Saloon Man

A German Immigrant Battles the Limits of Liberty, 1870 to 1915

Kirkus Reviews proclaimed Robert Mugge’s Notes from the Road: A Filmmaker’s Journey through American Music one of the “Best Indie Books of 2023.” Reviewing it on NPR’s Fresh Air, critic Ken Tucker declared it, “The best thing I’ve read about what it’s like to direct films since Sidney Lumet’s 1996 classic, Making Movies.”

Robert Mugge’s second book—Saloon Man: A German Immigrant Battles the Limits of Liberty, 1870 to 1915—focuses on his great-grandfather, the “original” Robert Mugge who came to America at the age of seventeen; made his way to Tampa, Florida while it was still a settlement; and became a hugely successful businessman. Because his core businesses were alcohol-related at a time of oncoming temperance—and because he hired, partnered with, and supported African Americans during Jim Crow segregation—the “saloon magnate of Tampa” was also controversial.

As author Michael Tisserand writes in his foreword, “A hallmark of any Mugge film is that it is both a documentary and a celebration of lives that are lived with staggering amounts of creativity. It is in this tradition that Saloon Man might be best understood.” Or as Mugge writes of his ancestor, “He created businesses the way others compose music, paint pictures, or write books: as an extension of his inner self.”

Noting that, in the book, “we see Mugge encounter and try to persevere over the forces of history,” Tisserand asks, “What are the instances in which our personal histories meet world history? How do larger movements and events shape us, and when do we have the opportunities to shape them? These are questions that filmmaker and author Robert Mugge invites us to consider as we read his majestic accounting of the life of immigrant, entrepreneur and saloon-keeper Robert Mugge.” Tisserand concludes, “Few of us will be granted a chronicler who will bring such rigor and compassion to our lives—but all of us can benefit that this German-born saloon man and city builder ended up with a great-grandson who was born to tell the tale.”

Reviews of Saloon Man

An intriguing, challenging read, packed with historical and familial minutia. —KIRKUS REVIEWS

In Saloon Man, Robert Mugge does a deep dive into the life of his namesake and emerges with a detailed rendering of a man, a city and a country. The man is Mugge’s great-grandfather, an immigrant from Germany who arrived in the U.S. in 1870 with nothing and, through hard work and an almost superhuman resiliency, went on to build a business, a family and a fortune. His is a rags-to-riches story, but it is so much more. —DAVID APPLEBY is a Peabody, duPont-Columbia, and Erik Barnouw Award-winning historical filmmaker & professor.

Anyone is lucky to become a grandparent, and even more so to be a great-grandparent. But imagine having a great-grandchild who not only bears your name, but also devotes their time and gifts to writing a book about you. That is a loving memorial of the highest order . . . Read Saloon Man for a fascinating glimpse of a time and a life on which modern Tampa stands.

—ALAN BLISS, Ph.D is CEO of the Jacksonville History Center.

In Saloon Man, acclaimed filmmaker Robert Mugge turns a documentarian’s lens onto his own family, bringing the same attentive detail and storytelling acumen to this compelling and carefully researched biography that he has to countless musical luminaries. A fascinating and ever-enjoyable portrait of the American entrepreneurial spirit, Saloon Man is a rollick of a read that reminds us how the immigrant experience has long shaped our country and national identity.

—WILLIAM LEE ELLIS is a singer-songwriter, journalist, historian