Celebrity Jukebox #1: Robert Mitchum

In a desperate effort to move this blog away from wall-to-wall misery, self-pity and middle-aged grumpiness, here's a new feature in which I pay tribute to celebrities who have been immortalised in song.

I don't know why I chose to start with Robert Mitchum, other than I wanted the list to be random and he was the first person who popped into my mind. When I was younger, and a huge Humphrey Bogart fan, I never liked Robert Mitchum. I found him rather wooden compared to Bogie: given they both played Philip Marlowe, it was hard not to line them up together. 

In later years though, I grew to appreciate Mitchum's performances more, and I could see why he was considered a very cool dude. In modern times, I felt the same way about Keanu Reeves at first, thinking him a one-note actor (that note being Ted "Theodore" Logan), but over time I developed a lot more respect for him. Like Mitchum, he has real screen presence. And that indefinable cool.

Julian Cope was the first person to immortalise Robert Mitchum in song...

The part in Ryan's Daughter when you lose your wife

I've never seen a more dignified man in my life

But when you start looking for Bob Mitchum songs though, you'll be amazed how popular he is...

The Velvet Underground - New Age

"Can I have your autograph?"

He said to the fat blonde actress

"You know I've seen every movie you've been in,

From Paths of Pain to Jewels of Glory

And when you kissed Robert Mitchum

Gee but I thought you'd never catch him"

Elton John - One More Arrow

He said, I want to grow up

And look like Robert Mitchum

And I hope that when I'm gone

There'll be some say that I miss him

Vic Chestnutt - Lucinda Williams

Imports and altercations

My faculties on a shoe-string vacation

I settled down on a hurt as big as Robert Mitchum

And listen to Lucinda Williams

The Fiery Furnaces - Rehearsing My Choir

But there he'd sit

At his table at the Edgewater Hotel

Wearing his ecclesiastical furs

And lunching with two giggly and none too healthy looking young men

And in his shirt pocket up close to his heart was his autographed picture of Robert Mitchum

Which he no doubt used in an impure way

Flop - Night Of The Hunter

Solvents glue and heroin she said

I don't want to do that at all

I took her to see Robert Mitchum in

Night of the Hunter

Shelley Winters has a vision of

Righteousness from up above

She trades her children for the love

Of a preacher with a soul decay

Before we get onto this week's winning tune, it's worth remembering that Mr. Mitchum had a short-lived musical career of his own... and I'm guessing a certain Mr. B. Springsteen might be aware of it...

Now I can't guarantee that every week I'll find quite so many songs about one celebrity... I'm sure there are plenty with only one to their name. But when I first thought about starting with Robert Mitchum, this was the song I knew I'd finish with. Because it's almost as cool as he was...