cannabisnews.com: Dude's Future? On Web, He Could Look Up Mitchum





Dude's Future? On Web, He Could Look Up Mitchum
Posted by CN Staff on February 11, 2003 at 23:12:08 PT
By Marc Santora
Source: New York Times 
Robert Mitchum, star of 1940's film noir classics, once commented on his reputation as a Hollywood bad boy: "Booze, broads, it's all true. Make up more if you want." Benjamin Curtis, 22, an aspiring actor, is famous as the guy from the Dell computer commercials who says, "Dude, you're gettin' a Dell!"Seemingly, an odd couple. But when Mr. Curtis was arrested Sunday on a charge that he bought a small bag of marijuana on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the two actors were wed by weed.
In 1948, Mitchum, who died in 1997, was attending a party at the home of a Hollywood starlet, Lila Leeds, when he was arrested. "I don't think anyone can claim that it hurt him one bit," said David Thomson, the author of "The New Biographical Dictionary of Film." "It sort of identified him as a lazy-eyed bad boy."Mitchum was 31 and already well established at the time of his arrest, having been nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in "The Story of G.I. Joe" in 1945. When he appeared in Life magazine, mopping the prison floor during his 60-day sentence, it had little negative impact on his career."It's kind of a surprise that marijuana in 1948 didn't stick more," Mr. Thomson said. "It actually sort of warmed him to the public."In 1951, Mitchum's case was reviewed, and the conviction was expunged from the record. He never tried to publicize his exoneration.Of course, being arrested for marijuana in 1948 was relatively novel. While the first federal drug czar, Harry J. Anslinger, preached the many evils of marijuana, Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia of New York was undecided, commissioning a study of the subject that found "the sociological, psychological and medical ills commonly attributed to marijuana have been exaggerated insofar as the City of New York is concerned."Despite the study, marijuana remains illegal in New York, as Mr. Curtis was reminded Sunday night when he was arrested while wearing a kilt, a black tuxedo jacket and beige knee-length socks. While the circumstances, and the outfit, did not have the glamour of Mitchum's arrest, to which the involvement of Ms. Leeds lent a whiff of the indiscreet (Mitchum was married at the time), Mr. Thomson did not think it would doom the Dell dude.Mr. Thomson said that if Hollywood's past is any guide, it all depends on the follow-up act. "Of course," he added, "he is obviously going to have to do a lot more than go to prison, or at least go to prison for something a lot more substantial, to find his way into our hearts."Mr. Curtis's agent, Bonnie Shumofsky, said he was declining to be interviewed. She added, however, "There is no such thing as bad P.R."Source: New York Times (NY)Author: Marc SantoraPublished: February 12, 2003Copyright: 2003 The New York Times CompanyContact: letters nytimes.com Webpage: http://www.nytimes.com/Related Articles:Dell's 'Steven' Arrested in NY for Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15441.shtmlDell Dude Busted for Pot Possession http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15440.shtml The La Guardia Committee Report http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/lag/lagmenu.htm
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Comment #4 posted by eco-man on February 13, 2003 at 08:48:55 PT
Thanks, dude. 
Dude, you're gettin' a promotion!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cannabisaction/
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Comment #3 posted by John Tyler on February 12, 2003 at 21:30:38 PT
Dell Dude
There is no mention of the guy that he bought the weed from. What happened to him?
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Comment #2 posted by null on February 12, 2003 at 10:09:12 PT
progressive
well maybe progressive insurance would take him on board if Dell dropped him -since john sperling heads progressive insurance and is a major player in the reform movement.
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Comment #1 posted by markjc on February 12, 2003 at 06:51:29 PT:
dell
dude your smokn a nug. i wonder if dell is keeping him as their commercial dude.
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