Several family members and friends gave speeches at the memorial at Higgins Chapel, before Mitchell was laid to rest next to his brother and business partner Artie, whom he shot to death in 1991 after a complicated dispute involving Artie’s drug use.
In the midst of the Sexual Revolution, he and his brother gained notoriety after opening the O’Farrell Theatre in 1969; patrons went there to see performances by nude and semi-nude dancers. Then, in 1972, the brothers produced the adult cult classic “Behind the Green Door” starring Marilyn Chambers. The movie became an overnight sensation once it was discovered that Chambers had once modeled for the cover of the Ivory Soap Box with its motto, “99 and 44/100 percent pure.”
Bay Area personalities that attended the service included former Mayor Willie Brown, attorney Terence Hallinan, former San Francisco Chronicle columnist Warren Hinckle, Mitchell’s trial attorney Michael Kennedy and political operative Jack Davis.
“We all owe personal liberties and rights to the brothers that they fought for on our behalf," Davis said. “To be best friends with Artie and to be best friends with Jimmy was an extraordinary thing.”
Several of Mitchell’s current and former employees at the O’Farrell Theatre also took part in the service.
“It was the best time of my life. They had to kick me out of there," Judy Foster said, of the O’Farrell Theatre, where she was a dancer for 11 years under the stage name Katrina. "It's so great growing up being a slutty girl and having a place to go and be accepted."
“He was the best boss ever,” dancer Kimberly Rio said. “He created a safe, classy environment and enabled many of the girls to do other things, like go to school and get degrees.”
