IMDb > The Misfits (1961)
The Misfits
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The Misfits (1961) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   5,766 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 12% in popularity this week. See why 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
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | Romance | Western 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:
(8 articles)
Matthew Modine: The Hollywood Interview
 (From The Hollywood Interview. 2 November 2009, 10:20 AM, PST)
eBay find: Rita Hayworth’s screen-worn black satin dress from Gilda
 (From BoxWish. 4 September 2009, 2:49 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
A Lesson in Film more (86 total)
US TV Schedule:
Tue. Dec. 14:15 AMTCM   

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 
 
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
Henry Brant .... orchestrator (uncredited)
 
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

Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
124 min | France:120 min (DVD)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Iceland:L | Hungary:14 | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rated) | West Germany:16 (f) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U (re-release) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved | Ireland:PG
Filming Locations:
Dayton, Nevada, USA more
Company:
Seven Arts Productions more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Well-known Nevada Casino Lounge singer Frank Fanelli Sr. was cast as one of the bar gamblers betting on Marilyn Monroe in the paddle board scene in the bar. Frank Sinatra was a fan of Fanelli's, and often attended his shows in Nevada. The bar from the movie is still in business in Dayton, Nevada. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: The wild horses are captured by throwing a loop around their neck. Yet, when we see one of the horses on the ground, the rope is looped around the neck AND muzzle, to fashion a makeshift halter, revealing that the horse is halter broke. more
Quotes:
[Gay is giving Roslyn a ride back to town]
Gay: You're a real beautiful woman. It's almost kind of an honor sittin' next to ya'. That's my true feelin's Roslyn.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The King of Comedy (1982) more

FAQ

How does the movie end?
Is "The Misfits" based on a novel?
Where was "The Misfits" filmed?
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
45 out of 66 people found the following comment useful.
A Lesson in Film, 1 August 2003
Author: MGMboy from San Francisco

This once nearly forgotten movie, the last film of Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe is now coming forward in the lexicon of film history as an underrated gem. Universally misunderstood for the most part at the time it came out it is clear now that this film was at least five of six years ahead of it's time. It fits in more comfortably with films of the late 60's and early 70's. The screenplay by Miller is one of his most striking works. A story of a group of people lost in the wide expanse of the West in search of the discarded souls of their misspent lives. The film's beautiful cinematography by Russell Metty stands out as superb artistry at the demise of the black and white era. It shimmers with the silver of the deep expanse of the desert and the flat grays and blacks of the distant mountains upon which the last act of the story plays. The music by Alex North is among his best work and gives a savage punch to the aerial scenes and the round up at the end of the wild mustangs. Montgomery Clift, by now sliding into the last years of his life is touching in his performance of Perce. His broken cowboy with the broken heart is almost painful to watch. His phone call home to his mother is among some of his best work. Eli Wallach gives a strong deeply moving portrait of Guido who has lost his wife, his way, and his humanity. He shines in his scene with Monroe where he asks her to save him. When she can't to at least say `Hello Guido'. Thelma Ritter is, well, Thelma Ritter in yet another of her excellent character roles. Ritter is the master of the one line wisecrack but here as Isobel she laces the cracks with an underlying sadness and vulnerability.

As Gay Langland, Clark Gable gives what I consider to be the best performance of his career. It was a brave move for Gable to take on the role of what on the surface seems another one of his typical macho made to fit parts. But as the story unfolds from Arthur Miller's pen Gay reveals that beneath his gruff, not a care in the world, cowboy is a man in deep pain and despair at his losses. The world has left him behind. Abandoned by his children the drunken Gable breaks so violently it is a shock to watch the great man fall. This is Clark Gable at his finest ever.

Marilyn Monroe gives an astounding performance as Roslyn Tabler the newly divorced dancer. A damaged woman who finds in the company of these three men something to finally believe in, something to stand up and fight for, she finds life. It is a performance ground out in part from her own person and experience and in part by the director John Huston and the editor George Tomasini who helped a nearly destroyed Monroe create her stunning Roslyn. This, her last performance is her best and the true example of the collaborative creation that film really is. That Marilyn under the circumstances of her life at that time could be so good is a testament to her talent as an actress and a star. Watch her when she is listening to the other actors. This is where she shines; this is the true mark of a great screen actor. To be able to listen and draw you into the inner life of the character through that deceptively simple act of listening and reaction is her gift to the audience. Her scene with Monty in back of the bar, sitting on a pile of trash, her afore mentioned scene with Eli Wallach in the speeding car. These are but a few of the examples in this film of her great talent. In the 1950's and early 60's there were only a handful of great young actresses in film, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marilyn Monroe where at the summit of the small mountain.

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