The Mitchell Brothers, Gail Palmer, and Hunter S. Thompson: Fear, Loathing, Porn, and Dynamite in Aspen
By Third Axis
Third Axis working hard
The recent news story about the murder arrest of James Mitchell, the 27-year-old son of the late porn impresario Jim Mitchell, of the Mitchell Brothers, is a tragic continuation of that family and porn dynasty’s history. It brings to mind my meeting brothers Jim and Artie in better times, back before too much coke, craziness, guns, and murder were what put them in the headlines. (Jim was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the 1991 slaying of Artie.)
In the late-’80s and ’90s I lived in Aspen, Colorado, and freelanced as a photographer and stringer for the two local newspapers, the Aspen Times and Aspen Daily News. The Roaring Fork Valley, where Aspen is located, was also home to the legendary "gonzo" writer and journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who owned a large property near the town of Woody Creek, just down the valley from Aspen. I’d see Hunter regularly at the bar of the renowned Woody Creek Tavern, and bought him a shot of Wild Turkey and had a chat on a few occasions. Hunter was a nice guy, and just a regular Joe when he was drinking at his local watering hole; he was also notorious for pulling pranks, like setting off a stink bomb that emptied the packed bar one night, or pulling a shotgun out of his golf bag on the local course and blasting balls on the fly. (Locally, he was a well-known firearms/explosives proponent, and an excellent marksman. It was fitting that he ended his own life at the business end of a handgun, and I mean that with the greatest *respect*.)
Anyway, where the names of HST, Golden Age porn actress Gail Palmer, and the infamous Mitchell Brothers intersect, was an incident that occurred in 1990. Palmer had long before retired from the porn business and was apparently trying her hand as some kind of journalist. She had arranged to conduct an interview with Hunter at his Owl Farm, and he had reluctantly, by his own admission, consented to a sit-down with the former porn star, whom surely he had seen on screen in her heyday – Hunter was once the night manager at the Mitchell Brothers’ O’Farrell Theater in San Francisco.
The story, as widely reported, “got stranger” when Palmer arrived at the ranch for her scheduled interview, and was told by Hunter that he would only give her the time if they held it in the hot tub. According to Palmer’s statement to the Sheriff’s Dept., she felt awkward about this request and refused. She also alleged the use of cocaine on the premises. Palmer stated that Hunter made several sexual advances toward her, eventually grabbed her breast, and, when she continued to rebuff him, Hunter threw a cocktail glass, which struck her.
Palmer immediately fled from the property, boarded a plane and flew home, where her manager/husband contacted the authorities and filed criminal charges. As (bad) luck would have it, there was a local prosecutor who had a longstanding hard-on against Hunter, whose very public sex-drugs-and-rock-and-roll image had long been a thorn in the side of law enforcement. Palmer’s alleged drug-fueled sexual assault by Hunter was just the offense this prosecutor needed to finally pull a warrant to search Hunter’s home and find the illegal substances that would surely put him away for good.
Sheriff’s deputies showed up at the ranch and proceeded to thoroughly search the premises for 11 hours. However, all they found were “trace amounts” of cannabis, a couple of prescription pills, and some “powdery substance” in a drawer, along with several sticks of dynamite and some blasting caps for which Hunter didn’t have a proper permit (he was constantly setting off explosives of one kind or another on his property, as well as shooting automatic weapons at full propane bottles, etc.). So Hunter was dragged off to jail, but was bailed out immediately.
Thus followed a prolonged pre-trial, which captured the attention of local, state, and national news, and had all of the circus-like craziness that you’d expect from such a thing involving the Great Gonzo, Hunter S. Thompson! And he gave some great copy/sound bites, for sure. But the best part of the show was when the acclaimed porn producers, the Mitchell Brothers, Jim and Artie (both now deceased, and another story altogether), along with a couple of porn actresses/hookers, loaded up a red convertible Cadillac with a giant, mounted buffalo head in the back seat (in homage to the 1980 HST bio-pic, “Where the Buffalo Roam,” starring Bill Murray), and in a show of support and solidarity drove all the way from the Bay Area to the steps of the Pitkin County courthouse in Aspen, where the waiting news cameras had an absolute field day.
