Lee Server Q & A on Robert Mitchum

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moira finnie
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Post by moira finnie »

Thanks very much for your answers, Lee.
In your biography of Robert Mitchum, you write about his intriguing relationship with Deborah Kerr, who, contrary to her screen image, appears to have been a very funny, earthy lady. I particularly liked the story about the visit by the Legion of Decency rep to the set of Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, (those who haven't read "Robert Mitchum: Baby I Don't Care" might enjoy doing so, in part to find out what I'm referring to, but also to learn about an intriguing actor). That story alone would have made the book a worthwhile read, but I think that in addition to her humor, Kerr brought out a great tenderness in Mitchum, which is also evident in The Sundowners. I think he also made her relax more on screen than she did with other actors.

Were you able to interview Ms. Kerr extensively for your book and did she offer any insight into Robert Mitchum's contradictory personality?

Thanks in advance for your reply.
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Round Two

Post by lserver »

Salutations my friends….I appreciate the continued interest….


Mongo, Mitchum was really that nonchalant. He picked a number of jobs for the days off or because he could get in some fishing at the announced location. But there was also a core of professionalism and a sense of his own talent lurking somewhere. Some of that nonchalance was an act. He was simply too committed to his sense of cool, and too weary of past disappointment, to let anyone see him showing more interest. There’s the oft-quoted story, on the set of El Dorado. Howard Hawks says to him, “You’re a fraud, you pretend you don’t care but you’re the hardest working guy here.” Mitchum squirms, says, “Don’t tell anybody.”

His favorite role? Well, speaking of nonchalance…he liked to say his favorite part was in Midway—five days’ work and all of it on his back in a hospital bed. At less sarcastic moments he would speak fondly of Night of the Hunter, Lusty Men, Wonderful Country, Heaven Knows Mr. Allison.

Favorite co-stars…Jane Russell, Jane Greer, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, Shirley MacLaine, Trevor Howard.

You ask, was he a womanizer? Yes, but a very lazy one.


Oliie…re changing opinions….I cannot recall Mitchum’s ever being very effusive over any such post-facto revelation, although I would say in later years he came to understand that there was a growing new appreciation for many of those RKO crime melodramas of his we now tend to call film noirs, which were largely dismissed in their own time.

Sam Fuller enjoyed talking about his own work, dissecting it, talking about future projects, all of it, very enthusiastic, always positive.

Ava was dismissive of most of her own work while she was a star, very self-conscious at times and unconvinced she had much talent. At the end of her life, though, alone in her London flat, she would watch late night television screenings of some of her films and feel an appreciation for what she had been a part of that she had never felt before. In the middle of the night she would call old friends and co-workers in Hollywood, Katherine Grayson or Stewart Granger and want to talk about what she had seen and how beautiful they all were.

Movieman….after the years spent with a single subject, you feel all manner of different emotions about them….however maddening they might be at times a deepening sympathy is bound to occur. You feel you have been through a lot with these people and don’t easily dismiss them.


Sue Sue….Ava has been published in the U.S., the U.K., Spain and a French translation coming sometime this year they tell me. The Spanish press gave considerable attention to the book in regard to Ava’s long sojourn in their land. The Spanish cover is stunning, by the way.

http://loqueyotediga.net/files/AvaGardn ... aBarro.jpg


Regarding Ava’s travels and residences….yes, I trailed her to various locales in the course of my research….from her birthplace in North Carolina to her homes in Hollywood, Madrid and London, to the site of The Night of the Iguana in the jungle above Mismaloya in Mexico.


A few intriguing stories had to be excluded from the book. They will remain, for now, unreported.


