A Family For Joe: Mitchum's Infamous '90s Sitcom Surfaces

It's hard to believe, but in 1990, ROBERT MITCHUM starred in a sitcom called A Family For Joe, about a homeless man who poses as the grandfather of a bunch of adorable orphans so they won't have to be taken away by child services.

Mitchum? Sitcom? Little kids? Yeah, it was a disaster by all accounts, only very few people have ever seen it. Clips are now up on YouTube and it's just as dreadful as its reputation. And look, that's a young Juliette Lewis, who'd go on to star in the 'Cape Fear' remake.



Everybody Loves Raymond's co-creator Phil Rosenthal, who got his first job in Hollywood as a writer on the series, recently talked about his time on the show.

As this Macleans article states, "It’s every bit as bad as Rosenthal’s description makes it sound, so the one thing to enjoy is how much Mitchum clearly does not love the adorable orphans and how completely he signals his boredom with the whole thing. Rosenthal says that he tried to introduce The Night of the Hunter to the cast and crew and was depressed when they laughed at it. But the show itself only works if you assume Mitchum is really playing the same guy from Night of the Hunter and is plotting to murder all these people after the cheesy synth music dies down and the credits roll."

Hee, that is genius!

In honor of Memorial Day....

Why not enjoy one of several military films with ROBERT MITCHUM, from 'The Story of G.I. Joe,' (above) 'The Longest Day' or 'The Enemy Below' or 'Heaven Knows Mr. Allison?'

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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