Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 SOMETHING YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW! In 1966, Robert Mitchum was flown on a government aircraft to Vietnam on a USO tour where he spent his first days in Saigon, wining and dining in tropical colonial splendor, meeting and greeting the military elite. He was taken to military hospitals and toured the wards filled with injured Americans, young guys with missing arms and legs and faces half blown off. The visits had there intended effect...it wasn’t easy to remain neutral or indifferent about the war when you saw what the enemy, whatever their cause was doing to these young boys. He was taken out to villages and shown good works projects, Americans putting in sewage systems, building schoolhouses. He was impressed, and pissed off. Why didn’t they show any of these noble efforts on the news back home? The greater part of Mitchum’s two-week visit was spent in the field, roaming by helicopter and light aircraft from one US encampment to another, fanning across the jungles north of the capital city. His itinerary included a quick tour of the base and an hour or so of shaking hands and making small talk, encouraging words for the troops. He posed for pictures, signed autographs for anyone who wanted one, and collected phone numbers and messages from kids who knew their moms would be thrilled to hear Robert Mitchum telling them their boys were okay. He got back from Vietnam with ninety million tiny scraps of paper. Just about every boy he met over there gave him a message to take back. Pieces of paper with phone numbers, names. And Robert Mitchum sat down for days and called every number. Just brief conversations with wives and mothers and fathers.... ‘I just saw your son and he wanted me to call and say hello. He’s doing fine, looks good. He’s doing a good job over there.’ He called every one. At one point a Navy Sailor who was Mitchum’s escort, wanted to wrap a visit up and get back to the helicopter, but Mitchum said... “Relax, man. Anybody got a drink around here?” They trudged over to the local clubhouse, a contraption made of ammunition boxes and Playboy centerfolds. Mitchum asked what they charged for a drink, then asked how much it would be to buy the whole bar. The owner didn’t know. Mitchum told him to figure it out. Mitchum then took a fat roll of bills from his pocket. It cost him a couple hundred to buy the bar. The servicemen drank free, on his tab, for months. Mitchum played some craps, lost most of his roll, and took off. He signed up for a second tour, and in February 1967, spent two more weeks roaming encampment and military hospitals 7 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackwater 53393 Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 Mitchum was a one of a kind!! He spoke his mind. He mastered his craft. He lived his life on his terms! It’s been said that he always new his part, he always delivered his lines on time, and it was extremely rare to ever have to reshoot a scene because of him! Most people don’t realize that he was an excellent singer. He actually sang the theme song to at least one movie that he appeared in, (I think there were others) and he sang his own parts in several films. He’s also credited with narrating more than a few successful commercials and was the voice that you heard in the final scenes of the movie Tombstone! His BEEF commercials are legendary!! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 (edited) Since I was a kid (back in the 50's and 60's), Thunder Road and Robert Mitchum was always one of my favorite movies/songs. WHY? Because I lived in Knoxville, right close to Kingston Pike, where the REAL character is 'rumored' to have died while running from them revenuers. The story is told of a real person, BUT..... I'm not sure any actual death happed from a crash on Kingston Pike. But those of us who lived close to there thought it must have because it was in the movies... NOPE, I don't actually remember when/or if it happened, but I did live close to that spot, ....."Right outside of Knoxville". ..........Widder Edited June 16 by Widder, SASS #59054 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 I've not seen the movie. I never ran shine. So I am slightly confused there. What did they pour on the spike strips? I assume, from the shape of the cans, that it was gasoline. But they didn't light it. So why did they pour whatever it was on the spikes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted June 16 Author Share Posted June 16 19 hours ago, Blackwater 53393 said: Mitchum was a one of a kind!! He spoke his mind. He mastered his craft. He lived his life on his terms! It’s been said that he always new his part, he always delivered his lines on time, and it was extremely rare to ever have to reshoot a scene because of him! Most people don’t realize that he was an excellent singer. He actually sang the theme song to at least one movie that he appeared in, (I think there were others) and he sang his own parts in several films. He’s also credited with narrating more than a few successful commercials and was the voice that you heard in the final scenes of the movie Tombstone! His BEEF commercials are legendary!! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Three Foot Johnson Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 "He posed for pictures, signed autographs for anyone who wanted one, and collected phone numbers and messages from kids who knew their moms would be thrilled to hear Robert Mitchum telling them their boys were okay. He got back from Vietnam with ninety million tiny scraps of paper. Just about every boy he met over there gave him a message to take back. Pieces of paper with phone numbers, names. And Robert Mitchum sat down for days and called every number." Uh... no. Even if each "scrap of paper" were only the size of a Post-it note, that would be 39,000 pounds of paper. A quick Google search says there were 385,000 US servicemen in country in 1966, and an additional 60,000 sailors and Marines off shore. If he spent only one minute each, 24/7/365 calling ninety million numbers, it would take more than 171 years. 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackwater 53393 Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Poetic license, Johnson! C’Mon!! 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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