The brothers, Hunter, and their instant entourage held court in the bar of the historic Jerome Hotel, where much hilarity ensued, drinks were slung, and I had the opportunity to have a few words with the godfathers of West Coast porn. They were both happy, in their element, and loving all of the media attention being showered upon them. No one would have then imagined the sad days that were to come just a year later.
After an entertaining pre-trial, all charges against Hunter were dismissed, including Gail Palmer’s accusations, since there were no witnesses to corroborate her story. The trace amounts of controlled substances found were too small for prosecution, and the dynamite and blasting caps were ruled to be OK since Hunter testified that he was using them to blast a beaver dam that was blocking an irrigation channel on his ranch.
Nobody, except Palmer and the departed spirit of HST, will ever know what really happened there beside the hot tub, between the Hall-of-Fame porn star and the great gonzo laureate… Now that’s a movie I’d love to see!
Great story. Thanks for sharing. Must’ve been a lot of fun to go drinking with that crew.
what a fine piece of historic journalism..
thanks for sharing.
Great story.
HST is the man. Nice 3rd axis.
Thanks, everybody. Glad you enjoyed this little bit of porn history, as well as the ribald legacy of HST – a fine gentleman, and great American writer. I should have mentioned that Gail Palmer (Palmer-Slater at the time of this case) was also a notable producer and writer of porn right up through the mid-’80’s, and later authored a couple of books. Also, the details of this case were culled from my memory of events almost 20 years ago. I had contacted an old associate of mine who sent some press clippings, which unfortunately didn’t arrive in time to provide fully accurate trial details for my article. This from ‘The New York Times’:
“… Sexual assault allegations by Gail Palmer-Slater, a former producer of X-rated films, prompted a two-day search of Mr. Thompson’s secluded mountain home in February that led to the drug and explosives charges.
Found at the house were a small amount of cocaine, more than an ounce of marijuana, tablets of LSD and the tranquilizer diazepam, four sticks of dynamite and three blasting caps, the authorities said.
Mr. Thompson, 53 years old, was heard at times during the hearing muttering, ”That’s bull” or ”Ah, come on,” particularly during the testimony of Ms. Palmer-Slater, who is 35 and from Port Huron, Mich.
His lawyer, Hal Haddon, argued that Pitkin County prosecutors could not prove that Mr. Thompson owned the drugs and explosives found at his home in rural Woody Creek. Mr. Thompson has said the search was so extensive that it may have turned up drugs left by party guests years earlier.
Mr. Haddon said the explosives were owned by a friend of Mr. Thompson’s who used them to dislodge beaver dams.
Misdemeanor Charges Pending
Three separate misdemeanor charges stemming from Ms. Palmer-Slater’s sexual assault allegations are still pending. The felony trial is scheduled for June 25.
“…Prosecutors asked today for dismissal of charges of drug possession, explosives possession and sexual assault against Hunter S. Thompson, saying their case against the journalist and author was not strong enough.
The motions for dismissal that were filed today and are scheduled to be heard on Thursday in Pitkin County District Court said potential witnesses had not cooperated with the District Attorney’s investigators.
A statement by the District Attorney’s Office also said there were discrepancies between sworn testimony at a preliminary hearing on May 22 and previous statements to investigators. The office did not disclose the nature of the discrepancies.
Mr. Thompson said in an interview that the decision was ”a huge victory for all of us” and that there would be a ”celebratory orgy” tonight at his favorite hangout, the Woody Creek Tavern in Aspen.
Mr. Thompson, 53 years old, was ordered last week to stand trial on June 25 on four felony and three misdemeanor charges. In a preliminary hearing, Judge Charles Buss threw out a felony charge of using cocaine.”
