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The Misfits (1961)

Posters ,,,,,;

 

"The Misfits" is Marilyn's 29th and last movie, without considering "Something's Got to Give", unfinished.

Arthur Miller had written a short story, puiblished in Esquire magazine in 1957. When he lived in Reno, waiting for his divorce and before marrying Marilyn, he had met some men who, like Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift in the movie, captured wild horses they sold back after, and from which was made food for animals.

Miller adapted the short story to make it a screenplay, Sam Shaw having suggested him that the subject would make an excellent movie for Marilyn. For that, Miller had to develop Roslyn's character, too dweeb for the short story.

He worked again in the screenplay until the last day of shooting. He always modified the end and found it difficult to decide which cow-boy would win the young woman's heart.

Montgomery Clift was not the only one to think that Clark Gable, who was a mature man, had to get  the leading role.

At the beginning of 1958, Miller suggested the production of the movie to his friend Frank Taylor, who suggested to send the screenplay to John Huston and to propose him the direction.

A prestigious team was gathered, including Montgomery Clift and Eli Wallach, both Marilyn's friends. But Miller did better and managed to convince Clark Gable, explaining him that it was "kind of an East western which dealt with the lack of meaning in our lives and also maybe the way we have arrived where we are".

At the beginning, Marilyn considered the movie as a love gift. But when the shooting began, the relations between her and Miller had reached their breaking point.

In his autobiography, Arthur Miller wrote :

"Since the beginning of the "The Misfits", it was impossible for me to deny that , if there was a key for Marilyn's despair, I didn't own it".

Strikes among the actors and writers, at the beginning of 1960, had delayed the shooting of Marilyn's previous movie, "Let's Make Love" (1960).

The outdoor scenes of the "The Misfits", in the Nevada desert, could only start mid-July. There were more than 30° C.

The movie was more reputed for the tension which reigned on the set than for the final result, a real drama performance. The atmosphere was full of Marilyn's hostility towards Miller, the arguments between John Huston and Paula Strasberg and many other anger demontrations. Marilyn and Miller argued in public and in private during the first half of the shooting, until Marilyn left the suite they shared to settled at Paula Strasberg's place.

Miller constantly re wrote the dialogues and stayed up late at night. The next day, he reviewed the text with Huston at the hotel and on the set. Marilyn found it difficult to remember the lines, and the constant changes made her things more difficult.

Marilyn's lack of punctuality, her illnesses, her incoherent condition after massive barbiturates administration to sleep, her arguments with Miller made the shooting long and difficult. As time goes by, she arrived more and more lmate and when she finally arrived, she didn't listen Huston and Miller, but only Paula Strasberg.

At the end of August, Huston sent Marilyn to Los Angeles for 10 days, either to undergo detoxification, or to treat a nervous breakdown, according to the versions.

Ernst Haas, one of the photographers of the Magnum Agency, made the following comment : "All those who were on the set were misfits - Marilyn, Monty, John Huston, always on the berge of panic. And Gable didn't say much, he was just Gable".

Uncertainty continued in Los Angeles at the moment of the pa system in the Paramount studio. The heads of United Artists demanded that several scenes they didn't like would be taken again : an appointment was taken to gather the actors and the technical crew, but Clark Gable- whose contract stipulated he had a say in the screenplay - refused to participate.

The post-production work was speeded up so that the movie would be ready for the Academy Awards nominations. But it didn't obtain any, even posthumous for Clark Gable. The movie had cost 4 million $, which, in 1961, made it the black and white movie the most expensive.  

At the end of the shooting, Marilyn announced her separation from Miller. Later he would say : 'The movie had been a torture for her... Today I marvels at the measure of what she had done in the circumstances she had done it"'.

Miller then married Inge Morath, the photographer of the Magnum agency he had met on the set.  

The premiere took place on January 31, 1961, to honor Clark Gable's memory  who died less than 2 weeks after the end of the shooting. 11 days after her divorce, she was accompanied with Montgomery Clift at the reception which took place at the Capitol Theater, on Broadway and 51st Street.

 
In her last interview to reporter Richard Meryman, for Life magazine, she talks about the difficulties on the set.

