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The Misfits (1961 film)
1961 film by John Huston From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Misfits is a 1961 American contemporary Western film directed by John Huston and written by Arthur Miller, based on his 1957 short story of the same name. The film stars Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift, with supporting performances by Thelma Ritter and Eli Wallach. The narrative follows a recently divorced woman who becomes entangled in the lives of three men—an aging cowboy, his pilot-mechanic friend, and a quiet rodeo rider—while staying in Reno, Nevada.
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The film was released theatrically in the United States on February 1, 1961, by United Artists. Though a commercial failure upon release, it was praised for its screenplay and performances. Over time, The Misfits has been reappraised by critics and is now regarded as a classic of American cinema. It marked the final completed screen appearances for both Gable and Monroe, who died shortly after the film’s release. The film’s title later inspired the name of the punk rock band Misfits, formed in 1977.
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Plot
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In Reno, Nevada, Roslyn Tabor finalizes her divorce and befriends Isabelle, a local landlady who introduces her to aging cowboy Gaylord “Gay” Langland and his friend Guido, a tow-truck driver and former wartime pilot. The group visits Guido’s half-built house in the desert, originally intended for his late wife. As Roslyn becomes close with Gay, she moves into the unfinished house, and a tentative romance develops.
Tensions emerge when Gay proposes killing rabbits that are destroying their garden, which Roslyn opposes. Later, Guido suggests capturing wild mustangs to sell. They attend a local rodeo to recruit a third man and encounter Perce Howland, a rodeo rider with financial troubles. Gay offers to cover his entry fee in exchange for help with the roundup. Roslyn is disturbed by the treatment of animals in the rodeo and Perce’s injuries, deepening her emotional conflict.
As the group prepares to capture the mustangs, Roslyn becomes increasingly disillusioned, especially upon learning the horses are to be sold for dog food. She pleads for their release, causing friction with Gay and Guido. When Perce frees a stallion, Gay chases it down but ultimately lets it go, asserting his need for autonomy. Roslyn and Gay reconcile as they drive off together into the Nevada night, uncertain but united.
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Cast
- Clark Gable as Gaylord Langland
- Marilyn Monroe as Roslyn Tabor
- Montgomery Clift as Perce Howland
- Thelma Ritter as Isabelle Steers
- Eli Wallach as Guido
- James Barton as Fletcher's grandfather
- Kevin McCarthy as Raymond Tabor
- Estelle Winwood as Church lady collecting money in bar
- Rex Bell (uncredited) as Old cowboy
- Philip Mitchell (uncredited) as Charles Steers
- Marietta Tree (uncredited) as Susan
Production
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Development
The Misfits originated as a short story by Arthur Miller, published in Esquire magazine in 1957. Miller later adapted it into a screenplay as a vehicle for Marilyn Monroe, then his wife. He continued revising the script throughout production to reflect evolving character dynamics and themes. The film aimed to explore loneliness, disillusionment, and identity through a contemporary Western lens, moving away from traditional genre conventions.
Director John Huston, who had worked with Monroe on The Asphalt Jungle (1950), was brought on to direct. From the outset, the production was marked by emotional and logistical difficulties, including the breakdown of Monroe and Miller’s marriage and the physically demanding desert shoot.[4]
Casting
The film brought together several of Hollywood’s major stars: Clark Gable as aging cowboy Gay Langland, Marilyn Monroe as recently divorced Roslyn Tabor, and Montgomery Clift as rodeo rider Perce Howland. Supporting roles were played by Thelma Ritter and Eli Wallach. The cast also included Nevada Lieutenant Governor Rex Bell in a brief cameo, and Monroe’s masseur Ralph Roberts, who appeared in a small part during the rodeo sequence.
Filming
Principal photography took place in and around Reno and Dayton, Nevada, with locations including the Washoe County Courthouse, Quail Canyon near Pyramid Lake, and the Dayton rodeo grounds.[5][6] The film's climax was shot on a dry lakebed twelve miles east of Dayton, now known as Misfits Flat.[6][7][8] The cast stayed at the Mapes Hotel in Reno during most of the shoot, with Miller and Monroe relocating to the Holiday Hotel (now the Renaissance Hotel) for the final weeks.
