Mitchum Has a Steak House Named After Him!

Who knew there was a steak house named after ROBERT MITCHUM? Saw a mention of it here (the story came up on my Google Mitchum alerts): "Nestled near the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, in the country hamlet of Trappe, stands a four-star eatery called Mitchum's, named after the A-list film star of the 1940s, '50s and '60s."

Couldn't be more fitting as Mitchum used to tell us, "Beef. It's what's for dinner."

The Maryland restaurant's site describes it a "gourmet oasis tucked within the historic Eastern Shore village of Trappe... Mitchum's is well worth a short trip off the beaten path... the restaurant evokes the masculine sophistication of its strapping Hollywood namesake, who lived on a local farm for eleven years. His classic black and white films – complete with curvy starlets and subtitles – silently play above the sweeping bar." (Which sounds great, except that you don't get to hear that famous baritone as you dine.)

The restaurant opened in 2008. As one reviewer put it, "Dining at a steakhouse named after Robert Mitchum means manly servings of meat and potatoes— and even a Marilyn Monroe sighting. A restaurant named for actor Robert Mitchum couldn’t be anything but a steakhouse, could it? No dainty tea room with small plates for him. No, sir. Beefcake needs meat, and Mitchum’s Steak House offers lots of it, plus some appetizers that make dinner seem nearly redundant."

Another stated, "It doesn’t take long to find a local old-timer or two who have pleasant memories of interaction with the down-to-earth movie star. It’s even easier to find people who have good things to say about Mitchum’s."

Even though I'm a vegetarian, I'd love to check it out! Besides steak, they also serve local seafood, so if you don't eat either, sounds like you're out of luck, unless you want just a salad or to sample their extensive-looking wine list. Since I live in L.A., I can always go grab a drink at the Formosa or Boardner's, two watering holes Mitchum was known to frequent.

Robert Mitchum on Marilyn Monroe: "She Had a Quiescent Loser's Philosophy"

I attended the Remembering Marilyn Monroe Wednesday night in Los Angeles, where the 1964 documentary The Legend of Marilyn Monroe was screened. (My account about the evening is up over at my Examiner column.)

ROBERT MITCHUM appears long enough to utter one mystifying line about Marilyn: "She had a quiescent loser's philosophy." He made River of No Return with her, on location in Canada, where he later recalled trying to get her to shake the affected mannerisms her dialect coach suggested.

Shelley Winters, who was Marilyn's roommate when the two were struggling starlets, was also quoted briefly in the film: "If she were dumber, she would have been a lot happier."

The director of the documentary, Terry Sanders took part in a Q&A with Susan Bernard, author of the book Marilyn: Intimate Exposures. Bernard commented that he was lucky to get Mitchum to say anything at all, as the actor was notoriously hard to interview. (Larry King recently told a reporter that Mitchum was his toughest interview ever: "I loved Robert Mitchum's work, but he drove me nuts. He only gave one-word answers!")

Bernard read from her book and shared images taken by her father, Bruno Bernard, the photographer who discovered Marilyn. Juxtaposed with pin-up pictures of a young Marilyn was a photo of Mitchum enjoying a girlie magazine!

Pic courtesy of this lovely Marilyn fan site

Screening of 'The Legend of Marilyn Monroe' Jan. 25

LA-area fans of Marilyn Monroe might want to check out a free night dedicated to the screen icon taking place Jan. 25 at the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum. The evening includes a screening of the 1966 documentary The Legend of Marilyn Monroe, with director Terry Sanders in person. Among the people appearing in the film are director John Huston and ROBERT MITCHUM, Monroe's co-star in River of No Return.

Also on the program, newsreels and outtakes of Monroe and a Q&A with Sanders and Susan Bernard, author of the photo book, Marilyn: Intimate Exposures.

More details here.