The Misfits (1961)

Director:

John Huston

Writer:

Arthur Miller (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 February 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Western

Tagline:

'SMASHING' thru the Excitement Barrier !

Plot:

A sexy divorcée falls for an over-the-hill cowboy who is struggling to maintain his romantically independent lifestyle in early-sixties Nevada.

Plot Keywords:

Divorce | Horse | Wild Horse | Cowboy | Dog

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

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
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 (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 (uncredited)

Directed by
John Huston

Writing credits
Arthur Miller		(screenplay)

Produced by
Frank E. Taylor	....	producer

Original Music by
Alex North		(music composed by)

Cinematography by
Russell Metty		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
George Tomasini		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Stephen B. Grimes		(art direction) (as Stephen Grimes)
Bill Newberry		(art direction) (as William Newberry)

Set Decoration by
Frank R. McKelvy		(set decoration) (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 (as Frank Larue)
Franz Prehoda	....	makeup (as Frank Prehoda)
Allan Snyder	....	makeup
Bunny Gardel	....	body makeup (uncredited)

Production Management
C.O. Erickson	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carl Beringer	....	assistant director
Tom Shaw	....	second unit director
John Gaudioso	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Ross C. Burke	....	property master (uncredited)
Bud Pine	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)
Robert L. Stephen	....	painter gang boss (uncredited)

Sound Department
Charles Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Philip Mitchell	....	sound recordist
R.D. Cook	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Al Marsh	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Cline Jones	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Bill Babcock	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Daheim	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cole Palen	....	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)
Lefty Budman	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Cornell Capa	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Henri Cartier-Bresson	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Charles Cowie	....	key grip (uncredited)
Bruce Davidson	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Elliott Erwitt	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Ernst Haas	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Ledge Haddow	....	camera (uncredited)
Erich Hartmann	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Lee Jones	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Richard A. Kelley	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Michael Moramarco	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Inge Morath	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Eddie Pyle	....	second camera (uncredited)
Louis Schwartz	....	first camera (uncredited)
Al St. Hilaire	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Dennis Stock	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Clyde Taylor	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Harry L. Underwood	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jean Louis	....	wardrobe: Miss Monroe
Dorothy Jeakins	....	costumer: Marilyn Monroe (uncredited)
Jesse Munden	....	costumer (uncredited)
Shirlee Strahm	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Stu Linder	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
Connie Roese	....	negative cutter (uncredited)

Music Department
Alex North	....	conductor
Henry Brant	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Frank Khoury	....	transportation (uncredited)

Other crew
Angela Allen	....	script supervisor
Billy Jones	....	wrangler
Edward Parone	....	assistant to the producer
Friedrich von Ledebur	....	horse master
Bob Davenport	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Bruce Gailbraith	....	wrangler (uncredited)
James W. Gavin	....	helicopter pilot (uncredited)
Cindy James	....	dog trainer (uncredited)
Eugene Logan	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Evelyn Moriarty	....	stand-in: Marilyn Monroe (uncredited)
George Nelson	....	title designer: main titles (uncredited)
Corky Randall	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Frank Remsden	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Jimmy Sherwood	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Barlow Simpson	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Lew Smith	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)
Paula Strasberg	....	dialogue coach: Ms. Monroe (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Seven Arts Productions (presents) (The John Huston Production)

Distributors

• United Artists (1961) (USA) (theatrical) (as A United Artists release)
• United Artists (1961) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1965) (USA) (TV)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
• United Artists Films (1961) (Finland) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1961) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (????) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (????) (France) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Communications Co. (????) (USA) (TV)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1999) (2002) (Finland) (TV)
• Scanvideo (????) (Finland) (video)
• TV3 (1988) (Finland) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1969) (1977) (2008) (2009) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• George Nelson & Co. Inc.  main titles
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of: affiliated with A.F. of L. (as I.A.T.S.E.)

Also Known As:

"Los inadaptados" - Argentina, Mexico (imdb display title), Uruguay
"Misfits - Nicht gesellschaftsfähig" - Austria, West Germany
"De frigjorte" - Denmark
"De missanpassade" - Sweden
"De missanpassande" - Finland (Swedish title) (imdb display title)
"Gli spostati" - Italy
"Kallódó emberek" - Hungary
"Les désaxés" - France
"Les misfits" - France (dubbed version)
"Misfits" - France (poster title)
"Neprilagodjeni" - Yugoslavia (Serbian title) (literal title)
"Nicht gesellschaftsfähig" - West Germany
"Oi atairiastoi" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Os Desajustados" - Brazil
"Os Inadaptados" - Portugal
"Sklóceni z zyciem" - Poland
"Sopeutumattomat" - Finland
"Uten feste" - Norway (imdb display title)
"Uygunsuzlar" - Turkey (Turkish title)
"Vidas rebeldes" - Spain

Runtime:

124 min | France:120 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Hungary:14 | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rated) | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | France:U (re-release) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved | Ireland:PG

Filming Locations:

Dayton, Nevada, USA

Company:

Seven Arts Productions

Trivia:

This movie was on television on the night Montgomery Clift died. His live-in personal secretary, Lorenzo James, asked Clift if he wanted to watch it. "Absolutely not" was Clift's reply, the last words that he spoke to anyone. He was found dead the next morning, having suffered a heart attack during the night.

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.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Isabelle Steers:Young man, do you have the time? I got six clocks in the house and none of them work.
Guido:Twenty after nine.
Isabelle Steers:After? It's twenty after, dear. Dahlin'. Five minutes.
Roslyn:What about you?
Isabelle Steers:I'm all set, I just tyin' my sling. The lawyer said nine thirty sharp, dahlin'.
Roslyn:Okay.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Last of the Wild Horses (#7.11)" (1994)

Huston's film established Marilyn Monroe as a dramatic sensuous actress...

"The Misfits" is literally about four people who don't fit into society… A divorcée (Monroe) meets cowboy Langland (Gable), who is getting too old for his job… They decide to live together… A former rodeo star (Clift) and an unemployed mechanic (Wallach) join in the drifting…

Huston's masculine images are stripped of their former glory, existing only one rough exterior which fails to conceal what has been lost… Eventually the men agree to round up wild mustangs for a dog food manufacturer…

Scenes of the trio and Monroe speeding across the prairie in a beaten-up truck, raising a hurricane of dust while attempting to rope the stallions, are the strongest evocations of lost souls wandering in time…

Huston's film established Marilyn Monroe as a dramatic sensuous actress, thus liberating her from a decade of steamy cheesecake roles in sexy comedies…