# Playwrite Arthur Miller dead at 89 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 11, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588 "2005-02-11T15:32:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/1 "2005-02-11T15:32:29Z")
[Link](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6953165/). One of the greatest. AND he was married to Marilyn Monroe. ---
**Author:** ![Ithaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Ithaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ithaka)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/2 "2005-02-11T15:53:24Z")
Shame. I saw him direct a couple of his shorts and talk afterward at the Young Vic (London) once. Seemed like a nice guy and was a great writer. And, of course, he gave hope to all artistic, sensitive types by marrying Marilyn. Good on you, sir. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/3 "2005-02-11T16:14:33Z")
So long, Biff. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/4 "2005-02-11T16:19:26Z")
This is one of those guys I thought was dead a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/5 "2005-02-11T16:29:37Z")
Play_wright._ He had a long, full life. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/6 "2005-02-11T17:41:04Z")
Oh, I loved Miller’s work - especially the screenplay for “The Misfits.” Sad to hear that someone with such talent has left us! ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/7 "2005-02-11T18:01:32Z")
Sad news for a terrific contributor to the American stage. But Come On! Surely we could’ve come up with a better title here at the Dope: **Death of a Salesman Creator** or something! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/8 "2005-02-11T22:34:42Z")
“A View from Beyond?” I sort of met the guy once. I saw previews for one of his lesser known plays, _The Ride Down Mt. Morgan_, and stuck around to see if I could get Patrick Stewart’s autograph. He signed my Playbill and said “It’s a wonderful play, isn’t it? You should thank him, he wrote it-” and pointed to a small old man who I’d overlooked since he was standing next to Patrick Stewart. My jaw fell to the sidewalk. But I did manage a wave, and they got into a limosine and left. Now I know I’ll have the privilege of kicking myself over that for the rest of my life. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/9 "2005-02-11T22:51:38Z")
_William, when I walked into the jungle, I was seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty-one. And, by God, I was rich!_ ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/10 "2005-02-11T23:46:02Z")
> [@Ithaka](#): > > Shame. I saw him direct a couple of his shorts and talk afterward at the Young Vic (London) once. Seemed like a nice guy and was a great writer. > > And, of course, he gave hope to all artistic, sensitive types by marrying Marilyn. Good on you, sir. > > ☹ James Lipton eulogized him for MSNBC this morning thusly: “He was engaged every waking moment with the great social issues of our time.” I have to confess that when I heard that, my first thought was: “The guy must have been holy hell to live with.” ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/11 "2005-02-12T00:34:29Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > This is one of those guys I thought was dead a long time ago. Ditto. And though I don’t mind some of his other plays, I have to say that I loathe _Death of a Salesman_. Gah. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/12 "2005-02-12T01:41:49Z")
Until he could make his living as a writer, he was a carpenter. He stood up to McCarthy, and he nailed Marilyn Monroe. If we were to do half as much as him, we would be better than most of the hacks working today. ---
**Author:** ![Splanky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Splanky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Splanky)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/13 "2005-02-12T05:16:05Z")
He was a great guy who wrote a few classic works. He’ll definitely “live on” in the sense that they’ll still be reading works like **The Crucible** and **Death of a Salesman** in the generations to come. I saw a rendition of **The Price** recently-- I was very, very impressed. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/14 "2005-02-12T05:17:12Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > He stood up to McCarthy “McCarthyism”, yes. McCarthy, no. Miller appeared before the **House** Un-American Activities Committee in [June 1956](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Miller). Senator Joseph McCarthy served only in the Senate (and thus had nothing to do with HUAC), and the Senate had censured McCarthy in 1954. HUAC was formed even before McCarthy was in Congress. ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playwrite-arthur-miller-dead-at-89/289588/15 "2005-02-12T18:55:49Z")
I thought he was long dead, too. His death reminds me that I’m related to him somehow on my dad’s side, through marriage I think. Whenever I think of **The Crucible** , all I hear in my head is “WHORE!”