Robert Mitchum: "Baby I Don't Care" Paperback – March 6, 2002

Mitchum was a unique character ... the ultimate nonconforming rebel. Defiant. Angry. Complex. Bright. Charming. Witty. Talented. The longevity of this career and his skill as an achieving minimalist are legendary. His tale was Horatio Alger in many ways, coming from less than nothing and accomplishing so much on his own terms ... that said , he was a bi-polar, sociopathic, violent, brutish bully, a belligerent drop dead drunk coddled by the studio system, the press of his day, a wife who accepted her deal with her devil and kids that grew up with an absentee father. From the limited amount covered in the book you walk away thinking of just how much of his violence and it's ripple impacts are lost to history and perhaps that's a good thing .. the author did a terrific job in laying things out without romanticizing Mitchum , right up to physically hurting teenage girls asking for autographs at premieres to throwing a basketball directly, point blank in the face of of a female photographer hired to take a group portrait. Too much of the man was revolting to come away liking the guy ... today he'd have ended up in jail or likely killed by a like kind creature. A cinema legend for sure. An icon of film noir, without question. As a man , a tortured, miserable soul best left alone.

The research was exhaustive in volumes and Mr. Server's humor certainly made me feel close to both characters. Considering how difficult it was to get a straight answer from Mitchum,the delivery plated up a delicious autobiography. It kept me entertained and my husband awake as I laughed at not only the intentionally humorous anecdotes but the author's delightfully lively, sometimes snarky, writing style. I was in with drawl when the book was finished....which only was remedied when I inadvertently bought Ava's bio by Mr. Server. Exhuberant isn't strong enough. Don't overlook either book.

Having been a fan of Mitchum's from adolescence through to his passing, I eagerly anticipated reading a biography that would fill out the many unknowns regarding the man, not the myth. This book is an exhaustive and fascinating record of his life and his work. The remarkable compilation of facts, quotes, personal anecdotes is far more than one might hope for and truly fulfills the promise of the promotional releases.One can't help but become immersed in the descriptions of his early life, the new information regarding his life-long partnership with his wife Dorothy and her astonishing and stoic loyalty. The later chapters, providing sometimes wrenching descriptions of his descent into full-on alcoholism was, at times, a hard read. As with any person whose intimate thoughts and behaviours are often distorted when a subject of celebrity, Mitchum was portrayed as a loveable thug with a gift for charm and a magnetic screen presence.He was a great deal more than that but, due to his apparent need for approval and admiration, he eventually evolved into a caricature of himself. He was a phenomenally well-read autodidact who yearned for aknowledgement of his intellectual strengths but was also remarkably self-destructive.Having met him twice, in his early years of fame whilst he was having his car repaired in a shop in D.C. and many years later, in a small town in Virginia whilst standing next to him in a grocery store line, I found the few references regarding his gentle behaviour true to the person I observed. This second 'meeting' was a few years prior to his death but he still had the aura, the energy of someone 'other than' and one could see the early 'heartbreaker' still present beneath the craggy face and silver hair.This biography is a remarkable work of research and dedication for an individual who truly stood out from the norm. One feels as though it's a gift to be given this opportunity to learn a full story of someone so special. Kudos to the author, he deserves them.