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Kirk Douglas
The American Film Institute (AFI) honored Kirk Douglas with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991. Strange as it may sound comedian Dana Carvey gave one of the tribute speeches. Carvey co-starred in Tough Guys, which paired Douglas with his friend and fellow screen legend Burt Lancaster. In his speech, Carvey described a scene where he and Douglas were both standing on a moving train’s adjacent cars. Douglas unhooked the cars so Carvey’s stopped while his moved on. Douglas was moving away, standing tall in a 1940’s suit with the mountains in the background. Taking in this sight, Carvey thought “My god, that is a movie star.” I thought the same thing when I read that Douglas had passed away. While it’s hard to call a 103-year-old man’s death surprising, it was for me in a way. Douglas and Olivia de Havilland were the last surviving stars from Hollywood’s classic studio age. He seemed invincible. The same year Douglas received the AFI award he lived through a helicopter crash. In 1996, Douglas suffered a severe stroke that impaired his speech. He not only survived but continued to appear publicly, and even made two more movies. If anyone could beat death through sheer stubbornness and determination it was Douglas. Both onscreen and off Douglas had a steely resolve to do what was needed no matter the odds. Early in his career, he excelled at playing what we would later call antiheroes. Whether it was a scrappy boxer in Champion, an ambitious, amoral reporter in the underrated Ace in the Hole, or a ruthless movie producer in The Bad and the Beautiful, Douglas’s characters would not let anything stand in their way. His eyes would narrow, that famous jaw would clench, and he would push through. In 1956, Douglas went against type by starring as Vincent Van Gogh in Lust for Life. Reportedly John Wayne warned Douglas that he would be risking his tough guy image by portraying the sensitive, tormented painter. Douglas didn’t care and was mesmerizing, garnering his third and unfortunately last Oscar nomination. Douglas continued to take chances, electing to work with a young little known director named Stanley Kubrick in Paths of Glory. Douglas serves as the film’s conscience, with his Colonel Dax trying but ultimately failing to save three soldiers unfairly blamed for a lost battle. For most of the film, Dax has to hold his emotions in. Finally towards the end he can take no more and explodes with a tirade against his commanding officer. Douglas throws his whole body into this scene, carrying it off with such relish that it’s an emotional release for the audience as well. As with Ace in the Hole, Paths of Glory did not fare well at the box office, but gradually became recognized as a masterpiece. Kubrick and Douglas later collaborated again on Spartacus, which gave the star his iconic signature role as the leader of a slave rebellion against Rome. Douglas, who was also serving as the film’s executive producer, fired the original director and brought in Kubrick. The same fire Douglas brought to his antiheroes he this time turned into a spark to ignite others to fight for their humanity. How ironic that in Douglas’s most famous scene he doesn’t say a word. The “I am Spartacus” moment only works because prior to that Douglas was so convincing as an inspirational hero. The mutual respect and admiration between Spartacus and his men, which Douglas shows just through his face, speak volumes. Thanks to Douglas, Spartacus was a force for freedom and fairness before it even hit the screen. Douglas had hired blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo to write the screenplay. Trumbo had written many scripts under aliases and was originally going to do so again. Instead, Douglas arranged for Trumbo to get his proper due. Many people had a part in breaking the blacklist, including Otto Preminger who credited Trumbo for his work on Exodus. But there is no doubt that Douglas played a key role, and was willing to put his livelihood on the line to do what was right. In his later career, Douglas continued to be drawn to men fighting for their place despite so much against them. He claimed his favorite role was as a modern cowboy struggling against obsolescence in Lonely Are the Brave. On Broadway he played Randle McMurphy in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” He tried without success to have the play made into a film. After several years Douglas’s son Michael finally got the green light. Douglas still wanted to play McMurphy, but his son told him that he was now too old for the part. Objectively Michael Douglas was right. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest succeeded both critically and commercially, while winning five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Jack Nicholson as McMurphy. Still, as riveting as Nicholson was, there’s part of me that still wishes I could see a Kirk Douglas version. Too old or not, he would have done wonders with that role. It seemed to fit his essence so perfectly. A few years ago Burt Lancaster’s daughter Joanna appeared at the AFI Silver Theater. I asked her about reports that her father and Kirk Douglas were good friends, but would bicker endlessly. She confirmed those reports. After all these were two accomplished bull-headed men who had done things their way. They could still have fun together, not only through their movies but during their TV appearances, including the hilarious “It’s Great Not to be Nominated” bit at the Oscars. Unlike his friend, Douglas never won a competitive Oscar. Finally in 1996 the Academy gave him a Lifetime Achievement Oscar. This was only a short time after Douglas’s stroke, and most people expected him to just say “thank you.” But they should have known better. Stroke be damned, Douglas gave an acceptance speech honoring his family, who were sitting in the audience with tears in their eyes. A few years earlier, Douglas was interviewed by Bob Costas. As they covered his career, Douglas recounted that he was offered the role of the colonel in First Blood. Douglas told the producers that the colonel should kill John Rambo at the end. After all, the colonel had created the fighting machine so he should destroy it. The producers disagreed, and the role eventually went to Richard Crenna. Unsurprisingly, Douglas still claimed his interpretation was better. “It would have been right,” Douglas said. Then, with a laugh he added, “It may not have made a dime, but it would have been right.” Kirk Douglas, there goes a movie star. Adam Spector March 1, 2020 Contact us: |