 

Production

White blouse ,,,,,

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Negligee

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John Huston and Kay Gable's birthday party August 5, 1960 ,,

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Off set

Casino

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Other dinner  

John Huston and Arthur Miller ;

Others ;;;

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Bathsuit

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Bathrobe ,,, (more pics here).

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Cherry dress ,,,,,,

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Black dress ,,, (more pics here).

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Black dress and veil hat ,,,(more pics here).

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Bed scene

with Clark Gable 

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alone ,;,,

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Denim jacket ,,,, (more pics here).

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Striped blouse ;
 

Wardrobe tests

pictures

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sketch ,,,,

Hairdressing

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Screenplays ;---,

Production call sheet dated September 12, 1960

Production call sheet dated October 18, 1960

Publicity pictures 

with Clark Gable 

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with Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift

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with the crew

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during the shooting 

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Viewing of the scenes 

Angela Allen at the Paramount 

 
The premiere of the movie took place on January 31, 1961 at the New York Capitol Theatre

with Montgomery Clift 

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alone ,,,-

 

Also see Eve Arnold's pictures during the shooting.

 

CREDIT

United Artists/Seven Arts Production, black and white

Runtime : 124 mn

Release date : February 1, 1961.

 

Director : John Huston

Producer : Frank E. Taylor

Screenplay : Arthur Miller

Director of photography : Russell Metty ()

Music : Alex North

Production : Frank R. McKelvy

Film editing: George Tomasini.

 

CAST

Clark Gable - Gay Langland

Marilyn Monroe - Roslyn Taber

Montgomery  Clift - Perce Howland

Thelma Ritter - Isabelle Steers

Eli Wallach - Guido

James Barton - Fletcher's grandfather

Estelle Winwood - church lady collecting money in bar

Kevin McCarthy - Raymond Taber

Dennis Shaw - Fletcher, young boy in bar

Philip Mitchell - Charles Steers

Walter Ramage - old groom

J. Lewis Smith - fresh cowboy in bar

Marietta Tree - Susan

Bobby LaSalle - bartender

Ryall Bowker - man in bar

Ralph Roberts -ambulance driver at rodeo

Peggy Barton - young bride.

 

TECHNICAL CREW

Stephen B. Grimes - art director

William Newberry - art director

Lew Smith - coach for talks 

Allan "Whitey" Snyder - make-up

Agnes Flanagan - hairdresser

Sidney Guilaroff - hairdresser

Frank La Rue - make-up

Frank Prehoda - make-up

Frank McKelvy - set decorator

C.O. Erickson - director of production

Carl Beringer - assistant director

Charles Grenzbach - sound recordist

Philip Mitchell - sound recordist

Chuck Robertson - stunts (uncredited)

Angela Allen - script supervisor

Billy Jones - wrangler

Jean-Louis - costumes of Mrs Monroe

Edward Parone - assistant to producer

Tom Shaw - second unit director

Lew Smith - coach for dialogues (uncredited)

Paula Strasberg - coach Mrs Monroe (uncredited)

Rex Wimpy - photographer.

 

SYNOPSIS

Roslyn Tabor (Marilyn Monroe) is in Reno to divorce from her husband, Raymond (Kevin McCarthy). 
The homeowner of her house, Isabelle Steers (Thelma Ritter), introduces her to Guido (Eli Wallach), desperate since his wife's death. Guido introduces Roslyn to a cow-boy, Gay Langland (Clark Gable), with who she falls in love.

Langland planned an outing in the hills to catch wild horses. He hired Guido and Perce Howland (Montgomery Clift), a regular of rodeos.

Roslyn accompanied the three men, but learn that Langland planned to sell the horses which would be transformed into dog food.

He's deaf to his protests, but she manages to convince to release the animals. Langland is furious and is in pursuit of the head stallion of the herd at the cost of significant physical efforts. But, as soon as he has caught it, he releases it. 

The three men split up. Langland and Roslyn leave together by car, and it's understood that they intend to live together. 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

"The Story of the Misfits". James Goode, Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merill, 1963.

New publication in 1986 under the title of "The Making of the Misfits". A daily report of the shooting of "The Misfits".

 

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