Once again, Robert Mitchum plays the "bad boy" like it should be played. Nice looking with a bit of danger and a lot of charm. I guess back then the good boy got the girl.
Now and days, Jim Fairways would be beating them off with a stick.
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Yeah, I like the turning point when the son stopped being so rude to Rachel. At first, I couldn't understand why she took all his rude BS, but it all worked out in the end.
Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.
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I can see that scenario, adamreu. But you know those boys with their guitars, bad to the bone.
Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.
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thanks ar530. someone else finally sees Mitchum's character the way i thought...a well intentioned cupid. well put.
"only one food for the rest of my life? That's easy, cherry-flavored Pez. No question about it."
I guess I'll have to imagine ar530's post, since it's now deleted . Anyway, I saw Mitchem's character as a cupid, too. His character was quite likable for the most part.
Imagination is everything. It's a preview of life's coming attractions.
There was no one better at it, and I was disappointed when Holden panned out to be the 'hero' of the story.
"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"
Mitchum always had a reputation for being the Bad Boy of Hollywood -- hard-drinking, locked up for marijuana back in the 40s ... which was really pretty racy back then, even among musicians.
An art dealer friend of mine, now deceased, was a very wealthy, connected party animal back in the 50s & 60s, and partied with Bob Mitchum a couple of times. His fondest recollection was stumbling into a bathroom one morning, hung over, and finding Bob in front of the mirror with a joint in his mouth, calmly shaving, while being ...shall we say, "entertained" ... by one of the girls kneeling on the bathroom floor. They had a short conversation, during which Bob never missed a stroke (with the razor) and seemed to have multi-tasking down to a fine art long before it became popular.
One of my favorite actors of all time, and definitely my favorite story about him. But one should keep in mind that though he may have had some rough party times early on, he was one of those Hollywood rarities -- married to the same woman his entire life, almost 60 years.
He used to sing some pretty bawdy lyrics at parties, too, and -- as we see occasionally on screen -- he had a truly fine baritone voice. Kind of a shame he didn't do more recording. His musical talents went further, too -- he composed an oratorio that was produced at the Hollywood Bowl .... by Orson Welles.
Whether the bad boy or the good guy wins the girl depends on what stage in her life the girl is in. What I've found is when we're young and carefree we go for the squeaky clean, harmless types like the ones you see on teen magazines. They're not even really men yet. Some girls go for the bad boys early but only if they are at a distance which makes them just as safe as the boys.
Soon most of us graduate to the real life bad boy. He's dangerous, exciting, and lives on the edge. We love that about him but also feel we can be that good influence he needs in his life. We may not want to tame him completely but maybe just smooth out a few rough edges.
The bad boy stage can last a long time for some girls but not most; at least not by choice. When we're ready to settle down we're looking for a good guy because bad boys don't settle down. We see that in this movie. Dave and Jim are friends but also rivals. It's clear both guys 'fancied' Susan but ultimately she chose Dave because Jim is a rambling man. Susan wanted someone settled. She wanted a home and a family and all that went with it. She wanted her children raised 'proper' not 'woodsy'.
Now that Rachel is in the picture and Jim shows up again, the old rivalry is back on. Jim takes a liking to Rachel; she's a woman that's what bad boys do. As is typical, bad boys are comfortable and at their best around the ladies; they know what to say and how to say it. Rachel responds so Dave's not happy. He's not the charmer Jim is because good guys seldom are. Their forte lies elsewhere; they're respectful, dependable, hard-working, stable, faithful, devoted, etc. That's part of the reason Dave hadn't been able to connect with Rachel; he's still devoted to Susan and he's considerate of Davy's feelings.
Being the bad boy, Jim would definitely not hesitate taking Rachel away from Dave. He wants a wife, there aren't many women available so he wouldn’t let rules or conventions stand in his way. Rachel is flattered; she likes the attention and is glad Dave is taking notice but not happy she's just a pawn.
As a bonds woman, she didn't have a say in her own life. She didn't have a say about marrying Dave and now they're acting like she's a prize instead of a person. The truth is she wants Dave and is happy to be his wife but he's a cold fish. Luckily, he realizes what he has in Rachel and is ready to open his heart and be her husband.
Woman, man. That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]
What a lousy “friend” Jim (Mitchum) was to Big Dave. Jim had evidently had eyes for Dave’s first wife, Susan, as well. One suspects the only reason Jim came by the homestead on his first visit was to see Susan. Jim even had the gall to tell Dave he’d have taken Susan off of his hands if things hadn’t worked out between them, only to make a play for Rachel later on.
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