Ohio Sheriff Blames 'Thunder Road' for Glamorizing Crime

One Ohio sheriff's editorial on the legacy of 'Thunder Road' and the sorry state of current crime ran today in the Cleveland Daily Banner.

"The story line of this movie romanticized the lives of those who today we would call less than honorable citizens...

In the movie the moonshiners were justified in their law-breaking because they were supposedly poor, humble folks who were victimized by the federal government. That same refrain is still being used by many criminals today. History tells us that these poor, underprivileged victims were finally put out of business by the dogged efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement."

Of course, putting anything on camera tends to glamorize it. No mention of Mitchum's own brush with the law.

Elizabeth Taylor's Best Performance in 'Secret Ceremony?'

Very sad to hear of the loss of legend Elizabeth Taylor, who died this morning of congestive heart failure.

Among her many tributes and retrospectives, there's sure to be little mention of the one movie she did with ROBERT MITCHUM, 1968's 'Secret Ceremony.' It received terrible reviews, but, according to Wikipedia, features one of her best performances. It's one I haven't seen myself, only in bits on TV. It's currently available only in a non-USA format DVD.

The film stars Mia Farrow and Taylor in a rather twisted faux mother-and-daughter relationship; Mitchum plays Farrow's randy stepfather. Joseph Losey ('The Servant,' 'The Go-Between') directed.



Photo thanks to Heck Yeah, Robert Mitchum.

Hollywood's dark tales of Irish gangsters have long captured America's attention

With the new films 'Kill the Irishman' and 'White Irish Drinkers,' the New Jersey Star-Ledger takes a look at Irish gangsters on film, including ROBERT MITCHUM in 'The Friends of Eddie Coyle.'

"... one of the greatest of all Irish gangster films, “The Friends of Eddie Coyle.” Eddie, played by a rarely better Robert Mitchum (who supposedly researched his part by barhopping with the real Boston mob) is a low-level gunrunner facing a long prison sentence. His only chance to cut a deal is to turn confidential informant.

But soon Coyle finds himself being pushed to sell more and more of himself. And that’s a dangerous habit in a world where the cheap price of someone’s life is refigured every day.

A prime example of downbeat ’70s cinema, “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” remains a genre touchstone. (During a scene in “The Town,” Ben Affleck’s portrait of the current Boston mob scene, the film can be heard, dimly, playing in the background on TV.) It hammered home the point that, however dishonorable these men are, the one virtue they cling to is their honor toward each other."

Trailer for Comedy 'Robert Mitchum is Dead'

I can't believe I'm only just now hearing about this: A film called "Robert Mitchum is Dead" (or in its native French "Robert Mitchum Est Mort") hit the festival circuit last year and is now scheduled for an April release, according to TwitchFilm.

The comedy is about an agent and scriptwriter, Arsène (Olivier Gourmet) dying to impress a big name director at a film festival held in the Arctic Circle. He and his lead actor Franky Pastor (Pablo Nicomedes) set out from France for a very strange road trip. The French trailer is below.

Mitchum Sings With the Ames Brothers in 'When Irish Eyes Are Smiling'

ROBERT MITCHUM harmonizing with the Ames Brothers is one of the highlights in "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling -- An Irish Parade of Stars," a new PBS special that also features other little-seen performances from Irish and Irish-American stars.

The program opens in Dublin with Bing Crosby offering a pair of Irish folk standards, "Molly Malone" and "McNamara's Band." Then Mitchum joins the Ames Brothers for a rare rendition of "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That's An Irish Lullaby)." There's also an all-star version of "It's A Great Day For The Irish" featuring Rosemary Clooney, Maureen O'Hara, Pat Rooney, and TV host Ed Sullivan.

Patty Duke hosts the program, which was written by actor and author Malachy McCourt.

The special will air throughout March. Check local PBS listings for stations and times. (Sadly, it does not seem to be airing in the LA market.)

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Christopher Mitchum Running For Office?

According to the Santa Barbara Independent, Christopher Mitchum, son of actor ROBERT MITCHUM, is "seriously considering" running for political office again.

Chris was the Republican nominee in the 1998 general election for the California State Assembly in the 35th District, but lost the election to Democrat Hannah-Beth Jackson, Wikipedia states.

The picture at left is from a 2009 appearance.

Chris, now 67, appeared in a few films alongside his famous father, including 'Young Billy Young,' and the 1985 TV movie 'Promises to Keep,' which also co-starred Chris's son Bentley.


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President Eisenhower: Not a Mitchum Fan!

Turns out that Dwight Eisenhower was not a fan of ROBERT MITCHUM and refused to let any of his movies be screened at the White House, according to a new article about presidential viewing habits in the Washingtonian.

"Westerns were a lot more common in the 1950s than they are today, but Ike clearly favored silent-type, tough-guy movies. He was also discriminating. He refused to watch films featuring Robert Mitchum because Mitchum had served time for marijuana possession. This was no small sacrifice: Mitchum was a star who appeared in more than 20 movies during Eisenhower’s two terms, including 1955’s classic 'The Night of the Hunter.'

White House projectionist Paul Fischer occasionally would try to sneak a Mitchum film past the President, but Ike would get up and walk out of the theater upon seeing the actor’s face onscreen."