Kirk Douglas (1916-2020)

[mfunk9786]

Kirk Douglas, at 103 years old

[knives]

Given his last few public comments this might have been more a blessing for him than anything else.

[domino harvey]

Kirk Douglas, at 103 years old

Had to happen sometime, but still very sad. One of the last original legends of the era, and one who like De Havilland or Norman Lloyd had remained lucid well after he passed 100

[MongooseCmr]

Kirk Douglas, at 103 years old

I finally saw Ace in the Hole last week after it sat on my DVR for over a year, so per tradition I’ll take credit for keeping him alive this long.

[hearthesilence]

His brief acceptance speech for his honorary Oscar, the only one he ever won. I believe this was his first public appearance after his stroke, and it's probably one of the most genuinely moving moments in their history.

[domino harvey]

For a couple years, Douglas and Burt Lancaster performed a funny number at the Oscars when they weren't up for anything, "It's Great Not to Be Nominated"-- Here they are at the 1958 and 1959 ceremonies

[Finch]

Found Douglas's personality off-putting but he was great in Ace in the Hole, Out of The Past and Paths of Glory (I haven't seen The Bad and The Beautiful yet). RIP Whit.

[ochsfan]

Loved his performances in Out of the Past and Ace in the Hole. Man, he could really play a sleazeball!!

[Jack Kubrick]

Natalie Wood is trending on Twitter due to rumors of Kirk Douglas possibly raping her.

[domino harvey]

So you decided to bring it here?

[ochsfan]

Natalie Woods is trending on Twitter due to rumors of Kirk Douglas possibly raping her.

It would be nice if whoever's spreading such rumors could at least spell the actress's name correctly.....

[Jack Kubrick]

So you decided to bring it here?

Nah, just something I noticed in another film discussion board when his death was brought up. People have the urge to start shit by pissing over a legendary star personal life.

[therewillbeblus]

He was one of the greats, the last Movie Stars, and had a ferocious energy with surprising versatility.

Paths and Glory and Detective Story will likely be the two to place on my 50s list (maybe Ace in the Hole) but I encourage everyone who hasn’t seen it to check out Strangers When We Meet immediately as one of his and Quine’s best.

[domino harvey]

Detective Story and the Bad and the Beautiful are the quintessential Kirk Douglas movies for me, but he had a good run in his prime and there are lots of high points to choose from. 1951 was an exceptionally strong lineup in Best Actor but for a movie the Academy clearly loved, it's still a shock that he didn't make the cut for Detective Story

[therewillbeblus]

He also didn’t list it amongst his own proudest perfs, which seemed the most glaring omission of the many

[barryconvex]

Kubrick may have disowned it but Spartacus still deserves a lot of recognition as far as I'm concerned. Not just anybody can carry a three hour epic but Douglas owns it, looking like a bronzed Apollo in every shot. For some reason I still vividly recall my first Douglas movie from the early 80s, a now forgotten vehicle for John Schneider of The Dukes Of Hazard called Eddie Macon's Run. Douglas played the cop who chases Schneider seemingly across the entire state of Texas only to inexplicably let him go once he finally catches up to him. I can't really feel sad about a man who accomplished as much and lived as long as Douglas did: he came, he saw and he conquered. He was a king who got the most out of his potential.

[therewillbeblus]

I don't like Spartacus, but I agree that the perfect casting of Douglas is the key ingredient that makes it work at all

[swo17]

One of my favorite Simpsons moments

[domino harvey]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: he ties with Meryl Streep as the best guest voice in the show’s history

[Randall Maysin]

Um, one of my favorite Kirk Douglas moments, is the scene in De Palma's The Fury in the back of the bus--where he mourns with Amy Irving over the just-deceased Carrie Snodgress. It's one of the more heartfelt moments in De Palma's films, as well as, incredibly enough, one of the more well-written (really) (for what that's worth) (if I remember correctly). He is also hilarious in that movie. RIP

[colinr0380]

Also that moment just after that where he is trying to abandon Amy Irving on the bus whilst she is running after him, though that is more her big emotional moment of the film. And also that moment at the end of The Fury where after the years of searching he eventually follows his son from the roof. The Fury is over the top in its wacky telekinetic antics but the emotions underpinning it are taken deadly seriously for all that, which is why I would call it more operatic than overblown as a film. Though there is probably a fine line there!

Of course if anyone wants to hear Kirk Douglas speaking in depth pre-stroke, he is on Criterion's commentary track for Spartacus. I absolutely love Spartacus and it seems that a lot of the news media are noting that the hiring of Dalton Trumbo to write the film under his own name helped to defy the Hollywood blacklist.

[onedimension]

So you decided to bring it here?

Nah, just something I noticed in another film discussion board when his death was brought up. People have the urge to start shit by pissing over a legendary star personal life.

“personal life” is a stretch.. we just went through the same thing with Kobe Bryant.. Douglas was a movie star, a talented person, a political hero in fighting the blacklist.. whether he’s guilty of such a vicious evil thing is likely to stay an uncomfortable or painful mystery

[onedimension]

And, you know.. what does it matter what you say about people

[aox]

Detective Story and the Bad and the Beautiful are the quintessential Kirk Douglas movies for me

The Bad and the Beautiful is streaming on the Criterion Channel. I haven't seen it, but will give it a spin this week. Thanks

[domino harvey]

So you decided to bring it here?

Nah, just something I noticed in another film discussion board when his death was brought up. People have the urge to start shit by pissing over a legendary star personal life.

“personal life” is a stretch.. we just went through the same thing with Kobe Bryant.. Douglas was a movie star, a talented person, a political hero in fighting the blacklist.. whether he’s guilty of such a vicious evil thing is likely to stay an uncomfortable or painful mystery

Not at all. The internet is pouncing on this as evidence: a blind item from a gossip site, and Wood’s sister recounting overhearing her parents saying an unnamed actor raped her (which is thus only third-hand from the alleged victim even if Wood reveals it was Douglas). On the strength of this, people feel comfortable besmirching the career of one of our greatest legends. It’s obscene