In a quixotic quest to act tough, some of today's male movie stars just come across as pathetic. They pepper their sentences with vulgarities and hide behind their Facebook and Twitter accounts to take on their adversaries and make outrageous statements that are far more pretentious than they are provocative. There was a time, however, when Hollywood boasted some real tough guys - and toughest of them all was Robert Mitchum. A biography of him is titled "Baby, I Don't Care" because, well, he really didn't care about his public persona or what studio bosses or critics thought of him. Mitchum was underrated as an actor and never got the recognition he deserved. Part of that was his own fault. He often starred in lackluster films in search of an easy paycheck. But there were plenty of gems, as well. He arguably should have been nominated for Oscars for his performances in films we now regard as classics: "Night of the Hunter", "Cape Fear" and "Farewell, My Lovely". But Mitchum alienated off a lot of the power players in the studio system by refusing to kowtow to their wishes. Even among those who liked him, he was a moody, unpredictable guy to hang around with: charming one minute, menacing the next. Writer Robert Ward got rare access to the star back in 1983 and wrote an extensive and fascinating look at the time he spent with him. The Daily Beast has recently republished the article as a tribute to Mitchum, who died in 1998.
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(The latest issue of Cinema Retro, #31, includes writer Steven Bingen's extensive tribute to "Farewell, My Lovely". )