Play Misty for Me

Play Misty for Me
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Clint Eastwood
Written by	Jo Heims Dean Riesner
Produced by	Robert Daley
Starring	Clint Eastwood Jessica Walter Donna Mills John Larch
Cinematography	Bruce Surtees
Edited by	Carl Pingitore
Music by	Dee Barton Errol Garner
Production company	The Malpaso Company
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	November 3, 1971 (US)
Running time	102 min.
Country	Template:Film US
Language	English
Budget	$950,000

Play Misty for Me is a 1971 American psychological thriller film, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, in his directorial debut. Jessica Walter and Donna Mills co-star. The original music score was composed by Dee Barton.

Plot

Dave Garver is a KRML radio disc jockey who nightly broadcasts from his studio in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He has a fling with— and then is stalked by— Evelyn Draper, an obsessed female fan, while attempting to patch up his shaky relationship with his girlfriend, Tobie Williams.

Draper has a habit of phoning in to Garver's radio show and asking him to play the classic Erroll Garner ballad "Misty". She hears on Garver's radio show that he goes to a specific bar each night and shows up there and, at first, makes their meeting appear as a coincidence. He drives her home and, despite a few comments in opposition, Draper convinces him to sleep with her.

From that point on, Draper begins showing up at Garver's house uninvited. She flares with jealous rages, rudely interrupts an important business meeting with an older woman, then makes a suicide attempt in Dave's home.

Just when he believes Draper might be out of his life forever, she becomes Tobie's new roommate under a false name. This results in a final confrontation between Garver and his psychopathic fan.

Cast

• Clint Eastwood as Dave Garver
• Jessica Walter as Evelyn Draper
• Donna Mills as Tobie Williams
• John Larch as Sgt. McCallum
• Jack Ging as Frank
• Irene Hervey as Madge
• James McEachin as Al Monte
• Clarice Taylor as Birdie
• Don Siegel as Murphy (as Donald Siegel)

Production

Before Malpaso Productions co-founder Irving Leonard died, he and Eastwood discussed a final film, one giving Eastwood the artistic control he desired by making his directorial debut. The film was "Play Misty for Me". Eastwood reflected on his new role, "After seventeen years of bouncing my head against the wall, hanging around sets, maybe influencing certain camera set-ups with my own opinions, watching actors go through all kinds of hell without any help, and working with both good directors and bad ones, I'm at the point where I'm ready to make my own pictures. I stored away all the mistakes I made and saved up all the good things I learned, and now I know enough to control my own projects and get what I want out of actors."

The script was originally conceived by Jo Heims, a former model and dancer turned secretary, and was polished off by Dean Riesner. The idea of another lover's interest with a level-headed girlfriend Tobie added to the plot was a suggestion by Sonia Chernus, an editor who had originally been with Eastwood when he was initially spotted for Rawhide.

The film paved the way for many later stalker films (such as Fatal Attraction), particularly those with a psychotic female antagonist, and also those where the villain made an unexpected return.

The story-line was originally set in Los Angeles, but under Eastwood's insistence, the film was shot in the more comfortable surroundings of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, where he could shoot scenes at the local radio station, bars, and restaurants and at friends' houses. Eastwood has also long made Carmel his home, and was elected mayor there in 1986. Filming commenced in Monterey in September 1970 and although this was Eastwood's debut, Siegel stood by and frequent collaborators of Siegel's, such as cinematographer Bruce Surtees, editor Carl Pingitore, and composer Dee Barton, made up part of the filming team. Additional scenes were shot at the Monterey Jazz Festival in September 1970, featuring jazz greats Johnny Otis, Cannonball Adderley, and future Weather Report founder Joe Zawinul. (The commentator mentions: "That was the Cannonball Adderley group. They are playing at the Monterey Jazz Festival with Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Joe Williams and many others. Now we are gonna hear from 'The Gator Creek Organization' and 'Feeling Fine'...") "The Sardine Factory" is a real restaurant and bar still at the same location as in the film, Prescott & Wave Streets, just one block up from Cannery Row in Monterey. The radio station, KRML, was a real-life jazz station in Carmel, whose studios were relocated to the Eastwood Building at San Carlos & 5th, in the same building as the Hog's Breath Inn (a restaurant that Eastwood once owned). The station, however, went silent in 2010.

The rights to the song "Misty" were obtained after Eastwood saw Garner at the Concord Music Festival in 1970 and he later paid $2,000 for the use of the song The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack. Meticulous planning and efficient directorship by Eastwood saw the film fall nearly $50,000 short of its $1 million budget and the film was completed four or five days ahead of schedule.

The film features a romantic montage (views of Garver and Tobie peacefully roaming on the sea-side and lying down in the woods), backed by Roberta Flack's recording of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", an Ewan MacColl torch-song. Roberta Flack's version of the song (after staying at #1 for five weeks during the spring) became the 1972 Billboard Hot 100 number-one single of the year. The film title is also featured on a movie marquis in the beginning sequence of another 1971 Clint Eastwood movie, Dirty Harry.

Reception

Rissient successfully arranged for Play Misty for Me to premiere in October 1971. It was shown at the San Francisco Film Festival and was widely released in November. McGilligan (1999), p.195</ref> Play Misty For Me was a financial success, earning over $5 million.

The film had mostly positive reviews, with an 83% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In his 1971 review of the film, Roger Ebert wrote, "Play Misty for Me is not the artistic equal of Psycho, but in the business of collecting an audience into the palm of its hand and then squeezing hard, it is supreme." Critics such as Jay Cocks in Time, Andrew Sarris in the Village Voice, and Archer Winsten in the New York Post all praised Eastwood's directorial skills and the film, including his performance in the scenes with Walter.

Accolades

Jessica Walter was nominated for 1972 Golden Globe (dramatic role category), but it was Jane Fonda who received it, for her part in Klute. Play Misty for Me was number 26 on Bravo!'s "30 Even Scarier Movie Moments."

External links

• Play Misty for Me at IMDb