August 10, 2022 | Sarah Ng

The Misfits: A Cursed Hollywood Production


A shadow of death hangs over the 1961 film, The Misfits. Within five years of its release, the three lead actors were gone. Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, and Montgomery Clift were all giants in Hollywood—but as famous as they all were, this particular production marked the beginning of the end.


Her Last Film

In the blistering heat of the northern Nevada desert, Marilyn Monroe's life went up in flames. Throughout filming, her marriage to the writer of the film, Arthur Miller, teetered on the brink of failure. She disagreed with parts of his script, feeling utterly betrayed by the way her beloved husband had written her character. Still, that wasn't the worst part.

Arthur Miller factsGetty Images

With her depression spiraling out of control, the actress drank deeply after work and popped prescription pills to cope. Soon, Monroe's professionalism flew right out the window. Monroe consistently arrived on set an hour late, but some days she never showed face at all. In fact, on one occasion, her fragile mental state shut down production for two weeks.

In August 1960, it all became too much for Monroe and she went to stay in a hospital for two weeks to detox and relax. When she returned, many of her close-ups were shot in soft focus, no doubt masking her exhaustion. Even the director John Huston worried about the troubled actress.

He later confessed that while working with Monroe he felt "absolutely certain that she was doomed".

Montgomery Clift FactsGetty Images

Factinate

Sign up to our newsletter.

History’s most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Making distraction rewarding since 2017.

Thank you!
Error, please try again.

Daddy Issues

Marilyn Monroe's working relationship with Clark Gable was a little peculiar. When she was a young girl living in foster homes, she'd slept with the actor's picture beneath her pillow. Weirder still? She'd even fantasized that Gable was her father, whom she'd never met. She never believed that she'd actually get a chance to work with him in the future.

Monroe was absolutely petrified at the thought of acting alongside Gable—but her fear only led her to a terrible decision. Too anxious to sleep on the night before their first scene together, she took an extra dose of Nembutal. This caused her to show up two hours late.

However, when she apologized to Gable, he simply said, "You're not late, honey". As filming wore on, he never complained about her increasing tardiness.

Advertisement

A Worrisome Decline

Clark Gable was not the picture of health on the set of The Misfits. In fact, before filming even started he started a crash diet so that he could lose 35 pounds as quickly as possible. But that wasn't his only hurdle to overcome.

In order to get insurance for the film, Gable had to pass a physical test—but failed badly. Ordered to stay in bed for a week, he followed instructions and gave up smoking and drinking. It seemed to do the trick. However, when he finally passed the test, he celebrated his success with a generous bottle of booze and a hefty cigar.

Unfortunately, this carefree joke was no laughing matter.

Clark Gable FactsGetty Images

 

A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Perhaps the most shocking tragedy of The Misfits was the loss of Clark Gable. On the final day of shooting, the actor said something prophetic. Referring to Monroe, he said, "Christ, I'm glad this picture's finished. She damn near gave me a heart attack".

Unfortunately, Gable's words were right on the money. The very next day, he did suffer a heart attack, and 10 days later, he passed. Monroe took the news hard, blaming herself for the loss of the Hollywood heartthrob. Of course, by the time Gable starred in The Misfits, his health was already in dire straits.

The actor had been lighting up and drinking for most of his life, complaining of chest pains on multiple occasions. His decline became evident to audiences upon the film's release. Gable's gravelly voice startled them, leading viewers to wonder whether he'd had lung cancer. However, despite this, he was not the one with a doctor on call.

Marilyn Monroe FactsWikimedia Commons

Hidden Pain

Marilyn Monroe had doctors at her beck and call, but then again, so did Montgomery Clift. Five years earlier, a horrific car accident had changed Clift's life forever, and from then on, he struggled with addiction. He self-medicated with drink and medication to ease his pain, but it left him as an echo of the man he used to be.

In a 1961 interview, Monroe said that Clift was "the only person I know who is in even worse shape than I am".

Still, Clift managed to outlive both of his co-stars...but not by much. A year and a half after The Misfits hit theatres, Marilyn Monroe succumbed to a barbiturate overdose. It was only a matter of time before the grim reaper came for Clift as well.

Montgomery Clift FactsGetty Images

Advertisement

His Final Words

Five years after starring alongside Monroe and Gable, Montgomery Clift's traumatic past caught up with him. He was a sick man, but on his final day, his film The Misfits reared its head in a chilling way.

On a fateful night in July 1966, Clift's personal secretary asked him if he wanted to watch The Misfits, which just happened to be on television. The actor responded, "Absolutely not!" Apparently, these were his last words. The very next morning, his private nurse found him deceased in his room.

His numerous health problems had contributed to his heart disease, resulting in a final heart attack.

Montgomery Clift FactsGetty Images

A Movie To Remember

The Misfits was messy in more ways than one. From its tormented actors to the divisive script, it foreshadowed even greater tragedies to come. Although he was the first to go, Clark Gable considered his performance one of his best, telling the producer Frank Taylor, "I now have two things to be proud of in my career: Gone with the Wind and this".

Unsurprisingly, Monroe did not share the same sentiments, and apparently despised the film, her character, and her performance—and well, audiences seemed to agree with her.

The Misfits tanked at the box office, earning itself the reputation of "the box office disaster" of its day. Luckily, as time passed, its disastrous maiden voyage found calm waters. No matter its infamous history, today, the film is considered a cult classic.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4


More from Factinate

Featured Article

My mom never told me how her best friend died. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery.

Dark Family Secrets

Dark Family Secrets Exposed

Nothing stays hidden forever—and these dark family secrets are proof that when the truth comes out, it can range from devastating to utterly chilling.
April 8, 2020 Samantha Henman

Featured Article

Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark history—or the chilling secret shared by her and Louis.

Madame de Pompadour Facts

Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress

Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark history—or the chilling secret shared by her and Louis.
December 7, 2018 Kyle Climans

More from Factinate

Featured Article

I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life.

These People Got Genius Revenges

When someone really pushes our buttons, we'd like to think that we'd hold our head high and turn the other cheek, but revenge is so, so sweet.
April 22, 2020 Scott Mazza

Featured Article

Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIII’s rejected queen—but few people know her even darker history.

Catherine of Aragon Facts

Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s First Wife

Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIII’s rejected queen—but very few people know her even darker history.
June 7, 2018 Christine Tran



Dear reader,


Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? We’re always looking for your input! Please reach out to us to let us know what you’re interested in reading. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from “Life” to “Compact Cars and Trucks” to “A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius.” We’ll get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics you’re interested in. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Thanks for your time!


Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? At Factinate, we’re dedicated to getting things right. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. We want our readers to trust us. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Please let us know if a fact we’ve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect it’s inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. Thanks for your help!


Warmest regards,



The Factinate team




Want to learn something new every day?

Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter.

Thank you!

Error, please try again.