A tribute to KIRK DOUGLAS (1916 – 2020)

In a departure from what I normally blog about, this blog is a tribute to one of my favourite actors, KIRK DOUGLAS.

Some of this information is taken from Kirk’s own autobiography, ‘The Ragman’s Son’ which I would recommend as being both thoughtful and entertaining. What follows is not an exhaustive, comprehensive dissection of Douglas’s long career but a brief summary, alighting on aspects that most interest me. So apologies if your favourite Douglas film doesn’t feature!

Kirk Douglas was born ISSUR DANIELOVITCH on December 9 1916 in Amsterdam in upstate New York, the son of Russian immigrants. He once said, ‘My kids never had the advantage I had. I was born poor.’ A hatred of the grinding poverty he was born into instilled in him a ferocious drive to escape it. He began his acting career by winning a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and then finding work as a stage actor, changing his name to Kirk Douglas in the process. War service intervened – he was an ensign in the U. S. Navy - and then he returned to stage acting. A drama school friend, LAUREN BACALL, suggested him for a Hollywood movie ‘The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.’ Douglas arrived in Hollywood in 1945 and got the part.

Douglas’s early film roles showed Hollywood didn’t quite know what to do with him, as he was cast as weaklings or slimy friends of the hero, as in ‘I Walk Alone’ (1947) siding BURT LANCASTER for the first time, (below)

or the ‘Film Noir’ classic ‘Out of the Past’ (aka ‘Build My Gallows High’) alongside ROBERT MITCHUM.

In what would be a move characteristic of his career he turned down a better paid job in another film to star in what was deemed to be an uncommercial prospect, ‘Champion,’ being produced by a team of relative unknowns. 

Film historian Ray Didinger commented: ‘He saw ‘Champion’ as a greater risk, but also a greater opportunity… Douglas took the part and absolutely nailed it.’ Douglas described the character he played, Midge Kelly, as ‘one of the first anti-heroes.’ An aspiring boxer, in his obsessive desire to succeed Kelly discards or tramples on former friends and lovers, ruthlessly fighting (literally) his way to the top. Douglas showed he was unafraid of portraying a character who is often unlikable, although tremendously charismatic. It was a performance of great force and energy, and influenced many actors and movies that followed, including ‘Raging Bull’ starring ROBERT DE NIRO.

‘Champion’ (1949) proved to be surprise critical and commercial hit, establishing Douglas as a star. His rags-to-riches journey was complete.

Throughout the 50s and 60s Douglas continued to be a major box office draw. In 1951 he made his first western, ‘Along the Great Divide’ – more on those later.

Of his notable, non-western roles:

In the early 50s he scored with a trio of roles where he again played the ‘anti-hero’:

In 1951’s bitter, caustic ‘Ace in the Hole,’ (below) directed by BILLY WILDER, Douglas gives an unflinching portrait of an unscrupulous newspaperman who seeks to profit from a tragic situation. One onlooker says of his character: ‘I’ve met some hard boiled eggs, but you – you’re twenty minutes!’

In ‘The Bad and the Beautiful’ (1952) he’s a film producer who’ll go to any lengths to succeed.

In ‘Detective Story’ (1952) he plays a police detective gradually becoming more and more unhinged in the course of the movie.

By 1956 Douglas was regarded as a prime example of the virile, ‘alpha-male’ leading man. Thus it was very brave of him to cast himself against type as VINCENT VAN GOGH in ‘Lust for Life.’ Douglas’s sensitive, intense performance as the tormented artist won him an Oscar nomination, as had his performance in ‘Champion.’ In both cases, IMHO, he should have won!

He was definitely back in ‘alpha-male’ mode for the roistering epic ‘The Vikings’ (1958.) Douglas was very comfortable as a Viking warrior in one of the few Hollywood epics to portrait the pre-industrial world realistically, e.g.  not disguising its brutality. He even holds his own playing scenes with ERNEST BORGNINE, who, in a tremendously enjoyable performance, pretty much steals the movie.

Incidentally, Borgnine, who played Douglas’s father, was actually two years younger than him!

By this time Douglas had emphasised his independent streak by setting up his own production company – named Bryna after his mother, so she could see her name up in lights. As he had with ‘Champion’ he decided to star in an uncommercial project to be directed by a young, relatively unknown film-maker, STANLEY KUBRICK. The project was ‘Paths of Glory’ (1957) a bleak and harrowing account of military folly in World War One, widely regarded as one of the greatest anti-war films ever made. The film has two particularly striking sequences – the one-tracking-shot battle scene; and the touching ending where a captured German girl sings to amuse her gloating enemies and, by her simple humanity, wins them over. In this film Douglas gives an uncharacteristically – but appropriately – subdued performance.

