United Artists sold the film with the taglines "'SMASHING' thru the Excitement Barrier!" and "It shouts and sings with life...explodes with love!"

Because of the many production delays, The Misfits came in at $4.1 million, a very high figure for a black-and-white picture.

At the beginning of production, Marilyn Monroe's entourage consisted of husband Arthur Miller, her press agent, her acting coach, two hairdressers, a make-up man, a seamstress, a body cosmetician, her stand-in, a masseur, a secretary, a wardrobe girl and her personal secretary. Clark Gable, on the other hand, only had one assistant, his friend Lew Smith, who was billed as "dialogue coach."

Monroe's masseur, Ralph Roberts, played a small role as an ambulance driver.

When autograph seekers invaded the film's Reno, Nevada, set, Monroe put on a wig and tried to pass herself off as former 20th Century-Fox rival Mitzi Gaynor.

When Monroe accidentally exposed a breast during a bedroom scene with Clark Gable, she tried to convince director John Huston to print the shot, arguing that it might help sell the picture. She also uttered a surprisingly prophetic comment about censorship: "Gradually they'll let down the censorship -- though probably not in my lifetime."

During a press conference for The Misfits, a reporter asked Monroe what she wore to bed at night. She quipped, "Chanel Number Five!"

While the film was shooting in Nevada, Gable and his wife learned that she was pregnant. She would give birth to his only child, John Clark Gable, after the star's death.

Director John Huston celebrated his 54th birthday during location shooting. Folk singer Burl Ives and comic Mort Sahl flew in to entertain at the party, during which Huston was inducted as an honorary member of the Paiute tribe of Utah.

During filming, Huston took time out to join in a camel race in Virginia City, Nevada. He won, beating famed jockey Billy Pearson, among others.

Huston added another $250 to his $300,000 fee for the film by appearing as an extra in a casino scene.

When a power failure interrupted Huston's gambling at a local hotel one night, he had crew members hook the hotel up to the generators brought in for location shooting.

During one production delay on The Misfits, Gable and Huston took off for a duck hunting trip, but each went to a different location.

The Misfits brought in only $4 million dollars on its initial release. It had cost $4.1 million to make.

Famous Quotes from THE MISFITS

"'Did your husband act toward you with cruelty?'"
"'Yes.'"
"'In what way did this cruelty manifest itself?'"
"'He persistently' -- how does that go again?"
"'He persistently and cruelly ignored my personal wishes and my rights and resorted on several occasions to physical violence against me."
"'He persistently' -- oh, do I have to say that? Why can't I just say, 'He wasn't there?' -- I mean, you could touch him, but he wasn't there." -- Thelma Ritter, as Isabelle Steers, rehearsing Marilyn Monroe, as Roslyn Taber, for the latter's divorce trial.

"One thing about this town, it's always full of interesting strangers." -- Ritter, as Isabelle Steers.

"Well, what do you do with yourself?"
"Just live."
"How does anyone 'just live?'"
"Well, you start by going to sleep. You get up when you feel like it. You scratch yourself. You fry yourself some eggs. You see what kind of a day it is; throw stones at a can, whistle." -- Monroe, as Rosalyn Taber, getting to know Clark Gable, as Gay Langland.

"You're a real beautiful woman. It's almost kind of an honor sittin' next to ya'. That's my true feelin's, Roslyn." -- Gable, as Gay Langland, to Monroe, as Roslyn.

"What makes you so sad? I think you're the saddest girl I ever met."
"No one ever said that to me before. I'm usually told how happy I am."
"That's because you make a man feel happy." -- Gable, as Langland, sympathizing with Monroe.

"Did you ever think about getting married again?"
"Oh, I think about it; never in daylight." -- Monroe and Gable.

"How come you got such trust in your eyes, like you was just born?" -- Montgomery Clift, as Perce Howland, to Monroe.

"So what I want to know...what I want to know is: who do you depend on?"
"I don't know. Maybe all there really is is just the next thing. The next thing that happens. Maybe you're not supposed to remember anybody's promises." -- Clift, as Perce Howland, and Monroe.

"You have the gift for life, Roslyn. The rest of us, we're just looking for a place to hide and watch it all go by." -- Gable.

"What's eating you?"
"Just my life." -- Gable, digging into the angst of Eli Wallach, as Guido.

"I can't make a landing, and I can't get up to God." -- Wallach as Guido.

"Were all dying, aren't we? We're not teaching each other what we really know, are we?" -- Monroe.

"She wasn't like any other woman. Stood by me 100 percent, uncomplaining as a tree."
"Maybe that's what killed her." -- Wallach, telling Monroe about his late wife.

"Honey, we've all got to go sometime, reason or no reason. Dying's as natural as living; man who's afraid to die is too afraid to live, far as I've ever seen. So there's nothing to do but forget it, that's all. Seems to me." -- Gable, to Monroe.

"Honey, nothing can live unless something dies." -- Gable.

"She's crazy. They're all crazy. You try not to believe that because you need them. She's crazy! You struggle, you build, you try, you turn yourself inside out for them. But it's never enough. So they put the spurs to you. I know, I've got the marks. I know this racket, I just forgot what I knew for a little while." -- Wallach, condemning Monroe and all women.

"Killers! Murderers! You liars! All of you liars! You're only happy when you can see something die! Why don't you kill yourself to be happy! You and your God's country! Freedom! I am not kidding you, you're three sweet damned men!" -- Monroe, railing at the men for selling wild horses for dog food.

"Don't want nobody makin' up my mind for me, that's all. Damn 'em all! They changed it, changed it all around. Smeared it all over with blood. I'm finished with it. It's, it's like, like ropin' a dream now. I just gotta find another way to be alive, that's all. If there is one anymore. Perce, cut that mare loose for me, will ya?" -- Gable, giving in to Monroe's demands on his own terms.

"How do you find your way back in the dark?"

"Just head for that big star. It will take you home." -- Monroe and Gable, at the end of the last film either would complete.

Compiled by Frank Miller