Bus Riley's Back in Town

Universal, attempting to cash in on the success of the French New Wave in the States, set up two films starring Michael Parks, of which this was the second, and allowed the directors comparative studio freedom. Although romantic and heavy-handed, Hart's piece is a well-intentioned study of small-town life in America, centred round Parks as a hellraiser back from the navy and determined to mend his ways. A handful of jobs later and he's serving as a stud to Ann-Margret before sinking into suitable obscurity, married and contemplating work in a garage. When Universal saw the poor returns from Wild Seed, the first film, they intervened, shot extra footage involving Ann-Margret, and demanded so many cuts that scriptwriter William Inge removed his name from the credits: probably no great loss, since the script was the weakest aspect of the whole thing. But it did set back the career of a promising director a good few years.