Sandy….Beckinsale was beautiful but there was nothing in that brief characterization of Ava’s humor and joy and sizzle…


Moira…Mitchum always spoke of Ms. Kerr with the utmost admiration and fondness. And it was an entirely platonic friendship. Indeed, he would sometimes note that she was the only one of his leading ladies he didn’t sleep with—an exaggeration but somehow intended as a compliment. In the incident you describe, a censorious religious representative was visiting the set of Heaven, to make sure Deborah’s role of a nun was being portrayed with all propriety. Performing a classic Huston prank, as soon as the Decency rep arrived, Huston called “action” the cameras turned…and Bob and Deborah in full nun’s habit began kissing and groping each other with abandon.

cheers,
LEE
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Post by inglis »

Mr Server
Thank you for answering my question about Lillian Gish and Robert Mitchum ,but now my curiosity has been tweeked with your comment about Paul Gregory and the Cadillac .Could you please enlighten me about this little tibbit ? Thanks Kindley , Inglis
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Post by moira finnie »

Hi, Lee & once again, thanks for visiting with us.

Could you please talk a bit about those unsung heroes of the silver screen, the screenwriters, several of whom you interviewed for your book, "Screenwriter: Words Become Pictures". Your encounters with the individuals who played a vital role in bringing such classics as The Thirty-Nine Steps, The Wizard of Oz, The Prisoner of Zenda, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Wolf Man, and How Green Was My Valley reminded me that writers such as Philip Dunne, Curt Siodmak and others are not as well known as they should be.

Why has so little credit been given the word smiths in the Golden Age of Hollywood?
Is it auteurism run amok?
Or is it fair to say that their contributions were neglected by chroniclers of the studio era since no one can say for sure who was responsible for what aspects of a script's long development (for instance, if the Writer's Guild credits for The Wizard of Oz are accurate, it appears to have had the hands of over 16 different writers in its evolution into film from L. Frank Baum's story).
Who is the least known best screenwriter you've come across in your adventures in writing about this era?

Thank you for your reply.
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Post by Sue Sue Applegate »

And I'd like to add something to Moira's request. If you could take credit for any film ever written (besides something of your own), which film would you choose to have crafted?
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Post by Dewey1960 »

Good evening Mr. Server. A couple of quick questions: first, regarding the late 40s marijuana bust involving Mitchum and actress Lila Leeds. Did Mitchum, considering how relatively lightly he got off, have any personal regrets about the incredibly harsh treatment she received? Would he have been in a position to assist her in her attempts to jump start her career after her stay in jail?
And secondly, about Ava Gardner. One of my favorite non-musical moments in Vincente Minnelli's THE BAND WAGON is Ms. Gardner's charming cameo near the beginning of the film. Was that done purely as an obligation to MGM, or was there a more interesting story behind it.
Thanks; your comments about these two great stars have been enormously enlightening and entertaining!
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Post by Mr. Arkadin »

Hi Mr. Server, I don't have a question, but I would like to say I enjoyed the Mitchum bio very much and The Big Book of Noir is a standard reference manual for me. Thanks for your insights and contributions to the films and actors we love so much.
Last edited by Mr. Arkadin on February 21st, 2008, 2:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
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And still more...

Post by lserver »

Hi all….

Inglis, for the full, uncensored account of this incident I humbly direct you to a copy of Robert Mitchum: Baby, I Don't Care. Paul Gregory told me the story. He had scolded Mitchum for being late and bleary-eyed or something and the actor in response stumbled over to the producer’s new convertible and answered a call of nature upon it. Bob had a recurring problem with authority figures.


