Mickelodian

Mighty Mick:

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S on winning your part. Yeah, get all the information to me on Feb 13. Melva and I will be there in Port Orchard with belles on. Hey I did not mean to imply that Jane Russell did not love and appreciate Mitch --it was just that he was a prankster. You are so right, one of his best atributes was that he never watched his own movies, he never clicked into the myth, or fully understood his screen presence, or his own towering talent as an actor. When he wanted to, he could scortch the silver screen, like the pistolero in THE WONDERFUL COUNTRY, Max Cady in CAPE FEAR, the reverend in NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, the marine in HEAVEN KNOWS MR. ALLISON, Marlowe in FAREWELL, MY LOVELY, and on and on. I had read those comments on Frank Sinatra, and Kirk Douglas --but thanks for the review. Jane Russell only starred in two films with Robert Mitchum, both at RKO under Hughes, HIS KIND OF WOMAN (1951), and MACAO (1952). I least that's all I recall.

Enestine Jane Geraldine Russell was born in 1921, and she is still with us at 86 years old, still a gorgeous old broad, even though she is legally blind with Macular Degeneration, and wears hearing aids in both ears. She has lived in Santa Maria, CA since 1999. Out of boredom she has staged a musical there, and cast the community in it. Her father died in the late 30's. Until then her family was well to do. After her Dad's death she began work as a teen model. She was very sought after, especially because of her smashing figure; 38D --25-36. Yes, Howard Hughes did discover her. She was a receptionist at his dentist's office. He signed her to a contract in 1941. They filmed THE OUTLAW in 1941. He did design a bra for her, which she lied to him that she was wearing. "I never wore the damned thing," she once said,"I just told him I did so that he could do the publicity." Her breasts were so very prominent up their on the big screen that the censors went ape shit. The film was held up for release for two years, and only was allowed "limited release" in 1943. But Hughes was savvy, and he had Russell doing glamour and sexy photography shots for 5 straight years. She became one of the top pin ups for the troops, up there with Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth. When THE OUTLAW, which is a pretty lame Western, went into general release in 1946, it instantly became a smash hit at the box office. She had married her high school sweetheart, Bob Waterfield, in 1943. I had read that Jane was pregnant at 18 years old in 1939, and that she suffered through a botched abortion, which almost killed her. She was never able to bear children after that, so she adopted three kids later in life. So she and Marilyn Monroe had a lot to talk about in the early 50's, modeling, men, big tits, dead or absent fathers, Robert Mitchum, and coincidentally Jane had gone to high school in LA with James Dougherty, who was Marilyn Monroe's first husband in 1941. An interesting bit of trivia, somewhere in the state of Alaska there are twin mountains named "Jane Russell Peaks". There were two hills in Korea named after her too during the Korean War. I think as much as she was used and overused in films just as a pair of big tits, she was a better actress than she was allowed to show. No one ever gave her the chances that Marilyn got, to "be dramatic". I loved Russell in HOT BLOOD (1956), with Cornel Wilde playing her Gaucho lover, and she was interesting in THE REVOLT OF MAMIE STOVER (1956). She had a nice small part in FATE IS THE HUNTER (1964); she played herself visiting the troops in Korea. That film haunts me, another fine Ernest K. Gann book. It starred Glenn Ford, Nancy Kwan, and Rod Taylor. It is a lost film, and has never been on VHS or DVD. She only did (4) films in the decade of the 60's. One of them was the geezer Western, JOHNNY RENO, with Dana Andrews and Lon Chaney Jr. She also was in BORN LOSERS (1967), the first Billy Jack movie with Tom Laughlin. On TV I do remember her on the series THE YELLOW ROSE in 1983, with Sam Elliott, Cybil Shepherd, supported by Will Sampson, L.Q. Jones, Ken Curtis, and Bert Remsen. I read where Leonardo Di Caprio and Scorsese had visited with Jane Russell a couple of years ago, doing their research for THE AVIATOR.

Great comment by Mitchum when he got out of Betty Ford. When Dick Cavett asked him if he had a drinking problem, as Mitchum sipped booze during their TV interview, Mitch said simply,"Hell, no." Most of those 40's-50's actors were drunks and alcoholics. It just seemed to be part of the party scene, the accepted abuse.

Who said to whom in what film,"By making an example of you, I discourage treason. By condemning, without hesitation, an old friend --I shall be feared." ?

How about,"Enter stage left, a small man with a huge erection" ?

Will we ever get back to the complete trivia track? Will THE MICK & BUTT SHOW rise from the ashes of apathy?

Hugs: Glennie Jack, an asskicker for sure.

Mick wrote:

Thanks for picking up on Marilyn's phobia which I KNOW but I CAN'T PROVE but the truth is irreversible when you listen or read about the people that worked with her like Mitch and Jane Russell that you mentioned, both of which sang her praises and knew the private side of her also that Mick picked up on and gives me the inside track of behind the scenes of humanity which has been a blessing or a curse depending on how I play it. Yes I agree Mitch could be and sometimes went out of his way to be an asshole which some covered up and some played up but he was his own man who never knew his potential or greatness; not to be confused with vulnerabilty, which brought out a real, credible presence on film which was his true talent of not knowing how good he was. I have to disagree with you about Mitch and Jane Russell, who saw through all his pranks and knew him as an intellectual in a different world but money being what it is doing the money thing. Jane Russell was no intellectual and she would be the first to tell you such but I TRULY BELIEVE she loved him like a woman loves a man more than anybody else she worked with and later in life and in her career she confessed to her love for Mitch. I also believe Jane Russell and Judy Holliday are the only two actresses I ever heard about who were totally honest about themselves and all the people they worked with. We both agree Mitch was different and here's a couple for your reading pleasure. He said the only guy in Hollywood he was afraid to fight was Frank Sinatra because he knew how to fight dirty. He really disliked Kirk Douglas and said he thinks he is the worlds greatest actor , just ask him. His family forced him to go to the Betty Ford center for treatment of his drinking befor he died and when he came out they asked him if he learned anything and he said Yea, put more ice in your drink.

Yes I won the part in Gypsy and will give you all the details on my visit to the great BR on Feb 13th and I am ready to release the voice of a thousand faces to all of the talented listening and viewing audience within a fortnight!

Regards: Mickelodian!