The Misfits (1961)
As Shirley MacLaine so aptly said in Rumor Has It, “I suppose everyone needs someone in their life to let them know when youth has come to an end.” Every silver screen star who was lucky enough to continue working into old age made a telltale movie that showed audiences he or she was officially old. If you’re a fan, it was a little sad to see. For Clark Gable, he made The Misfits. It was a very exposing role for the former sex symbol who made a nation of women swoon and inspired the men to ditch their undershirts for twenty years; in this movie, “the King” gets told by the woman he lusts after, “I just don’t feel that way about you.” It takes a big man to accept that role, and my hat goes off to Mr. Gable in his finest and last performance.
Written by Arthur Miller, this script famously hurt Marilyn Monroe’s feelings, for her husband to show the world he thought of her in that light. She plays a depressed divorcée who teams up with other misfits and tries to muddle along. In real life, she (also famously) quoted that in meeting her costar Montgomery Clift, she’d “finally met someone more screwed up than [her].” That wasn’t a very nice thing to say, but if you know anything about her, that speaks volumes.
Speaking of not very nice things to say, this film was the last of its two leads. Clark Gable had a heart attack shortly after filming concluded, and it was widely spread that working with Marilyn was so stressful it gave him a heart attack. I’m not a fan of her as a person, but I do think that was unkind. He was a lifelong smoker and drinker, and he did strenuous stunts in his movies for three decades. It’s far more likely that wrestling around with a lassoed horse was too taxing on his heart.
This is a very strange movie about strange people, but the cast and backstage trivia is enough to make any old movie buff want to watch it. Just keep in mind it’s not very enjoyable. It’s rather depressing, especially since we know all three leads met unhappy, untimely ends in real life.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Clark Gable movies here!
More Thelma Ritter movies here!
Written by Arthur Miller, this script famously hurt Marilyn Monroe’s feelings, for her husband to show the world he thought of her in that light. She plays a depressed divorcée who teams up with other misfits and tries to muddle along. In real life, she (also famously) quoted that in meeting her costar Montgomery Clift, she’d “finally met someone more screwed up than [her].” That wasn’t a very nice thing to say, but if you know anything about her, that speaks volumes.
Speaking of not very nice things to say, this film was the last of its two leads. Clark Gable had a heart attack shortly after filming concluded, and it was widely spread that working with Marilyn was so stressful it gave him a heart attack. I’m not a fan of her as a person, but I do think that was unkind. He was a lifelong smoker and drinker, and he did strenuous stunts in his movies for three decades. It’s far more likely that wrestling around with a lassoed horse was too taxing on his heart.
This is a very strange movie about strange people, but the cast and backstage trivia is enough to make any old movie buff want to watch it. Just keep in mind it’s not very enjoyable. It’s rather depressing, especially since we know all three leads met unhappy, untimely ends in real life.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Clark Gable movies here!
More Thelma Ritter movies here!