Mitchell (1975)

Mitchell is the title character of the 1975 film Mitchell.

Very much an anti-hero Mitchell is an overweight, slovenly, alcoholic police detective who lacks most of the social graces needed to function in society. Mitchell spent most of his free time drinking beer and harder liquors as well as looking at pornographic magazines.

When Walter Deaney shot a burglar in his home, Mitchell was the only one who thought the shooting was anything other than self defense. Refusing to sign off on it being self defense, Mitchell irritated his chief Albert Pallin, who told him to ignore Deaney. Pallin then shipped him out of the way by having him tail James Arthur Cummings over a hijacked drug shipment from Mexico. Despite being ordered to stay on Cummings Mitchell went to Deaney's house to do some further checking of the crime scene, nearly getting killed by Deaney in the process. When Pallin found out he chastised Mitchell for ignoring his orders to leave Deaney alone, telling Mitchell that as Deaney was the target of an FBI investigation he was "FBI property."

Meanwhile Deaney sent a prostitute named Greta to distract Mitchell. Despite him being just another job at first Greta soon began to develop feelings for Mitchell. After a love making session Mitchell found the weed in her purse and took her down to the police session. When Mitchell found out that Deaney had sent her to distract him he went to confront Deaney who tried to buy him off with a real estate scam. Deaney died a short time later after trying to kill Mitchell in his dune buggy.

Cummings meanwhile was trying to keep the hijacked drug shipment from coming in to his port. His refusal led to his mob allies harassing and threatening him. Cummings soon came to see Mitchell as his only ally (besides his butler Benton) as he was no good to the police dead.

Mitchell continued the stakeout of the Cummings estate. While sitting in his car he got into a verbal disagreement with a kid - possibly Greta's son - and angrily told the kid to piss off before yelling at him to go to hell.

Cummings was getting tired of the sideshow outside his house. He eventually leveled with Mitchell about the hijacked drugs, and offered to let Mitchell intercept the drug shipment, appearing to double cross Mistretta - the man who had arranged the hijacking of the shipment. After Mitchell left Cummings house Cummings then double crossed Mitchell by informing Mistretta that Mitchell was bringing the shipment to his place. Then Cummings pulled another double cross on Mistretta by calling Chief Pallin and telling him that Mitchell was driving into trouble.

Mitchell was able to escape the double cross. In the ensuing shootout Mistretta and his henchmen were killed. Mitchell then boarded a police helicopter and took off in prusuit of Cummings, who was on his boat heading for international waters. After a short chase the helicopter caught up with Cummings. In a short fight with Benton Mitchell managed to skewer Benton with a gaffe hook, and Benton fell into the water. Cummings made one last attempt to kill Mitchell, but Mitchell was ready for him and shot him with a high powered automatic rifle.

An exhausted Mitchell returned to his apartment to find Greta sleeping in his bed. Pulling her out of his bed he searched the place to make sure there weren't any vengeful mob allies waiting in the wings. Seeing the mess Greta had made of his kitchen he told her to clean it up while he took a shower. After the shower he laid down on his bed. Greta asked to join him. Smelling the weed on her breath he found the joint in the kitchen trash can, and pulled Greta out of the bed, arresting her once again.

Trivia

 * Mitchell was portrayed by Joe Don Baker.


 * The movie Mitchell was later riffed on MST3K. It was the first of two films featuring Joe Don Baker to be shown on the series.  It was significant in that it was the final episode with Joel Hodgson as a regular cast member.