I love the part where he says that the drugs were stashed so well that they could have been left by party guests years before – LOL! Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the after-party at the Tavern, but heard that it was wild!
There’ll never be another Hunter S. Thomposon…
*R.I.P. HST*
Interesting article, Third Axis. I give credit when the credit is due. Whether you are in the adult industry or not doesn’t matter. The fact is that you’re an intelligent, nice guy and a good writer, and for that I respect you despite our disagreement on certain issues. Keep up the good work.
Thank you, Colonel. Very much appreciated. In fact, it was your writing that encouraged me to respond and get involved here on LIB in the first place. You’re insightful and, yes, strongly opinionated, and I respect that of you. I’m in agreement with you far more than not, and I’ll be the first to admit when I’m factually wrong, or will adjust my own opinions if confronted with a compelling argument to their contrary.
Incidentally, I provided Cindi with lots of information, and numerous on-set photos, relating to my work in adult as well as stereoscopic 3D. I did that from the get-go to establish my credibility to first write my op-ed piece back in June. I don’t consider myself to be any kind of “insider” at all since I don’t work regularly in Porn Valley, and I live in San Diego, where I shoot most often and started in the business back in ’98. More than half of my professional work is in mainstream entertainment and media, but I hold the porn industry in the highest regard, and truly care about the issues of health, censorship, and the myriad legal issues that it faces (and I also make a fair amount of my income from it). Let’s continue to keep our open, spirited dialog going – like those characters in the classic Westerns, we can have a little ol’ fistfight and then go back and have a shot o’ rye at the saloon*
Third Axis says:
‘Let’s continue to keep our open, spirited dialog going.’
Absolutely, Third Axis, we’re two adult people each with the education, experiences and opinions of our own. We don’t have to necessarily agree on everything, but as long as we respect each other, we can be good friends and enjoy each other’s company and benefit from our conversations.
Here’s mud in yer eye, Colonel!
…hey, ain’t that a line from a John Ford movie?
here’s sperm in your eye, fpsp
8===> – — –
Elementary, my dear Third Axis, elementary.
That line sounds so familiar. Tell me it’s not from ‘The Searchers’; I haven’t seen that movie for a long time and I feel guilty, because it’s one of my all time favorite westerns.
Mine too. Natalie Wood as a Native American! I’ve read the she was sexually freaky, and that she and husband Robert Wagner used to swing. Maybe that’s why she was so well-suited for her roll in the ’69 swinger comedy ‘Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice’…?
John Ford and Howard Hawks are two of my all-time filmmaking heroes. I wish that porn could even approach the worst of their work, although they never did any! But sand and porn don’t go together well.
Natalie Wood as a Native American, back then they could get away with a lot of things, couldn’t they?
Another classic John Ford movie that I love is ‘The Quiet Man’, the story of a disgraced American boxer falling in love in Ireland.
You’re also right about Howard Hawks, he gave us the original ‘Scarface’, what more could we ask for?
Classic movies never go out of fashion. Never.
Ah, The Duke was great in that, a truly classic picture (I love that the Hollywood old-timers that I talk too still call ’em “pictures”). Funny, when you brought up Ford’s ‘The Searchers’ I had to check who the cinematographer was on that, and it was Charles Lang, who incidentally shot ‘Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice’ with Natalie Wood as mentioned above, and also shot several of my very favorite Westerns: ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (an homage to Kurosawa’s ‘Seven Samurai’, as I’m sure you know, and also a fave), ‘How the West was Won’, and ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’.
Degrees of separation with these threads, huh?
No, I got my own degrees of separation wrong… It was ‘The Searchers’>Natalie Wood>’B&C&T&A’>Charles Lang>etc. This would make a great movie game. With a porn edition.
everytime i read that “dynamite to blast beaver dams..”
i cant help myself but chuckle a little..
All hail The Duke. Speaking of western movies, I’m also a fan of spaghetti westerns, specially Sergio Leone’s trilogy; and how can you imagine those movies without Ennio Morricone’s music? Amazing and oddly memorable.
