was Canceled by 15". The New York Times. p. 87.
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