The Misfits (1961)

Marilyn Monroe is Roslyn Taber, newly divorced, unsure of her place in the world, unsure how to find happiness and not sure that love will ever last.

She’s in Reno, Nevada, with carefree friend Isabelle Steers (Thelma Ritter), a divorcee herself.

They wind up meeting former Army flyer Guido (Eli Wallach) and womanizing wanderer Gay Langland (Clark Gable).

The men convince Roslyn to move into Guido’s unfinished home for a while.

And both men begin their attempts to win the lovely blonde’s heart, or at least some time in her bed.

Two admirers become three when the trio encounter Perce Howland (Montgomery Clift) on the way to the local rodeo.

He’s a wanderer too; he doesn’t even had the entry fee needed to compete in the rodeo.

Guido and Gay agree to put up that $10 entry fee if Perce will become the third partner in their plan to round up 15 mustangs spotted in the desolate hills outside town.

Fifteen mustangs won’t bring much compared to the old days when you could round them up by the dozens. But for cowboys who value their freedom, as Gay would say, “it’s better than wages.”

They take Roslyn along on the mustang roundup; she’s unaware the plan into selling the mustangs to be slaughtered for pet food.

Marilyn Monroe as Roslyn Taber, relaxing in Gay Langland’s truck after a night on the town in The Misfits (1961)

Clark Gable as Gay Langland, determined to go through with his roundup in The Misfits (1961)

Review:

The film was a box office bomb. Today, it’s most noteble as the final completed film for both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe.

Gable died of a heart attack at age 59 shortly after filming ended. Marilyn died a year and a half later at age 36 from an alleged drug overdose.

Knowing that as you watch, some of their scenes together and some of the dialogue is downright haunting. That’s especially true of the movie’s final scene.

As for the film, it’s not as bad as its box office performance would suggest. And it should quell any suggestion that Marilyn Monroe couldn’t act.

Her objection to the mustang roundup forces all three of the men wooing her to re-examine their own motivations.

One last bit of haunting trivia: The film was being shown on TV that night Montgomery Clift died in 1966 at age 45. When his personal secretary asked if he wanted to watch it, he replied “Absolutely not.” Those were his last words. He was found dead of a heart attack the next morning.

Montgomery Clift as Perce Howland finds a comfotable resting spot after being thrown by a bull in The Misfits (1961)

Eli Wallach as Guido, making a play for Roslyn after she argues with Gay Langland in The Misfits (1961)

Directed by:
John Huston

Cast:
Clark Gable … Gay Langland
Marilyn Monroe … Roslyn Taber
Montgomery Clift … Perce Howland
Thelma Ritter … Isabelle Steers
Eli Wallach … Guido
Kevin McCarthy … Raymond Taber
Estelle Winwood … Church laby
Dennis Shaw … Fletcher (boy in the bar)
James Barton … Fletcher’s granddad

Thelma Ritter as Isabelle Steers, ready to get the party started in The Misfits (1961)

Eli Wallach as Guido telling Roslyn Taber (Marilyn Monroe) about his late wife in The Misfits (1961)

Memorable lines:

Roslyn Taber, as she heads to her divorce hearing: “I can’t memorize this. That’s not the way it was.”
Isabelle Steers: “Just say it. It doesn’t have to be true. This isn’t a quizz show. It’s only a court.”

Roslyn Taber, after her divorce is final: “I just hate to fight with anybody. When you win, you lose. You know, in your heart.”

Isabelle Steers to Rosalyn: “I have to tell you something about cowboys … Cowboys are the last real men left in the world. And they’re about as reliable as jackrabbits.”

Gay Langland to Guido of Roslyn: “She’s real prime.”

Gay Langland to Roslyn: “What makes you so sad? I think you’re the saddest girl I ever met.”

Thelma Ritter as Isabelle Steers and Marilyn Monroe as Roslyn Taber, meeting Gay Langland in The Misfits (1961)

Montgomery Clift as Perce Howland, getting his first glimpse of Roslyn (Marilyn Monroe) in The Misfits (1961)

Guido, offering a toast: “Here’s to your life, Roslyn. I hope it goes on forever.”

Gay Langland, as he and Roslyn disagree over the proper fate of a rabbit eating lettuce from their garden: “Honey, a kind man can kill.”
Roslyn: “No he can’t.”

Gay Langland of mustanging: “It’s better than wages, ain’t it?”

Roslyn Taber, after watching the men catch, drag down and tie up the mustangs: “Killers! Killers! Murderers! Liars! All of you liars! You’re only happy when you can see something die. Why don’t you kill yourselves and be happy? You and your God’s country? Freedom? I pity you. You’re three dear, sweet, dead men.”

Marilyn Monroe as Roslyn Taber, admitting to shedding a tear when Perce Howland was injured by a bull in The Misfits (1961)

Montgomery Clift as Perce Howland, Marilyn Monroe as Roslyn Taber and Clark Gable as Gay Langland look out over God’s country in The Misfits (1961)

Marilyn Monroe as Roslyn Taber, watching in horror as the men rope and bring down the mustangs in The Misfits (1961)

Clark Gable as Gay Langland and Eli Wallach as Guido, watching Roslyn make a fuss over captured horses in The Misfits (1961)

Marilyn Monroe as Roslyn Taber, coming to realize Guido’s true motives in The Misfits (1961)

Marilyn Monroe as Roslyn Taber and Clark Gable as Gay Langland, wondering about the future in The Misfits (1961)