Speaking of cinematography, have you seen ‘Public Enemies’ yet? It’s a grade A gangster masterpiece all the way; one thing about this movie that truely stands out, is it’s cinematography by Dante Spinotti. Instead of 35MM, he uses hi-def video cameras to create gritty, realistic, documentary style visuals; and it pay off very well. This is the best Michael Mann movie since ‘Heat’.
Once when I was a little kid, I met John Wayne.
The Duke was a good old fashion all American guy. May his soul rest in peace while his cinematic legacy will live on.
To complete the circle of discussion on this interesting thread, I want to mention that Johnny Depp, the star of ‘Public Enemies’, starred in the movie ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ which was based on Hunter S. Thompson’s novel and directed by Terry Gilliam. Depp’s character, Raoul Duke, an oddbal journalist high on psychadelic drugs was based on Thompson’s real character. It’s a great movie to watch, especially if you’re drunk or stoned.
John Wayne was a ###### NL- This shit don’t fly here Goat boy.
Bullshit, he loved Latinas!
Yes, Gilliam did a pretty good job on ‘F&LinLV’. It certainly was his signature style, which I’ve always enjoyed since ‘Monty Python’, ‘Brazil’, and on through ‘Time Bandits’, ‘Fisher King’, and till today. A true indy genius I’d say, with a maverick, DIY way of filmmaking. I read that he had very bad luck trying to make the failed Don Quixote flick with Depp, and the exp knocked him down financially for a good while. Speaking of HST portrayals, I still really like Bill Murray in ‘Where the Buffalo Roam’ – much different than Depp’s odd-ball (of course) take; Murray was goofy and more comedic (and of course).
I have a funny story about HST and Murray, which was told to me by Aspen’s former Sheriff, Bob Braudis, who was a great friend and drinking buddy of HST’s since back in the early ’70s. Bob was one of those original hippies that moved to Aspen back in the ski-bum glory days, but stayed around and eventually traded his zig-zags and coke spoon for a respectable job and a badge. The local cops have always had a very hands-off approach to law enforcement in Aspen, where guys like HST, Nicholson, and movie folks with lots o dough go to get lost. So Murray, HST, and Bob are drinking in the Jerome (two blocks from the courthouse/Sheriff’s station). Murray is hanging with HST for several weeks doing character study for his upcoming role, and I guess they partied the whole time – this is in ’79, and Aspen was seriously ‘Party Town’, ‘Fat City’ as it’s called. They all go to have a smoke by the pool, and conversation turns to who can hold their breath longest, Murray or HST. Somehow, Murray is convinced by HST to let himself be duct taped to a deck chair and thrown into the jacuzzi while HST times it on his diving watch (I’m not makin this shit up!) Murray lies underwater, helpless, naturally drunk off his ass, while HST counts off the minutes. Bob has to eventually jump in and pull Murray out before he drowns while HST breaks into some story about fishing in Cuba. Good times! lol
Hey, Colonel, interesting to hear you liked ‘Public Enemies’. Haven’t seen it yet but will definitely, and on your good rec. Michael Mann does first-rate work; I liked his style and use of DV back when he shot ‘Collateral’. That was the first feature film to show the real capability of DV and Mann handled it brilliantly. The avail lighting of the city, as only obtainable by DV, cast it as a constant backdrop, and almost another character in a way. Very innovative, IMO. Looking forward to checking out ‘PE’. Ya know, we could just hijack this discussion and turn it into a film blog… at least till Cindi pulls
the plug. =D=====
Rics, what were the circumstances of your childhood meeting with The Duke?
And Spaghetti Westerns, yeah, most definitely. Huge ups to Leone and Morriconi. Leone was the absolute master of the ultra close-up, for sure. How about usual nice guy Henry Fonda as a psychopathic child killer in ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’? Timeless.