Director John Huston suspended production in August 1960 due to Monroe’s exhaustion and health issues, which required a two-week hospital stay. Her frequent tardiness and use of prescription medication reportedly disrupted filming, but the production continued out of necessity. Several of Monroe’s close-ups were shot using soft focus after her return.[9]
Clark Gable insisted on performing many of his own stunts, though he refrained from participating in the more hazardous sequences involving wild mustangs. Filming was completed on November 4, 1960—twelve days before Gable’s death from a heart attack.[10] The film was released on February 1, 1961, which would have marked Gable’s 60th birthday.[11]
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Reception
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Box office
The Misfits underperformed commercially and was considered a box office disappointment upon release. Despite a production budget of approximately $4 million, the film grossed only $4.1 million in its initial U.S. release.[2] Though not a financial loss, it failed to meet studio expectations and was later referred to as a “box office disaster” of its time.[12]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, The Misfits holds a 97% approval rating based on 31 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The site’s consensus highlights the film’s emotionally charged performances and mature themes, citing it as a standout in the later careers of both Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable.[13] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted score of 77 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews.”[14]
Variety, in its original 1960 review, called the film “a robust, high-voltage adventure drama,” noting its blend of emotional intensity and introspective character work.[15] The New Yorker, by contrast, described the film as “absorbing but erratic,” praising the performances while critiquing what it considered heavy-handed symbolism and a lack of narrative cohesion.[16] The Guardian later called the film a “turning point in cinema,” emphasizing its influence on modern character-driven storytelling and the vulnerability brought forth by its iconic cast.[17]
Retrospective acclaim has positioned it as a significant American drama with enduring relevance.[13][18]
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Accolades
At the 14th Directors Guild of America Awards, John Huston received a nomination for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film. Marilyn Monroe was honored as "World Film Favorite" at the 19th Golden Globe Awards in 1962, five months before her death. The film also received recognition decades later when it was nominated for inclusion in the American Film Institute’s 2005 list, AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores.[19]
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Legacy
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The Misfits is remembered as the final completed film for both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. Gable suffered a heart attack two days after filming ended and died on November 16, 1960. The film premiered in New York City in February 1961; Monroe and Montgomery Clift attended the premiere, while Arthur Miller appeared with his children. Less than 18 months later, on August 5, 1962, Monroe died of an apparent drug overdose at the age of 36. Her death, combined with Gable’s, cast a long shadow over the film’s legacy. In her final interview, Monroe—who never knew her father—revealed that she often fantasized Gable was her father, underscoring the personal weight she attached to their collaboration. She later expressed dissatisfaction with both the film and her performance.[20]
The other principal cast members also met poignant fates: James Barton died in 1962; Clift passed away in 1966 after making only three more films; Thelma Ritter died in 1969; and Eli Wallach outlived all his co-stars, passing away in 2014 at age 98.
The making of The Misfits has been documented extensively. The 1966 documentary The Legend of Marilyn Monroe includes behind-the-scenes footage. Arthur Miller’s autobiography Timebends (1987) offers a detailed account of the film’s troubled production. The 2001 PBS documentary Making The Misfits further explored its creation, drawing on sources such as James Goode’s The Making of The Misfits and W. J. Weatherby’s Conversations with Marilyn. Miller's claim that the script was written as a “valentine” to Monroe later inspired Misfits, a 1996 docu-drama play by Alex Finlayson, which premiered at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, directed by Greg Hersov and starring Lisa Eichhorn as Monroe.[21]
Miller's final play, Finishing the Picture (2004), though fictional, was also based on his experiences during the making of The Misfits.
In August 2018, a long-lost scene was discovered featuring Monroe’s character partially nude during a love scene with Gable’s character. The footage, believed to have been destroyed, is now regarded as possibly the first instance of a major Hollywood actress appearing nude in a studio-backed feature, though the scene was never included in the final cut.[22]
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Home media
The Misfits was released on Blu-ray by MGM Home Entertainment on May 10, 2011. A Region 1 widescreen DVD edition followed on May 8, 2012.
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