John Newman Mitchum was the September child of a Norwegian mother and
an Irish/Blackfoot father whom he never knew, as he was killed in a
tragic train yard accident in 1919. His two-years-older brother Robert
filled the role as best as he could, while their older sister Annette
studied the lively arts and eventually joined a traveling vaudeville
team. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the young family moved to Rising
Sun, Delaware, where farm life didn't agree with the young boys. Scarce
opportunities took them to New York City, where the streets of Hell's
kitchen taught the brothers to fight, a skill they developed so well
they earned the moniker 'them ornery Mitchum boys'. Eventually, when
the Great Depression deepened, the family was forced to separate with
the intention of meeting up with sister Annette, who had married a
sailor and moved to California, changing her name to Julie. The teenage
boys set out with little more than clean handkerchiefs to find their
way across the country by the only means they could: hitchhiking and
riding the rails. Their somewhat aimless journey took them to places
they had never been; where their Eastern accents were not welcome, so
they quickly learned that accurately mimicking the local dialect would
keep them out of trouble--some of the time! While brother Robert fairly
quickly discovered his place in Hollywood legend, John sought his
destiny on the high seas, professionally boxing, or conducting a choir.
When the opportunity for acting came along John found his perfect niche
as a character actor, mostly playing heavies since he was an imposing
figure of a man. John's roles had him playing alongside a wide range of
celebrities, from Humphrey Bogart in "Knock On Any Door" (1949) to
Gladys Knight in "Pipe Dreams" (1976), Clint Eastwood of "Dirty Harry"
(1971) to John Wayne in "Chisum" (1970), appearing in 58 films overall.
It was during production of "Chisum" that John Wayne offered his voice
for an anthology of John's poetry that seeks to uplift US
culture, "America, Why I Love Her", a recording for which Mitchum was
nominated for a Grammy in 1973. John was a consummate storyteller (as
was his brother Robert), and with his fascination with US history
in particular he was ever-ready to regale anyone with a thoughtful,
interesting, and insightful anecdote, especially if a guitar was
available. It was the wedding of music and history that brought him to
create the recording "Our Land, Our Heritage" with Dan Blocker; big
"Hoss" from "Bonanza", in 1964. Mitchum had some recurring roles
throughout his television career; such as "Pickalong" from "Riverboat",
or "Hoffenmueller" from "F-Troop", over 150 appearances in all during
the span of a half-century career. The brothers Mitchum legacy has been
well-preserved in his often hilarious autobiography, "Them Ornery
Mitchum Boys", published in 1989. The subjects range from brother
Robert escaping a Georgia chain-gang to his "poontang" interview; from
John surviving an attacking whale on a three-masted schooner to his
adventures riding the rails, developing a great love and respect for
the people of the United States.
