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The Misfits
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The Misfits (1961) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   5,453 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 8% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Huston
Writer:
Arthur Miller (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Misfits on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 February 1961 (USA) more
Tagline:
'SMASHING' thru the Excitement Barrier ! more
Plot:
A sexy divorcée falls for an over-the-hill cowboy who is struggling to maintain his romantically independent lifestyle in early-sixties Nevada. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
Eleven Gay Historical Figures Worthy of the "Milk" Treatment
 (From AfterElton.com. 4 February 2009, 8:14 PM, PST)

Eli Wallach Back On Stage For "Visiting Mr. Green"
 (From CinemaRetro. 27 January 2009, 1:47 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Down and Out in Nevada more

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Clark Gable ... Gay Langland

Marilyn Monroe ... Roslyn Taber

Montgomery Clift ... Perce Howland
Thelma Ritter ... Isabelle Steers

Eli Wallach ... Guido
James Barton ... Fletcher's grandfather
Kevin McCarthy ... Raymond Taber
Estelle Winwood ... Church lady collecting money in bar
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peggy Barton ... Young bride (uncredited)
Rex Bell ... Old cowboy (uncredited)
Ryall Bowker ... Man in bar (uncredited)
Frank Fanelli Sr. ... Gambler at bar (uncredited)

John Huston ... Extra in blackjack scene (uncredited)
Bobby LaSalle ... Bartender (uncredited)
Philip Mitchell ... Charles Steers (Isabella's ex) (uncredited)
Walter Ramage ... Old groom (uncredited)

Ralph Roberts ... Ambulance driver at rodeo (uncredited)
Dennis Shaw ... Fletcher, young boy in bar (uncredited)
J. Lewis Smith ... Fresh cowboy in bar (uncredited)
Marietta Tree ... Susan (Guy's girlfriend getting on train) (uncredited)
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Directed by
John Huston 
 
Writing credits
Arthur Miller (screenplay)

Produced by
Frank E. Taylor .... producer
 
Original Music by
Alex North 
 
Cinematography by
Russell Metty (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
George Tomasini 
 
Art Direction by
Stephen B. Grimes  (as Stephen Grimes)
Bill Newberry  (as William Newberry)
 
Set Decoration by
Frank R. McKelvy  (as Frank McKelvy)
 
Costume Design by
Jean Louis (dresses: Marilyn Monroe)
 
Makeup Department
Agnes Flanagan .... hair stylist
Sydney Guilaroff .... hair stylist
Frank La Rue .... makeup artist (as Frank Larue)
Franz Prehoda .... makeup artist (as Frank Prehoda)
Allan Snyder .... makeup artist
 
Production Management
C.O. Erickson .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carl Beringer .... assistant director
Tom Shaw .... second unit director
 
Sound Department
Charles Grenzbach .... sound recordist
Philip Mitchell .... sound recordist
 
Stunts
Bill Babcock .... stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson .... stunts (uncredited)
J. Lewis Smith .... stunts (uncredited)
Ted White .... stunts (uncredited)
Jack N. Young .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Rex Wimpy .... photographer: second unit
Eve Arnold .... still photographer (uncredited)
Cornell Capa .... still photographer (uncredited)
Henri Cartier-Bresson .... still photographer (uncredited)
Bruce Davidson .... still photographer (uncredited)
Elliott Erwitt .... still photographer (uncredited)
Ernst Haas .... still photographer (uncredited)
Erich Hartmann .... still photographer (uncredited)
Lee Jones .... still photographer (uncredited)
Inge Morath .... still photographer (uncredited)
Dennis Stock .... still photographer (uncredited)
Clyde Taylor .... gaffer (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jean Louis .... wardrobe: Ms. Monroe
 
Editorial Department
Stu Linder .... assistant editor (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Alex North .... conductor
 
Other crew
Angela Allen .... script supervisor
Billy Jones .... wrangler
George Nelson .... title designer: main titles
Edward Parone .... assistant to producer
James W. Gavin .... helicopter pilot (uncredited)
Eugene Logan .... production assistant (uncredited)
Evelyn Moriarty .... stand-in: Marilyn Monroe (uncredited)
Barlow Simpson .... wrangler (uncredited)
Lew Smith .... dialogue coach (uncredited)
Paula Strasberg .... coach: Ms. Monroe (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


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Additional Details

Runtime:
124 min | France:120 min (DVD)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Filming Locations:
Dayton, Nevada, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Bored while waiting for Marilyn Monroe to turn up on the set, Clark Gable opted to do his own stunts, which included being dragged by a truck traveling at 30 mph. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Isabelle (Thelma Ritter) and Guido return to the house after Roslyn and Langland have been alone there for a few days, Langland calls Isabelle "Thelma". more
Quotes:
Gay: Honey, we all got to go sometime, reason or no reason. Dyin's as natural as livin'. The man who's too afraid to die is too afraid to live. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Immoral Mr. Phillips (2004) (V) more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
What kind of airplane was Guido flying?
Who are the misfits?
more
42 out of 64 people found the following comment useful:-
Down and Out in Nevada, 30 July 2003
9/10
Author: B24 from Arizona

Two of the previous comments have it right about Nevada. It is without question the most barren of places in terms of the sustenance of human life, yet it has a rare beauty that transcends the ugliness of its crass cities and radioactive vistas. The fact that it encompasses an entirely landlocked basin in which great rivers roar down to disappear in dry lakebeds speaks to the main point. Pristine alpine meadows form islands in the sky surrounded by millions of acres of desolation.

When I first saw "The Misfits" in 1961, after having read the savage reviews and followed the sensational press coverage of its production, my initial reaction was that most people just missed the point. I still think so, particularly after reading some of the negative comments here that parrot accepted wisdom about filmmaking in general and what is perceived as a misfire by Miller and Huston. But I have news for the naysayers: this film tells it like it is.

So what if it's a stage play set in the desert? So what if the characters devolve and come apart according to some apparently hidden hand of random fate? Those who get the story right are those who see past what seem at first to be surreal clichés existing only as fodder for the cameras and instead grasp the horror and ugliness of what passes as everyday life for the eponymous ensemble. Nothing happens, and yet everything happens.

Gable, Monroe, Clift. Arthur Miller himself. Figures that seem larger than life. This has little to do with horses and everything to do with the tragedy of Everyman.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Misfits (1961)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Marilyn Monroe = Life Sucking Hole bartg-1
Drugs? muteki13
FILM SEEMS DARK chrisjoncole
Marilyn Monroe Pin-Up Reference ? Kate-me
Minor but strange (deliberate?) contradiction RexRexroth
Notes on THE MISFITS JSlack3
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