Happy Birthday, Thomas Mitchell

Interesting that Thomas Mitchell and Bruce McGill were born on the same day (scroll down). I said in the piece about Bruce McGill that McGill is in “the Thomas Mitchell tradition” and the “Thomas Mitchell tradition” is quickly vanishing from the face of the earth. This is due to multiple factors, but mainly it’s the loss of the character actor tradition. Now of course there are still character actors, but it’s just different now. There’s more work (ironically) but less chance for these people to really shine, unless they’re cast in prestige television that everyone watches. Like Sopranos or Six Feet Under – which didn’t cast glorified hotties overall in smaller roles, but honest to goodness character actors who have been around since the 70s and 80s. People like Thomas Mitchell, back in the Golden Age, would show up in things – often playing variations on a theme – and people would feel comfortable, happy, like he was their uncle up onscreen.

What is striking about Thomas Mitchell is the variety of his roles, the breadth of “people” he had in him! His gift was astonishing, and it never seemed like he was just mimicking someone else. He could be genuinely lovable and also genuinely NOT lovable. Both seemed natural. He could be competent and damn near romantic (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) and he could be incompetent and eccentric (It’s a Wonderful Life).

He is one of my favorite actors of all time. I’d put him toe to toe with any of the great leading man actors any day of the week. Thomas Mitchell made OTHER people look good. He won an Oscar for his performance in Stagecoach and was nominated in the same category (Best Supporting) for Hurricane. Let’s talk about his other awards. He won the New York Film Critics Circle Best Actor award for Long Voyage Home, and since I am now a member of that illustrious group I feel pride. He was nominated three times for an Emmy, winning once. He also won a Best Actor in a Musical Tony Award, bringing him into the rarified category of people who have won Oscars, Emmys and Tonys. If he came out with an album and it won a Grammy, he’d reach EGOT status.

I was thrilled to pay tribute to him in the March-April 2018 issue of Film Comment, focusing on his terrifying performance in Moontide, definitely one of his lesser-known films, but filled with fascination. Mitchell is truly scary in it and he’s doing so much with it, including playing the gay subtext consciously. He knew exactly where that character was coming from and did not try to hide it. The piece isn’t online, although you can purchase it. It meant a lot to me to pay tribute to him, and put that performance into the context of the rest of his illustrious career. He never really played another role like it.

Well, WE all did.

 
 
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