Douglas had a sometimes difficult relationship with Kubrick, (who he described as ‘brilliant but cold.’) However he used him again to direct what might be Douglas’s most famous movie, the outstanding epic ‘Spartacus’ (1960.) Douglas once described the characters he played as men – whether they be good men or bad men – who ‘wouldn’t bend.’ That’s certainly true of Spartacus, a slave and gladiator who leads a revolt of slaves and gladiators against the might of the Roman Empire.

Perhaps Douglas’s last top-notch film was the gripping 1964 political thriller ‘Seven Days in May.’

From the late 60s onwards his career seemed to lose direction, and his choice of roles was often unsatisfactory. Perhaps he should have followed the example of his friend and frequent collaborator Burt Lancaster, who moved away from leading men roles in his later years and became a distinguished character actor.

In 1991 Douglas finally gained the Oscar he should have picked up 40 years earlier, a Lifetimes Achievement Award.

Kirk Douglas passed on February 5^th 2020 at the grand old age of 103.

Not much time to mention his many other accomplishments, as philanthropist, activist, or novelist, or how he helped bring black-listed artists like DALTON TRUMBO back into the fold. Let’s just say it was a long life well lived!

Back to his westerns…

Douglas doesn’t seem quite comfortable in his first excursion into the genre, ‘Along the Great Divide’ in 1951, perhaps partly because he didn’t get on with the director, RAOUL WALSH. By the time he made ‘Man without a Star’ in 1955 however, he seems completely at home out west. The film may be routine, although enjoyable, but his dynamic performance, leavened with plenty of self-deprecating humour, elevates it.

In ‘Gunfight at the Ok Corral’ (1957) he was once again paired with Burt Lancaster. Douglas clearly has fun as tormented ‘anti-hero’ Doc Holliday and gives a superb performance. Lancaster has the harder task of making a ‘straight bat’ hero, Wyatt Earp, interesting.

In ‘The Last Sunset’ (1961) ROCK HUDSON gets top billing, but in reality Douglas has much more screen time, plays a much more interesting character (nearly tempted into incest) and dominates the movie. He often had strong chemistry with his leading ladies and here he works very well with DOROTHY MALONE.

1967’s ‘The War Wagon’ has Douglas pairing up with JOHN WAYNE in a light-hearted caper that owes as much to the then-current craze of ‘Spaghetti Westerns’ as to the traditional westerns Wayne was most famous for. Again the script may be unremarkable, but the playing of the leads – and the chemistry between them – elevates the film.

In an interview Douglas told a story about working with Wayne. He mentioned that in the movie they’d come up with the idea of Douglas always vaulting onto his horse when he mounted up. They achieved this effect by having Douglas spring on board his horse via a trampoline, (which gives you an idea of the seriousness of the movie.) When a journalist asked Wayne if Douglas would soon rival him as a western icon, Wayne snorted derisively and replied, 'He can’t even get on a horse without using a trampoline!' Of Wayne Douglas said, 'He was a character, but I liked him.'

Douglas turned his hand to directing late in his career and did a good job, IMHO, with his 1975 western ‘Posse.’ He showed his generosity in employing JAMES STACY, former star of the TV Western series ‘Lancer.’ Stacy had found getting work difficult after being cruelly disabled in a road accident. In 'Posse' Douglas helped create an unusual and intelligent western.

With JAMES STACY in 'Posse'

My favourite Douglas film was also his favourite. It fully merits the description ‘modern western.’ ‘Lonely are the Brave’ (1962) tells of the last of the cowboys, a drifter who wants to live as an individual, free of restraint – be they laws or fences – as he might have in the Nineteenth Century. But he soon falls foul of the law and he and his horse Whisky are pursued across stunningly photographed New Mexico landscapes by jeeps and helicopters, hemmed in by fences and freeways, under a sky barred with aeroplane trails.

‘Lonely are the Brave’ features an early score by the great JERRY GOLDSMITH that is one of the finest he ever composed. The supporting cast are first rate, from WALTER MATTHAU as the sheriff reluctantly leading the pursuit to WILLIAM SCHALLERT as his deputy and comic foil.

Again Douglas shows strong chemistry with his leading lady, GENA ROWLANDS, superb in the role. Their few scenes together are particularly rewarding. And Douglas gives a performance of quiet, tragic intensity. A beautiful film!