Mitchell Brothers

About Mitchell Brothers

The Mitchell brothers (James "Jim" Lloyd Mitchell, November 30, 1943–July 12, 2007 and Artie Jay Mitchell, December 17, 1945–February 27, 1991) were pioneers in the pornography and striptease club business in San Francisco and other parts of California from 1969 until 1991, when Jim was convicted of killing Artie.

They opened the O'Farrell Theatre in 1969 as an adult cinema and at one time operated 11 such businesses; in addition, they produced and directed many adult films, including Behind the Green Door in 1972. They were also successful as the defendants in many obscenity cases. The Mitchells' notoriety significantly increased with Jim's fratricide; they became the subject of three books, X-Rated by David McCumber, Bottom Feeders by John Hubner, 9 1/2 Years Behind the Mitchell Brothers' Green Door by Simone Corday and one movie, Rated X.

The Mitchells' father, Robert (known to all as Bob), an "Okie," was a professional gambler. He and his wife, Georgia Mae, settled in Antioch, near San Francisco, and provided a relatively stable childhood for Jim and Artie; according to their biographers, the boys were popular and their boyhood friends would become important members of the Mitchells' porn empire.