Play Misty for Me (1971)

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Jo Heims (story)
Jo Heims (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

12 November 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

The scream you hear may be your own!

Plot:

A brief fling between a male disc jockey and an obsessed female fan takes a frightening, and perhaps even deadly turn when another woman enters the picture.

Plot Keywords:

Disc Jockey | Obsessed Fan | Playing Dumb | Fall Through Window | Depressed Woman

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Dave
Jessica Walter	...	Evelyn
Donna Mills	...	Tobie
John Larch	...	Sgt. McCallum
Jack Ging	...	Frank
Irene Hervey	...	Madge
James McEachin	...	Al Monte
Clarice Taylor	...	Birdie
Don Siegel	...	Murphy (as Donald Siegel)
Duke Everts	...	Jay Jay
George Fargo	...	Man
Mervin W. Frates	...	Locksmith
Tim Frawley	...	Deputy Sheriff
Otis Kadani	...	Policeman
Brit Lind	...	Anjelica
Paul E. Lippman	...	2nd man
Jack Kosslyn	...	Cab driver
Ginna Patterson	...	Madalyn
Malcolm Moran	...	Man in window
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cannonball Adderley	...	Himself (leader, Cannonball Adderly and His Quartet) (uncredited)
Cannonball Adderley and His Quartet	...	Themselves (uncredited)
Robert S. Holman	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Johnny Otis	...	Himself (uncredited)
Walter Spear	...	Policeman (uncredited)

Directed by
Clint Eastwood

Writing credits
Jo Heims		(story)
Jo Heims		(screenplay) and
Dean Riesner		(screenplay)

Produced by
Robert Daley	....	producer
Robert E. Larson	....	associate producer (as Bob Larson)
Jennings Lang	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Dee Barton

Cinematography by
Bruce Surtees

Film Editing by
Carl Pingitore

Art Direction by
Alexander Golitzen

Set Decoration by
Ralph S. Hurst		(as Ralph Hurst)

Costume Design by
Helen Colvig

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert E. Larson	....	assistant director (as Bob Larson)

Art Department
Don Heitkotter	....	painting

Sound Department
Robert L. Hoyt	....	sound
Robert Martin	....	sound
Waldon O. Watson	....	sound

Stunts
Jeannie Epper	....	stunt double: Jessica W (uncredited)
Julie Ann Johnson	....	stunts (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Brad Whitney	....	costumes: Clint Eastwood (as Brad Whitney of Carmel)

Music Department
Erroll Garner	....	musician: piano, "Misty"
Ewan MacColl	....	composer: song "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"
Mike Deasy	....	musician (uncredited)

Other crew
Betty A. Griffin	....	script supervisor (as Betty Abbott)
Jack Kosslyn	....	dialogue coach
Jennings Lang	....	presenter

Thanks
Jimmy Lyons	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures
• Malpaso Company, The

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1971) (USA) (theatrical)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1972) (France) (theatrical)
• CIC (1972) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1973) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• ETD Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (????) (UK) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Cinematique  cosmetics
• Octave Music Publishing Corporation  by arrangement with: "Misty"
• Universal Title  titles and opticals

Runtime:

102 min | Portugal:96 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2002) | UK:18 (video rating) (1985) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R (Certificate #22848) | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Big Sur, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Universal Pictures originally wanted Lee Remick cast in the role of Evelyn, but director Clint Eastwood had been impressed with Jessica Walter's performance in Sidney Lumet's film The Group (1966), and cast her instead.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene where Evelyn creates a disturbance as Dave is having a business meeting with an executive from a San Francisco station, there is a close-up of the box containing the audition tape he originally sent to the station she runs. The return address reads Dave Garver, Radio K.M.R.L. (not K.R.M.L).

Quotes:

Evelyn: It was funny, I was calling you from that phonebox over there and he was telling me you'd left and I was staring at your car - isn't that funny.
David 'Dave' Garver: Kind of funny.

Movie Connections:

Edited into "30 Even Scarier Movie Moments" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Misty

Edge-Of-Your-Seat Thriller

Clint Eastwood made his directorial debut with this 1971 suspense/thriller, `Play Misty for Me,' in which he also stars as Dave Garver, a late night radio disc jockey for a small station in Carmel, California. During his show, he opens the phones to take requests, at which times a frequent caller-- a woman named Evelyn (Jessica Walter)-- always asks for the same tune, `Misty.' Her obsession, it turns out, is not with that particular record, but with Garver, who is currently sorting out a relationship gone bad with a young artist, Tobie (Donna Mills), but which may be on the mend in light of the fact that Tobie has just returned to town after a lengthy absence in the wake of their breakup. In the interim, Garver has become entangled with Evelyn, a fan he soon discovers gives new meaning to the term `fanatic.'

Eastwood invades Hitchcock territory with this film, which it turns out was indeed a harbinger of the course his career would take from this point on, that of directing and starring in his own movies. With this one, it's apparent that he had that special touch from the beginning; he knows unequivocally what he likes, what works and how to deliver it. The only weakness in the film (if you can even call it a weakness), would be the use of longshots during a couple of scenes between Garver and Tobie that take place on the coast. It adds a scenic vista for a backdrop, but listening to the dialogue with the actors in the distance gives it a dialogue-added-later feeling. It's a minor flaw, however, that takes nothing away from the overall impact of the film, especially as Eastwood establishes a deliberate pace that allows the tension to mount throughout.

It would seem that for an actor to direct himself would be a monumental undertaking, especially the first time, but Eastwood proves here what has been corroborated over the years and with his films since, that he is his own best director. And it's a club to which few actor/directors belong, which puts him in the elite company of Welles, Branagh and most recently, Ed Harris (with `Pollock'), just to name a few of the select. As Garver, a minor celebrity whose biggest fan turns out to be his worst nightmare, Eastwood is thoroughly convincing, and though this may not be one of his most memorable roles, it is certainly well acted, and delivered with that subtle Eastwood charm.

Jessica Walter combines just the right amount of beauty, charm and menace for her role of Evelyn, which just may be her most memorable performance ever. She creates a character who is smoothly confident, if slightly vulnerable, and prone to instantaneous bursts of psychotic anger. It's an honest portrait of an extremely disturbed individual with the ability to conceal the true nature-- and danger-- of her mental state. Exceptionally well realized by Walter, Evelyn could be the older sister of Stephen King's Annie in `Misery,' a role for which Kathy Bates received an Oscar for Best Actress some twenty years after Walter inhabited the body of Evelyn.

The supporting cast includes John Larch (Sergeant McCallum), Jack Ging (Frank), Irene Hervey (Madge), James McEachin (Al Monte), Clarice Taylor (Birdie) and Don Siegel (Murphy). A film that will have you on the edge of your seat by the end, `Play Misty for Me' withstands the test of time and works every bit as well today as when it was originally released. A tale from the dark side, it's engrossing entertainment that may give you second thoughts about that casual acquaintance you've just invited to your house for dinner. Eastwood chose a perfect setting for his film, using one of the most beautiful spots along the California coast as a background against which to contrast the grisly events of the story. It all adds up to a wild ride for the audience, and an auspicious debut for Eastwood as the Man Behind the Camera. I rate this one 8/10.