The Misfits (1961)

Directed by
John Huston

Writing credits
Arthur Miller (screenplay)

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

Taglines
'SMASHING' thru the Excitement Barrier !
It shouts and sings with life ... explodes with love!

Plot
Roslyn divorces Ray in Reno and then meets widower Guido. He likes her but introduces her to cowboy Gay, and those two fall in love. When she learns that Gay, Guido and Perce are going to turn wild horses ("misfits") into dog food, she protests.

Trivia
A doctor was on call 24 hours a day for both Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift during the filming.

United Artists executives were unhappy with the rough cut of the film, so director John Huston, producer Frank E. Taylor, and writer Arthur Miller all agreed to reshoot several scenes. Clark Gable had script approval, however, and he rejected the idea. Other disagreements over the final cut resulted in the elimination of a shot of Marilyn Monroe's naked breast from the bedroom scene.

This was the last completed film for both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. Gable died of a heart attack and Monroe died of a drug overdose a year later. (Note: While Something's Got to Give (1962) is listed as her last film, it was never completed because she was fired.)

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.

On the last day of filming, Clark Gable said, "Christ, I'm glad this picture's finished. She [Monroe] damn near gave me a heart attack." The next day, Gable suffered a massive heart attack; he died 11 days later.

Originally written as a short story by Arthur Miller while awaiting his own divorce in Reno prior to marrying Marilyn Monroe.

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.

Marilyn Monroe reputedly nagged then-husband Arthur Miller to cut scenes featuring Eli Wallach's character, for fear that he would upstage her own performance.