Cinema Connoisseur

Robert Emilio Cargni, the artist formerly known as Robert Cameron Mitchell, had a love for film and all things cinematic that can be traced to his early days. Our first exposure to storytelling on film -- arriving in our home by way of television -- was through cartoons. 

In the early 60s, we would huddle in front of the new color television console in the family "party room" to watch animated series like Popeye the Sailor Man, Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Flintstones, Mister Magoo, Yogi Bear, The Jetsons, and The Bugs Bunny Hour.

Our favorite: Warner Brothers cartoons with Bugs, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, Yosemite Sam, and Pepe LePew, who became some of the most recognizable characters in the world. On Sunday evenings, we religiously gathered for "The Wonderful World of Disney."

The Warner Brothers cartoons featured a more visual and sophisticated style of humor that we preferred, although they also included some slapstick comedy along with jokes and dialogue. ("Eh, you wouldn't be so tough if you weren't wearing that uniform." — Bugs Bunny)

We also watched a variety of live action television shows, including westerns (The Lone Ranger, The Rifleman, Zorro, Bonanza) science fiction (The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Outer Limits, Star Trek) and action-adventure (Sea Hunt, Sky King, Lassie, Mission: Impossible).

But these shows were merely apertivos. Because our mother loved going to the theater to see first-run films, and our father didn't, she would take us along to catch the latest Hollywood offerings at Portland movie houses like the Orpheum, the Hollywood, the Oriental and the Baghdad theaters.

The movies were always first rate: Lawrence of Arabia, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Guns of Navarone, How the West Was Won, The Secret of Santa Vittorio, The Magnificent Seven, Breakfast at Tiffany's, A Man for All Seasons, and The Longest Day are examples of films we saw with our mother.

In the summers, the Academy Theatre in Montavilla, just a few blocks from our home on Mt. Tabor, was a frequent hangout, where we would watch something different every week, whether it was a corny sci-fi flick like Frankenstein Vs. The Space Monster or a soapy drama like To Sir With Love.

By the late 60s, we had our driver's licenses so we struck out on our own with movies like The Graduate, M*A*S*H, Kelly's Heroes, Wild In The Streets and other films. In the waning years of that phenomenon known as "drive-in" movies, we could be found at an all-night James Bond festival.

In the 70s, our paths diverged, much like Louis and Lucien in The Corsican Brothers. I left Portland for a summer job at Crater Lake and then the University of Oregon to study journalism, and Robert attended Portland State University to pursue a degree in cinema studies.

To fund his education, Robert was hired by Solomon (Sol) Maizels, who owned the Aladdin Theatre and several other venues, as general manager and projectionist. Originally a vaudeville house, the Aladdin achieved a degree of notoriety in the 70s for its emphasis on pornographic cinema.

But Robert had absolutely zero interest in porn. Instead, he immersed himself into the intricacies of life as a film projectionist and all aspects of the history and technology of cinema, and he became quite an expert in "the booth" at the Aladdin, Oregon and Walnut Park theaters.

Because of the tarnished reputations of the theaters, my friend Kelly Tjaden jokingly christened Robert "The Porn King" and the title caught on briefly. But Robert dove into foreign film and was particularly enamored with Federico Fellini, the Italian filmmaker known for his distinctive style.

Recognized as one the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, Fellini's most famous films include La Strada, 8 1/2, La Dolce Vita, Nights of Cabriria, Juliet of the Spirits, and Satyricon. He has been nominated for 16 Academy Awards over the course of his career.

Robert was also a big fan of the works of the Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman (The Seventh Seal, Scenes from a Marriage, Fanny and Alexander, Wild Strawberries), and German filmmaker Wim Wenders (Nosferatu, Paris, Texas, Kings of the Road, The American Friend).

In the mid-80s, Robert moved to Philadelphia and was hired by a nonprofit film theater that focused on artistically significant and socially relevant motion pictures from at home and abroad. He was a universally acknowledged expert in both domestic and international filmmaking.