Right on brother, the story about Hunter S. Thompson and Bill Murray was great; and you’re spot on, Henry Fonda was amazing in ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’. To this day, I still can’t figure out why Sergio Leone chose a usual nice guy to play such a vicious child killer, and more importantly how come it worked out so well?
Another masterpiece by Leone is of course ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. It’s easily one of the best gansgter movies in the history of cinema next to ‘The Godfather’, ‘Scarface’ and ‘Goodfellas’.
Yup, Hank was stellar in that role, absolutely chilling. Those steely blue eyes in ultra close-up… Leone was brilliant in casting him totally against type for this film, and that was his intention. And it was one of Bronson’s finest performances also, full-stop. I could watch this a thousand times and find something new every time; Leone was that nuanced and multi-layered in his art. Ditto on his update for ‘Once… in America’, and the others you ref, all the best of the best.
I always enjoy chatting about the movies with the movie enthusiasts like myself. God bless you, my friend. Keep up the good work.
Leone’s movies were classics, Once Upon a Time in America has the feel of a foreign film made in America, if anyone gets that. Leone was also the one director to use both Tuesday Weld and William Forsythe properly, no one else ever has. If we talk Westerns one movie that always gets under the radar is “Day of the Gun” by John Sturges. James Garner’s Wyatt Earp is finally as good as Jason Robards’ Doc Halliday, who was brillant. Kurt Russell in Tombstone and Kevin Costner in Waytt Earp were wooden and miserable, made so much apparent by Val Kilmer as Doc in Tombstone, and of course by one of the greatest acting performances ever by Dennis Quaid in Wyatt Earp.
Thanks, Colonel, and back at ya*
LH, you’re corretto about that; it has that Italian touch, paisan. ‘Hour of the Gun’ is also great, with a perfect cast (and kind of a sequel to his earlier ‘OK Corral’). Sturges was great too – ‘Magnificent Seven’, “Gunfight at the OK Corral’, and one of my big top-10, ‘The Great Escape’! Don’t get me talkin’ about Steve McQueen, man, ’cause I’ll never shut up.
The best western I’ve see last year was ‘Appaloosa’: Ed Harris directs this gutsy, old fashioned western and stars as Virgil Cole, gunfighter for hire turned sheriff who with help from his friend Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) tends to bring down Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons), an evil, murderous rancher and his gang. 2009 so far hasn’t been a good year for western pictures.
And Third Axis, you can’t mention Steve McQueen and expect no response. I have so many Steve McQueen favorites that it’s hard for me to pick just one movie, but here is a short list in no particular order: Bullitt, The Great Escape, The Thomas Crown Affair, Nevada Smith, The Getaway.
Hollywood doesn’t make stars the way the used to, do they? Just put Steve McQueen next to Ashton Kutcher, and you’ll catch my drift.
Oh, man, all of those in spades. Knew you were a McQueen fan; how could you not be? Plus ‘Magnificent Seven’ (which is currently our leading film in the Degrees of Separation category), ‘The Sand Pebbles’, ‘Somebody Up There Likes Me’ (’56 film portraying the life of the great Rocky Graziano – brilliant), ‘The Cincinnati Kid’, ‘Le Mans’, ‘Junior Bonner’, ‘Papillon’ – I particularly love his ’70s work – and, one of his greatest roles, imo, was ‘Tom Horn’, a film that did shite at the box office but was a later critical success. It was finely nuanced role and one that McQueen really dedicated himself to, and also produced. I’ll forgive you for using the name of McQueen and Ashton Kutcher in the same sentence, since you were making a valid point* lol
‘Appaloosa was great too. Hollywood sure doesn’t make ’em like they useta, ’cause they don’t sell. And that’s just sad.
Man, you’re spot on about ‘Tom Horn’, it’s one of those underestimated classic movies, the story of a fallen war hero in changing times. There’s a sense of doom and morbidity in the movie which probably is a direct or indirect result of Steve McQueen’s illness at the time of shooting that movie in 1980. His final movie, ‘The Hunter’, is also a fine movie but not as good as ‘Tom Horn’.