Robert Mitchum: A Biography

by George Eells

The occasionally contradictory personality of the last of the old-time leading men, who attracts both disdain and admiration, is revealed as unpredictable, infuriating, sensitive but boorish, poetic yet tormented

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Ian Laird]

“There’s a quicksilver turn about him. You never know what to expect. Speak to him and you never can predict whether he’s going to be friendly or attack you. He’s a fascinating fellow- a little scary. Perfect for that part, because he was and is one of the most wondrously unique human beings who has ever been in films.” Producer Paul Gregory describing why he wanted Robert Mitchum (and no other) to play the evil preacher in The Night of the Hunter (1955) (p184)

Robert Mitchum has long been a favourite of mine – because he was cool, and didn’t give a damn. This is slightly deceptive, however, because he was not quite the man we see on the screen or in public, as George Ells reveals.

He was usually interesting in whatever he appeared in- and he made a lot of forgettable films. What made him interesting was a carefully cultivated ‘I don’t care’ persona and a stillness coming from effortless power. He had a fatalistic streak and when occasion demanded a frightening malevolence, witness The Night of the Hunter and his vengeful convict in the original Cape Fear (1962). While Robert DeNiro was scary in the remake, you could see him making the effort, whereas Mitchum was effortlessly chilling. He was also the quintessential film noir anti–hero, resigned to his fate while understanding his downfall at the hands of a femme fatale but powerless to resist. He is wonderful in Out of the Past (1947) with Jane Greer.

Mitchum was a rebellious child, hopping freight trains and getting into trouble with various kinds of authority. George Ells details this competently, especially Mitchum’s arrest and conviction early in his career for marijuana use (he served 60 days), which episode affected him more than he let on. The Studio (RKO) had too much Mitchum product in the can to cut him loose so he survived, indeed prospered. In this account the actor emerges as a story teller, a master of apocryphal embellishment, a provocateur especially towards reporters, a man who regularly upset people and was occasionally violent, though not necessarily the instigator. He was like this for most of his career: his antics became less amusing over time.

There are sound production details, focussing on the more important films, for example The Night of the Hunter, with its odd couple collaboration between he-man star Mitchum and the not he-man director Charles Laughton. This is not as unusual as it might seem: both were outsiders in temperament, hiding their true selves with public personas, Mitchum wrote poetry and songs, was in fact well read; Conrad was a favourite author from childhood, (‘Loneliness is the hard and absolute condition of existence’) an outsider himself, an adventurous outsider at that, Conrad told stories of driven men troubled in some way. Laughton, fine actor himself, recognised a similar quality in Mitchum. David Lean, who later directed him in Ryan’s Daughter (1970), agreed: “Other actors act. Mitchum is. He has true delicacy and expressiveness, but his forte is indelible identity.” (p252)

There was quite a lot I learned, mainly filling in gaps, although entirely new to me was Mitchum’s singing voice: he released a couple of albums in mid-career including a calypso LP in 1957 following location shooting in Tobago for Heaven Knows Mr Allison (1957). At 328 pages the biography is substantial enough though it seems shorter. Ells’ research is secondary sources and interviews conducted in 1982-83, which means his quotes tend to the expansive and general rather than specific, and this is a shortcoming. And it was written without any substantial input from Mitchum himself although given the unreliable quality of his stories this is probably a good thing.

NB: Mitchum's own favourites among his films are the entertaining The Enemy Below (1957) about a duel between a U-boat and a destroyer, and a project after his own heart, the bootlegging drama Thunder Road (1958).

[Blair Knight]

a quick read at just 16 chapters. at times fascinating and shocking. you really get the sense that underneath mitchums movie star persona that he was shy, misunderstood. he kept his true self hidden to protect himself. mysterious soul hidden behind a larger than life image.