While we both had fond memories of the cartoons we watched as kids, those days were gone until the 80s when a fellow classmate of ours at Lincoln High School, Matt Groening, created The Simpsons. We became avid fans of the irreverent animated sitcom, and the denizens of Springfield.

And although we both loved Marvel and DC comics in our youth, Robert didn't have any interest in the big budget films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He did, however, enjoy the popular films of the era, including Ghostbusters and The Big Lebowski, quoting from them frequently.

From Ghostbusters, his favorite lines were "there is no Dana, only Zulu" and "why am I drippings with goo?." From The Big Lebowski, there were too many to count, but he often cited: "Yeah, well, you know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, man," and "that rug really tied the room together."

Who We Played

Growing up for the first half decade with our grandmother, Robert and I had no exposure to the "modern" music of the 1950s, which at that time featured the likes of Elvis Presley. Instead, our introduction to music included our great-uncle Paul playing Italian folk songs on his accordion and the Lennon Sisters on the Lawrence Welk Show.

Our musical universe expanded very little when our father returned from his remote teaching assignments in various and sundry corners of Oregon for a job a teacher and coach at Evergreen High School. Not exactly a music aficionado, his tastes veered toward Montovani and the Ray Conniff Singers. That all changed radically in with The Beatles.

After moving into the family home in 1961, our father purchased a console stereo system, a maple credenza outfitted with radio, turntable and quality speakers. Later, Robert and i received a small, toy-like turntable for kids that played 45s. We immediately stocked up on Beatles records, beginning with "I Want To Hold Your Hand."

Soon, other bands that constituted the "British Invasion" arrived on the scene: The Yardbirds, The Kinks, Cream, The Rolling Stones and The Who. At the same time, American bands like The Beach Boys and Creedence Clearwater Revival caught our attention. Creedence, in particular, popularized the long-form guitar solo with their rendition of "Suzie Q."

Although other rock and roll bands, especially The Rolling Stones, were becoming increasingly popular, The Beatles were the clear leader, arguably the most successful act of the 20th century, contributing to music, film, literature, art and fashion. impacting popular culture and lifestyle. As their hair grew longer, so did the follicles of young men everywhere.

When the Beatles broke up in 1970, the natural successor was The Rolling Stones, their chief rival. We saw the Stones in Seattle in 1972 in a spectacular show that also also featured Stevie Wonder. The Stones, who pioneered the gritty, rhythmically driven sound that came to define hard rock, had clearly moved to to the front of the line.

Yet for Robert and me, another English band would supplant The Rolling Stones (above) at the top of our list: The Who. Lead guitarist/chief songwriter Pete Townshend fashioned the rock opera "Tommy" in 1969 and followed that with perhaps the best live album ever recorded: "Live at Leeds." The Who would remain at the top of our lists for many years.

Other English rock and roll bands that soon caught our attention (or at least the ones we gravitated to) included Cream, Pink Floyd (below), The Moody Blues, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, The Spencer Davis Group, Small Faces and the Animals. We considered the others, like Herman's Hermits, as either forgettable or one-hit wonders.

In those days, radio was our source for new music, and the popular American bands that we enjoyed were The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Grateful Dead, Santana, Steve Miller Band, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Velvet Underground, and from among the first of the supergroups, Crosby Stills, Nash and Young.

In 1968, we discovered KINK-FM, a fresh Portland radio station with a diverse playlist including rock, acoustic, jazz, folk, pop, blues, reggae and new age. As a result, our musical tastes expanded widely, especially when it came to jazz musicians, like Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Miles Davis, and blues musicians like B.B. King and John Lee Hooker.

Over the years, our tastes expanded to include many more genres of music including classical and international, especially as Robert furthered his career in cinema studies, and we would discuss movie soundtracks often. The only genre we avoided was country-western, with the exception of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris.

