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Loading... Robert Mitchum: "Baby I Don't Care" (original 2001; edition 2001)by Lee Server (Author) LyndaInOregon | Jul 19, 2020 |   The scope narrows down considerably about midway through the book, as Mitchum gets out from under the onerous contract with Howard Hughes’ RKO Pictures and moves away from B-movie parts into the varied and notable mid-career films for which he is best known today. Unfortunately, things begin to drag again in the final chapters of the book as Mitchum’s drawing power begins to fade and the hard-living years take their toll on his health. Overall, it’s a fascinating look at a powerful actor who too often took (or was forced into) crap parts, an articulate and intelligent man who could also be incredibly crude, an alcoholic drug abuser who was either – depending on which co-workers you asked – a thoughtful and supportive performer or a raging, set-destroying maniac, and a philandering skirt-chaser who nonetheless stayed married to his one and only wife until his death. One simply wishes Server had left many of the 500+ pages on the cutting-room floor. (  ) LyndaInOregon | Jul 19, 2020 | Mitchum didn't need to do much. The great film critic, James Agee, once aptly described him as, "Bing Crosby...on barbiturates". The languorous big dude had presence, and that's what makes a movie star. Watching the camera close in on Mitch's simmering profile in its B&W glory on Pursued, one wishes we had someone on the screen today who could exude the same good/evil battle that defined Mitchum's magnetism. After hearing Elia Kazan tell Robert DeNiro to think of something different while saying his lines, Mitchum retorted, "Shit, I've been doing that for years". Lee Server provides a lengthy take on Robert Mitchum's life and screen roles. As someone who had only seen some of his later movies, it was worthwhile to hunt down some of the films to see if Server's enthusiasm was justified. It certainly was. I enjoyed the book and the detailed research. Mitchum's films are now part of my collection, so I would say the book is a success. They certainly had faces then. Book Season = Summer (let me tell you the story about right hand/left hand) (  ) Gold_Gato | Sep 16, 2013 |  ) uryjm | Sep 7, 2006 | |
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The scope narrows down considerably about midway through the book, as Mitchum gets out from under the onerous contract with Howard Hughes’ RKO Pictures and moves away from B-movie parts into the varied and notable mid-career films for which he is best known today. Unfortunately, things begin to drag again in the final chapters of the book as Mitchum’s drawing power begins to fade and the hard-living years take their toll on his health.
Overall, it’s a fascinating look at a powerful actor who too often took (or was forced into) crap parts, an articulate and intelligent man who could also be incredibly crude, an alcoholic drug abuser who was either – depending on which co-workers you asked – a thoughtful and supportive performer or a raging, set-destroying maniac, and a philandering skirt-chaser who nonetheless stayed married to his one and only wife until his death. One simply wishes Server had left many of the 500+ pages on the cutting-room floor. (