Moira…The undervaluation of the screenplay is a matter of exerted power and ego within the industry and short-sighted, unimaginative thinking without. Most big commercial films are a messy, collaborative effort, with responsibility and accomplishment scattered here and there. I’m not saying the movies are a writer’s medium, I’m just saying sometimes they are, and sometimes the writer’s consciousness is what makes a movie worth talking about. Can it be more instructive to discuss the film Sweet Smell of Success as an Alexander Mackendrick movie rather than a Clifford Odets or Ernest Lehman movie? That film is above all fueled by the writers’ language, their view of New York by night, their view of the world, of life. Anyway, I’m not interested in defending screenwriters as a breed, most are hacks, just as most directors are hacks. Like Dorothy Parker once said, their inspiration is the phone call—the assignment, the pay check. When I went hunting down the old screenwriters for my first book I had no agenda, I wanted to hear about their experiences, how they worked, it was interesting to me. But often it became clear how much their personalities were imbued in the films they worked on. I hung around with John Bright. He was a tough kid, a sometime bootlegger out of Al Capone’s Chicago. He co-wrote Cagney’s first hit, The Public Enemy, based on a lot of what he had seen or heard first-hand being around real gangsters. He wrote several other early Cagney pictures that reflected his streetwise viewpoint, wisecracking style. I interviewed A.I. Bezzerides, a quirky, fascinating character, an ex truck driver, whose intense, unique voice is all over the scripts he wrote, such as Thieves Highway, On Dangerous Ground and Kiss Me Deadly.


Christy…I think the writers guild will give me trouble if I take credit for any of these…but some favorite scripts among many more….Double Indemnity, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Five Fingers, Dr. Strangelove…
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Post by Lzcutter »

Mr. Server,

Thanks for joining us this week at the Oasis.

A quick question regarding Robert M. One of my favorite hang-outs in when I was younger was Boardner's in Hollywood when it was still a neighborhood bar (before it went all trendy).

The story I always heard was that it was the owner, Steve Boardner, that Mitchum called the night he was arrested.

Is that a Hollywood myth or does it have any truth to it?
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Thankyou

Post by inglis »

Thankyou Mr Server
I will have to pick up that book and again I thankyou for your time in answering my questions Cheers to you ,Inglis
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Post by charliechaplinfan »

I've been away for a few days but I've enjoyed reading all the questions and your responses.

I'm glad you've joined us Mr Server, I enjoyed Baby I Don't Care, before I read it I had only seen Night of The Hunter, one of my favorite films, I was so taken with his performance I wanted to know more. I read the book cover to cover within two days, I was very taken with his character. I like your comment where you say that he was a womaniser but a lazy one. He didn't have to try very hard I suppose to attract the ladies.

Since reading your book, we've had the advent of DVD rental services and I've watched many more titles.

The one film that really intrigues me is Ryan's Daughter. He was so cast against type in that film and he was the best one in it. He makes the school teacher someone you sympathise with, he has a great deal of dignity in that role. I visited the area where Ryan's Daughter was made last year. Did you visit there whilst researching your book? If so did you find it easy to find the locations. I didn't but with persistance we finally found some of them.

I bought a book whilst there, written by a local man who had been around when the film was made. The most surprising anecdote and I don't think it is in your book but I apologise if I'm wrong. However where Robert Mitchum was staying for the duration of the shoot was in the house of a local lady and she had moved with her children and husband into a smaller house on the property. One day one of her children had an accident and she had to take the child to hospital. Who babysat the other children? why Robert Mitchum did and was a natural with children. This is also borne out by other witnesses on the film set. David Lean wasn't a natural with the children, when used in scenes it was Mitchum who had natural rapport with them and looked after them. I just love those stories about him.

Another story from the book regarding Mitchum was about the clothes he had to wear for the scenes. He had sent his measurements to Lean because he was big in the chest and small of waist but Lean igonred his request and he wore clothes that hung badly on him. The relationship between director and costar was not an easy one from that moment.

The book I refer to was only published last year but it's called Troubled Epic by Michael Tanner. I bought it on the Dingle peninsula itself so how widely available it is I'm not sure.

Apart from asking you about wether you visited the sites where Ryan's Daughter was made, I wanted to ask if you knew what Robert Mitchum thought of his own performance in the film?

I have another question regarding two of his other most memorable roles but roles in which he played thoroughly nasty creatures. You have already said that he enjoyed his role in Night of The Hunter . How did he feel about the violence he had display whilst playing the characters? I know it's nothing compared with today but in Cape Fear there is a scene with Polly Bergen which is quite physical I remember reading that he was worried he might of hurt her during the filming. Where the children frightened of him whilst filming or were they very good actors?