But one of Robert's favorites remained Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, an American band from California whose work focused on the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art and elaborate live shows. Legend has it that Robert's most famous brush with celebrity was when he rode along with Zappa to Joe's Garage for a promotional shoot.

That's A Wrap

After an extended hiatus from in-person activities and professional development tours due to the pandemic, the UO Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America reemerged in a big way with trips to Eugene, Seattle and Portland, and a wildly successful fundraising event called PRom.

The Seattle excursion had an inauspicious start when an 18-wheeler wiped out on I-5, closing all northbound lanes near the Canby rest area for several hours. Northbound traffic, including those of us heading to Seattle, Washington, was painstakingly re-routed through the rest area.

It literally took us two hours to travel eight miles at a crawl from the Aurora exit to the Wilsonville exit, where we stopped for lunch. Continuing on up 1-5, we made it through Portland traffic without incident and finally reached our hotel in North Seattle a full nine hours after leaving Eugene.

Arriving at the Hotel Nexus, I adjourned to adjacent Saffron Grill and met Josh, a Latin teacher at a local Catholic school by day and bartender by night. Josh educated me on the finer points of making a rum tiki masala and more. I find that bartenders are some of the most interesting people.

For the next two days, we toured WE Communications in Bellevue, then InkHouse Public Relations, Starbucks Headquarters and The Fearey Group in Seattle. Despite the busy schedule, we had time to tour the Pike Place Market on the Seattle waterfront and Pioneer Square.

On our Portland trip, we visited Edelman Public Relations, where Account Supervisor (and former UO PRSSA Progamming Director) Casey Olsen, led a lively discussion on how Edelman helps its clients achieve their business goals. Next up was Gard Communications, where I was able to visit with my former students Hannah Smith and Liz Vargas, now both working as public relations account managers for the agency.

The finale of the day was a visit to Providence Park, home of the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorn men's and women's soccer teams, where we learned about sports marketing. For me, it was my first visit to the park since I played varsity baseball there for Lincoln High School back in the day.

In the 1960's, I spent many summer evenings (in what was known then as Multnomah Stadium) watching the Portland Beavers, which featured future stars like Luis Tiant, Lou Pinella and Sam McDowell. The park has been significantly upgraded since I last played baseball there in 1971.

The coup de grâce was PRom, a fundraiser devised by the UO PRSSA leadership team (below). As many college students missed the own proms due to the pandemic, the team believed the event would be successful. It was, with more than 150 tickets sold, and a good time was had by all.

Dog Whisperer

Growing up in Portland, Oregon, we weren't allowed to have dogs in the family home. Mom might have approved, but she wasn't in charge. Dad ruled the roost, and he said "absolutely not." So naturally, when the five siblings grew up left the nest, we all immediately adopted canine companions.

Robert was the first in our family to buy a dog, and he preferred the Airedale Terrier. Originating in the Valley of the River Aire near Yorkshire, England, Airedales are known as "King of the Terriers" because they are the largest of the terrier breeds. Soon after, we all had pups of our own.

Eventually, Robert branched out a bit with Bouviers, known officially as "Bouvier de Flanders," a herding breed originating in Flanders, Belgium. Both Airedales and Bouviers are intelligent, loyal and familial breeds that were -- in the days before security systems -- great watch dogs.

In 1985, Robert left the City of Roses to attend a dog training and school in College Station, Pennsylvania, where he met his wife, Elaine Petrov, also a dog lover. He remained in Philadelphia, and pursued another passion, cinema studies, as projectionist and film curator at International House Philadelphia.

Robert, our resident expert on canines, provided counsel and guidance as we adopted many other breeds, including Golden Retrievers, Labradors, English Bulldogs and more. He maintained his passion for dogs throughout his lifetime and will be remembered as our "dog whisperer."

Renaissance Man

Sometimes there's a man -- I won't say a hero, because what's a hero? -- but sometimes there's a man, and I'm talking about Robert Emilio Cargni-Mitchell here. Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He just kind of fits right in there -- a renaissance man.

