Play Misty for Me (1971)
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A radio disc jockey's casual fling with an obsessed fan spirals into a terrifying game of cat and mouse.
The story
Dave Garver is a KRML radio disc jockey in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, who broadcasts nightly programs featuring poetry and jazz. After a chance encounter at a local bar, Dave begins a casual relationship with a woman named Evelyn Draper. However, the romance quickly sours as Evelyn displays increasingly obsessive and volatile behavior. She begins stalking Dave, showing up at his home uninvited and demanding his constant attention. The situation escalates when a jealous Evelyn disrupts a major business meeting, ruining a significant career opportunity for Dave, forcing him to attempt to sever ties with her.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Dave Garver, a radio disc jockey in Carmel-by-the-Sea, enters a relationship with Evelyn Draper, a recurring caller who requests the jazz standard 'Misty'. Evelyn soon becomes dangerously obsessed, stalking Dave and demanding he never leave her alone. After she ruins a business meeting for him, Dave tries to end the relationship, but she attempts suicide in his home. She is eventually committed to a psychiatric hospital after attacking his housekeeper. While in custody, Dave begins dating his ex-girlfriend, Tobie Williams. Evelyn is released and moves to Hawaii, but she soon contacts Dave again, quoting Edgar Allan Poe. She sneaks into Dave's house and attempts to kill him, but he fends her off. Unknown to Dave, Evelyn has moved in with Tobie under the alias 'Annabel'. Tobie discovers the truth but is captured and gagged by Evelyn. A detective, McCallum, is fatally stabbed by Evelyn during a welfare check. Dave, alerted by Evelyn's phone call, rushes to Tobie's house. There, Evelyn attacks him with a knife. During a struggle, Dave punches Evelyn, knocking her through a window and onto a rocky shore to her death. Dave and Tobie leave together as 'Misty' plays on the radio.
- First release year
- 1971
- Runtime (minutes)
- 102
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Clint Eastwood
- Writers
- Jo Heims · screenplay; Dean Riesner · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Clint Eastwood · Dave Garver; Jessica Walter · Evelyn Draper; Donna Mills · Tobie Williams; John Larch · Sgt. McCallum; Jack Ging · Frank; Irene Hervey · Madge; James McEachin · Al Monte; Clarice Taylor · Birdie
- Genres
- neo noir; psychological thriller; crime thriller
- Themes
- obsession; stalking; mental instability; jealousy
- Tone and mood
- suspenseful; psychological; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- stalking; home invasion; psychological thriller; radio
- Source material / true-story basis
- screenplay
- Reception
- The film was a critical and financial success, receiving mostly positive reviews for its suspense and Eastwood's direction.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 85% · review count: 40
- Production trivia
- The film was Clint Eastwood's directorial debut.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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