Play Misty for Me (1971)

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.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Jo Heims (screenplay), Dean Riesner (screenplay)

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Britt Lind	...	Anjelica (as Brit Lind)

Storyline

Disc jockey Dave Garver attracts the amorous attentions of a demented fan named Evelyn Draper. Evelyn lets Dave pick her up at a bar; later at her apartment Evelyn admits that she is the cooing caller who repeatedly asks Dave to play the Erroll Garner classic "Misty." From then on, the film is a lesson in how one casual date can turn your whole life around. Evelyn stalks Dave everywhere, ruins his business lunch, assaults his maid, mutilates his house and all of his belongings, and finally threatens to butcher his girlfriend Tobie Williams. You'll never be able to hear that song again without looking over your shoulder.

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Plot Keywords:

disc jockey | obsessed fan | fatal attraction | underwear | white briefs | 

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Taglines:

The scream you hear may be your own!

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Genres:

Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 November 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Play Misty for Me

Filming Locations:

Spindrift Road, Carmel Highlands, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$725,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$10,600,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,600,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Malpaso Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 96 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steve McQueen turned down the lead role, claiming that the female lead was stronger than the male.

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Goofs

When Evelyn is on the phone at the airport, she tells Dave that she has a job in Hawaii and she reads a line from a poem "Because this maiden she lived with no other thought than to be loved by you." Later on, Dave is reading a book before he rescues Tobie, Evelyn's voice over says the same line, but the line in the book that Dave is reading says "And this maiden she lived with no other thought than to be loved and be loved by me."

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Quotes

David 'Dave' Garver: Care for a beer?
Al Monte: Not really, I'd go for something more uplifting but not a brew, David, not a brew my man.

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Alternate Versions

The version shown on American commercial network TV had the entire "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" sequence re-shot to remove the sex scene. Instead, what was shown as the song played was simply scenes of Eastwood and Donna Mills walking in the forest. The very brief sex scene between Eastwood and Jessica Walter was also eliminated.

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Connections

Featured in Land of the Lost (2009)

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Soundtracks

Dirty Boogie
(uncredited)
by Gator Creek
Produced by Dee Barton

User Reviews

Definitely one of the best suspense movies ever.

This movie has got to be on the top ten list of the best movies ever made. It's perfect. You really can't say anything negative about it because there is nothing wrong with it. It is paced just right, the acting is excellent, and its story is very engrossing. Play Misty for Me begins in California at Eastwood's radio station when he gets a call, with a very sexy voice, saying the film's title. He then has a little rendezvous with this woman, but when he decides to break it up, and go back to his original girl, she just won't leave him alone (the first Fatal Attraction, and the better). By the time the end comes (which is perfectly set in a secluded cliffside home)you are guaranteed to have jumped out of your seat, or you'll find yourself grabbing onto something, or biting your nails. I did. Hang on for a wild ride. Rating: **** out of ****