On September 1, 1948, during the rise of his career, Mitchum was arrested for possession of marijuana with actress Lila Leeds. While RKO could have cited the morals clause and canceled his contract, the studio chose to stand by him. He served for 50 days, split between the Los Angeles County Jail and a Castaic, California, prison farm, and was released on March 30, 1949. Life photographers were permitted to take photos of him mopping up in his prison uniform. He later told reporters that jail was "like Palm Springs, but without the riff-raff." Mitchum's conviction was later overturned by the Los Angeles court and district attorney's office on January 31, 1951, after being exposed as a setup.
On September 1, 1948, during the rise of his career, Mitchum was arrested for possession of marijuana with actress Lila Leeds. While RKO could have cited the morals clause and canceled his contract, the studio chose to stand by him. He served for 50 days, split between the Los Angeles County Jail and a Castaic, California, prison farm, and was released on March 30, 1949. Life photographers were permitted to take photos of him mopping up in his prison uniform. He later told reporters that jail was "like Palm Springs, but without the riff-raff." Mitchum's conviction was later overturned by the Los Angeles court and district attorney's office on January 31, 1951, after being exposed as a setup.