Ralph L Roberts.com

On Wednesday, the week before the finish of shooting on MISFITS in Reno, Arthur told Marilyn that the weekend would be used to film second unit stuff and that she would be free from Friday til Monday. Everyone was on edge, what with the long period of time in Reno, the disagreements and fights that had punctuated the whole several months, the personalities involved. She decided to take off for San Francisco rather than stay at the Holiday Inn. She asked me if I liked San Francisco and of course I loved it. I had been there only three times, once when as train commander, I took a train of soldiers from Camp Butner, N.C., to the Port of Debarkation, and then spent a weekend there; another time when writing a new directive concerning the Army Reserve Corps. We went there to get ideas from the Ad jutant General of the Ninth Army Corps. (both times staying at the Huntington Hotel, by chance) and the third time, the year before, when I was there for six weeks appearing with Judy Holliday in the musical, BELLS ARE RINGING, when I rented an apartment with Alice Pearce and Paul Davis and this was a half block down the street from the Huntington. Marilyn contacted Paula Strasberg, May Reis, Agnes Flanagan, found that they were quite anxious for the adventure. So she made reservations for all of us at the Huntington Hotel.

There was much excitement brewing - and much secrecy. She wanted this to be an island of relaxation. To get as much strength stored away under her belt before doing her last scene in Reno, and then the move to Hollywood where the interiors were to be shot. Agnes called her husband in LA to join us there. Paula called a friend of hers, Mary Schnee, who was to be in SF (but who, as it turned out, was unable to make it). May and I just geared ourselves for the trip. Marilyn also asked Whitey, but I think his wife was to be in Reno and wanted to do some sight seeing and…. She also called Pearl Porter to fly up, meet us, and do her hair. It brought back many memories to her. The idea of returning to the place she’d spent nine wonderful months with Joe. She mused if one could hear the fog horns at the Huntington, one of her favorite memories was that of the horns in the night. Their favorite song was "I Cover the Waterfront". If Joe would be in SF, and if she would by chance run into him, and what would it be like, if she did.

Of course, something like this was bound to get bruited about. Cast and crew were whispering about it. Gable murmured to Marilyn, "Have a great time kid, you deserve to get away from all this." Arthur was staying, presumably to supervise the final lassoing of the wild horses, but there was little doubt in anyone’s mind that the marriage was kaput, and that they were just trying to get through the last weeks in Hollywood without things coming to a head.

Monty heard about the arrangements, and since he was not involved in the weekend shooting, privately made reservations for himself on the same flight and at the Fairmont.