I too will get to Ava Gardiner next time. I feel I've posed enough questions for now :)
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Post by moira finnie »

Thanks for the reply to my question about your book on screenwriters.

As a follow up could you please discuss your impression of A.I. Bezzerides? Best known to viewers for his marvelous working class stories that informed the atmosphere of three of my favorite movies, They Drive By Night, On Dangerous Ground and Thieves Highway, the late Mr. Bezzerides also wrote two rather different Mitchum films, Track of the Cat and The Angry Hills. Have you seen the documentary about him called The Long Haul of A.I. Bezzerides(2005)? I've only had a chance to see a 20 minute excerpt included on the dvd of Thieves Highway.

Also, a little bird mentioned that you might have some information about legendary supporting player and unforgettable face, Marc Lawrence. Could you share your impressions of Mr. Lawrence?

Did you have a chance to discuss the blacklist with Mr. Lawrence and with other interviewees? I'm currently reading Kate Lardner's memoir about her father, Ring Lardner, Jr., called "Shut Up, He Explained" and one of the impressions it gives me is that the experience of blacklisting never left the individuals most sharply affected by it, or their families, despite the intervening years.

Finally, could you say what project you might be working on in the near future? Is it another biography? Or an analysis of some aspect of popular culture? I hope that we can see it in bookstores soon.

Thanks a million!
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Post by klondike »

MOIRA: Just thought you'd be intrigued to know (in case you didn't already) that the screenplay for Track of the Cat (which features Mitchum & Bill Hopper, how compelling is that?!) was based on a hard-now-to-find novella by blacksheep Western writer Walter van Tilburg Clark, who also wrote an intriguing little something called "The Ox-Bow Incident".

MR. SERVER: Before your week with us finishes speeding by, could you find a moment to comment on Ava Gardner's friendship with Robert Walker (which I assume began on the set of One Touch of Venus)? It's been my understanding, just gleaning here & there, that the two bonded pretty strongly, which evidently led to him commenting frequently that he never could have gotten past losing wife/co-star Jennifer Jones to Selznick, or the binge drinking that followed, without her support; would that compare at all to the sort of "adored buddy" relationship that Taylor & Clift enjoyed?
Thanks again for all your time this week!
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Post by mrsl »

Mr. Server:

After having gone to three different stores trying to find a copy of Baby, I don't Care, and having no luck, I thought I would ask these questions although hoping eventually I will find the book for sale on-line.

Being one of the biggest Bob Mitchum fans on this site, I have seen nearly everything shown in the various filmographies I've seen listed for him. I never fail to get angry that he went for so long as un-noticed, and under-appreciated. We all know what a difficult interviewee he was and (1) I wonder if that had anything to do with his lack of being considered for awards of any kind? (2) Did he refuse to go on advertising junkets for his movies, because I recall seeing Miss Kerr on a talk show discussing Heaven Knows Mr. Allison. Also, since he was so close-mouthed, is there anywhere that he opened up in regard to Shirley MacLaine? (3) I understand their breakup was due to an ultimatum from his wife, and am glad he chose her and their children over Shirley but can't help wondering if she remained a 'fond' memory thereafter, or a 'burning' memory he never overcame, and did they have any kind of reconnection during the filming of What a Way to Go? Finally did he ever specify his favorite role? My favorite role of his was the Captain in The Enemy Below, did you have a favorite role of his?

Thank You,

Anne
Anne


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Post by Sue Sue Applegate »

Dear Mr. Server,

One of the funniest stories in Baby, I Don't Care was the running gag about the Victor Mature suit. Of all the hysterical lines in the entire book, I keep thinking about that story and reliving the laughs it gave me.

My Dad's sense of humor was kind of like that. He'd find a good angle and needle somebody with it until he ran out of thread. And for me, some of the most entertaining people are also some of the most intelligent. Of all Mitchum's pals and associates, whom do you think was his intellectual equal? And has any of his poetry ever been published?

Thank you for your visit here to SSO, and the thoughtful responses to our questions.
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