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I managed until page 125 or so and couldn't read anymore. Sorry. The subject is interesting although somewhat "light" on the cultural revolution at the end of the 60s. What stopped me was the writing : this book is not written, it reads like a transcript from some audio tape. I never read anything so poorly written.

David McCumber, now at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, was an editor at the San Francisco Chronicle in the mid-1980s, where the late Hunter S. Thompson made a brief, unsuccessful stint as a columnist. McCumber knew the Mitchells and the O'Farrell Theatre; this book, therefore, perhaps was inevitable. McCumber is also a far better editor than writer, if this book is any indication.

The Mitchells, according to their biographers, saw an opportunity to make big money in porn and did just that. To the biographers, Jim and Artie were "Okie outlaw pornographers" who hired their good ol' boys from childhood as important members of their porn empire. The O'Farrell Theatre was (and remains) a mirrored house of sleaze where bikini-clad strippers hustled greenbacks from customers too shy and ugly to get girls any other way. The Mitchells made millions and spent them just as fast on women, cars, parties, drugs and so on until Artie, crazy from too much for too long, got out of control and everyone said to Jim, "Do something about him, will you?" The whole sordid tale was told much better by Hubner.

This is truly a pitiful book. David McCumber, a Hunter S. Thompson wannabe, is not only a terrible writer, he's very fast and loose with his facts and opinions. At one point he spends wasted time glorifying attorney Michael Kennedy, a genuine bottom feeder, and the First Amendment Rights of the Porn Industry. The author is very transparent trying to convince the reader the sex-industry is a victimless crime at best. He fails miserably by then going through the dreary list of women who were abused, ruined, commited suicide or were murdered in the industry. McCumber can't write, is a pathetic left over from 60's hedonism, and all in all an embarrassment. Don't buy it!

The Mitchell Brothers are legendary, not only in adult entertainment, but also in fighting for the First Amendment. This highly detailed book takes you through their childhood right up to the ending courtroom drama of Artie's death. The research done is incredible, up to the point of being boring. The author spends too much time dwelling on the details of Artie's various girlfriends and not enough on the adult entertainment industry in general. 450 pages is suitable for a scholarly textbook, not an autobiography written for entertainment. This is the only fault I found with this book. A pleasant surprise is the courtroom drama and how the author takes you through the entire trial and weaves the suspense all throughout. Extremely entertaining and you will become engrossed in the fine presentation. We also learn about the Mitchell's wild lifestyle and how their successful empire was built. In the end we learn an alarming lesson about our legal system and how justice is bought in America. This book is a great read if you have the patience to make it through some of the boring sections.

This book tells of the life and times of the one and only Mitchell Brothers. Considered by most in the porno film industry to be pioneers in the adult film business. The brothers made one of the first box office hits "Behind the Green Door" at about the same time that "DeepThroat" came out.This book also outlined the struggles between the two brothers. Another feature that recieves great emphasis in this book is their many legal battles that they have to go through. The thing that I found amazing was that they won their legal battles. Of course the book ends with Jim killing Arnie. A very close up look at the porno industry and the Mitchell Brothers.

So, the book is entertaining and a generally fictional account of the Mitchell Brothers. It's great at serving up the sex, drugs and lust for power and greed, but misses point in the end. Translation: Jim Mitchell is a murderer. However, the book almost raises him to high esteem! Can't figure that out... luckily, the truth of this tragic heartbreaker that tore a beautiful, well adjusted family apart (artie's family) can be found at www.artiefund.com. Please go there, and give your thoughts to the living victims -- those of artie mitchell. Artie was an incredible business man, scintillating personality, and philanthropist at heart, despite any vices editorialized candidly in X-rated.

This book will not win any awards. Some of it may not be 100% accurate. One thing is: The Mitchell Brothers RULED! These brothers built an empire from nothing, fighting against censorship, hypocrites, and do-gooders along the way. (They also spent a fortune in the process.) The duo launched many a career including The Ivory Snow Girl Marilyn Chamber's and the hotter today than ever Nina Hartley's. The O'Farrell Theater is on their resume too. I would've given anything to have been old enough to go there in its prime...Whew! The bottom line is they had [nerve] bigger than church bells. They were also very intelligent, hard working, and close. Things ended tragically though and that is a shame, but it doesn't erase all the great things Jim and Artie did.