Beloved brother, uncle, great-uncle, friend and colleague, Robert passed away at home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Monday, May 1. Born Robert Cameron Mitchell in Portland, Oregon on February 18, 1954 to Charlotte Nitta Cargni Mitchell and Ralph Cameron Mitchell, he joined the family with his older brother, John, and later, Richard, Carla and Stephanie.

Robert grew up in East Portland on Mt. Tabor, attending Ascension Catholic Grade School and Mt. Tabor Elementary School, and graduated from Lincoln High School. A lifelong learner, Robert matriculated at Portland State University, University of Oregon and University of Pennsylvania.

We were raised in a matriarchy by our Italian grandmother, Gemma Emilia Brichetto Cargni, and our mother for the first half decade of our lives. Our father, a school teacher, worked in remote locations of Oregon. We didn't really know our father until he secured a teaching position in Portland.

In 1958, the family moved to the Cherry Park neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Portland and welcomed Richard and Carla into the family. In 1961, we moved to the Mt. Tabor neighborhood, closer to Ascension Catholic Grade School and welcomed Stephanie, completing our family of five.

We played on various and sundry sports teams, particularly baseball, and one year competed on the same club, Kings Drive-In, coached by our Dad, in the Montavilla Little League (Robert is first row, far left; John is top row, third from the right; Dad is the second coach from the right).

In the mid-1960s, Dad bought beachfront property in Road's End, the northernmost village in Lincoln City on the Central Oregon Coast. All of us at one point or another spent weekends during the school year and summers helping build and finish the structure over a period of time.

The siblings also accompanied their father on weekend camping excursions in the High Cascades of Oregon. Later, the boys joined their father on mountain climbing expeditions, particularly Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood (Robert, standing toward the front on the left, below).

As long-suffering fans of the University of Oregon football team, we were all excited when the team's fortunes improved in the mid- to late-1980s. When the Oregon Ducks were invited to their first bowl game in 26 years, Robert joined me in Shreveport, Louisiana for the Independence Bowl. Despite unseasonably cold temperatures in Shreveport, the Ducks squeaked out an exciting 27-24 victory over the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Robert managed two movie houses, the Aladdin and Oregon theaters, while majoring in film studies at PSU. In 1985, he moved briefly to Los Angeles, then College Station, Pennsylvania to attend a dog training school before relocating to Philadelphia. He married Elaine Petrov in 1987.

Once settled in Philadelphia, we would see Robert on occasion when he would travel back to Oregon, and also when some of us would venture to the City of Brotherly Love. Yet, we always kept in constant contact by way of phone, text and email often to keep up on what was happening in our lives.

In Philadelphia, Robert worked for a nonprofit film theater specializing in repertory, independent and avant-garde film, and as the projectionist and technical support analyst for International House's S.A. Ibrahim Theater. He was promoted to Associate Director of International House in 2014.

At the nonprofit film theater, Robert focused on showcasing artistically significant and socially relevant motion pictures and programs from around the world, rescuing many films from obscurity. He was also the Special Programs Curator for the America-Italy Society at Penn.

In addition to his family, Robert was adored by his many friends and colleagues in Philadelphia. Said one: "Robert was loved and esteemed by many. His passing is an irreparable loss for all of us, but his memory, sweet smile, profound attachment to his friends, and cinema legacy will remain."

More tributes: "May the world of moving images and sounds cover his gentle face and memory." "Robert was a wonderful curator of films and a great asset to the Philadelphia film community." "He was the soul of kindness. He mentored and gave freely of himself to so many."

While we continue to grieve the loss of our beloved brother, uncle, great-uncle, friend and colleague, plans are currently underway by family and friends for celebrations of the life for Robert Emile Cargni for later this summer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Portland, Oregon.

Editors note: This is the first in a series of posts on the life and times of of Robert Emile Cargni, the artist formerly known as Robert Cameron Mitchell. Future posts will focus on his wide spectrum of interests: movies, television, music, art, automobiles, sports and so much more.