Calypso Is Like So…..CooL, just like Robert Mitchum, the actor whose famous leer graced the film noir classics, “Crossfire” and “Cape Fear” , and who portaryed the hauntingly evil preacher in the surreal film classic, “Night Of The Hunter”. In the mid-fifties Mitchum was sent to Trinidad to film on location and wound up staying there for ten months, soaking up the culture and listening to calypsonians such as Lord Melody and Mighty Sparrow perform live. He returned to the US, singing the praises of calypso music, a style which had already been embraced by white America due to the recent popularity of Harry Belafonte. In 1956, Mitchum released this lp on RCA. Unfortunately, the label censors did not permit Mitchum to use the risque lyrics and double entendres that provide humor and zest to calypso music. Nevertheless, Mitchum employed the lyrical style of the music to great effect . While the lp contains some tame and lame versions of calypso standards, his take on “Tic ,Tic, Tic” and “Mama Look Boo Boo” capture the cool essence that was Robert Mitchum.

In 1948, actress Lila Leeds and actor Robert Mitchum were arrested for marijuana possession. The public had sympathy for him, and he went on to a great career. Leeds, on the other hand, struggled after getting out of jail, was introduced to heroin use while in jail and became a full-blown addict afterwards. She was last heard from working in a drug rehabilitation facility in the mid-1970s.

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