240 thoughts on “Kirk Douglas Movies”

1. HOW BRAVE KIRK DOUGLAS HELPED BREAK THE HOLYWOOD BLACKLIST SYSTEM
   KIRK DOUGLAS, award-winning film maker and Hollywood star of over 85 films, died earlier this week aged 103. By the time he started his meteoric silver-screen career, Hollywood had become the most blatant example of the crude cold war anti-communist crusade dubbed McCarthyism.

   One renowned screenwriter who was blacklisted and jailed in the Communist witch-hunt of the ‘40s and ‘50s was Dalton Trumbo. Trumbo was forced to write under a pseudonym for many years. Two of his scripts, Roman Holiday and The Brave One, won Oscars. It wasn’t until decades later that Trumbo’s real name was put on them.

   When Kirk Douglas produced and starred in the Oscar-winning 1960 epic Spartacus he bravely asked Trumbo to write the script. He publicly announced that Trumbo would be the writer and his name would be on the screen credits.

   Of course it wasn’t Kirk Douglas who broke the blacklist alone, it was combined campaigning by many people. In a letter to the Los Angeles Times in 2002 Trumbo’s widow Cleo said: “no single person can be credited with breaking the blacklist. Most of the credit for breaking the ban” she said “must go to the blacklisted writers themselves.”

   However I’m going to leave the last words to Kirk Douglas himself. Five years ago aged 98 he spelt it out.
   “I had friends who went into exile when no-one would hire them; actors who committed suicide in despair. My young co-star in Detective Story (1951), Lee Grant, was unable to work for 12 years after she refused to testify against her husband before the House Un-American Activities Committee.

   I was threatened that using a blacklisted writer for Spartacus –– my friend Dalton Trumbo — would mark me as a ‘commie-lover’ and end my career. There are times when one has to stand up for principle. I am so proud of my fellow actors who use their public influence to speak out against injustice.

   At 98 years old, I have learned one lesson from history: it very often repeats itself. The blacklist was a terrible time in our country, but we must learn from it so that it will never happen again. I have been working in Hollywood over 60 years and I’ve made over 85 pictures, but the thing I’m most proud of is my part in breaking the blacklist.”

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2. Rest in peace Kirk. You will be missed. I loved seeing him at the Golden Globes a few years ago. Another bridge to a time long passed is closed. So many favorite movies that starred Kirk. In some ways this is not horrible news. From what I had read his last few months were not the way he wanted to live. 103 is a number not many of us will reach. Good career and good life!

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   1. Hey Tamrah. Good comment on Mr. Kirk Douglas. I like the part of your comment about another bridge coming. It is so true and so sad. I agree 103 is indeed a number not many of us will reach. Rest in Peace.

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3. His movie career was stellar, but some of the rumors of his personal life are disturbing. Those rumors can not be proven, but if there is smoke there was fire. Today is a day to celebrate his movies but any misdeeds should also be remembered.

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   1. Hey #Me Too. I was reading this article this morning.

      “Kirk Douglas, who died Wednesday at 103, was an American of great courage and decency, which he showed at a time in our history when those virtues were sorely tested. As we remember Douglas for his majestic acting career, let’s also recall how he used his star power and influence in the late 1950s to help break the Hollywood blacklist that ruined many lives and kept many talented professionals from openly doing their jobs.”

      So let’s stick with some facts, and not rumors.

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      1. HEAR! HEAR!

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         1. I second your motion Bob.

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      2. Good comment Janet….and good article…I enjoyed reading that one. I agree with you 100%…lets stick with facts and not rumors. Rest in Peace Kirk Douglas.

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   2. Hey #MeToo. I am a supporter of the Me Too movement, but dragging out rumors is not the way to fix this problem. There are enough actual documented incidents, that dragging somebody who is deceased someone through the mud over rumors is not needed and more than a little offensive.

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      1. Good point Preston, and thanks for sharing those thoughts. I like talking about movies, I do not have interest in promoting tabloid like stories. Good stuff. RIP Kirk Douglas

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   3. Hey #MeToo. The MeToo is an important movement for sure. At UMR we only look at the film careers of people. We generally keep politics out of the discussion. And we generally do not mention personal lives (other marriages and place of birth). Is this an ostrich head in the sand approach?…probably. But this is a movie ranking website. There are plenty of places to visit, that will discuss rumors and bad behavior. UMR will never be one of those sites. That being said, I liked you visiting our website, I hope you visit again and I appreciate your feedback.

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4. As Bruce would say Kirk “had it all”. When he first came on the scene critics artistically praised his “strong meaty performances”, whilst he was popular at the box office because of the simple, down-to-earth entertainment that he provided as well, especially in his heyday in the 1950s and early sixties from my own perspective.

   A great screen partner and friend of Burt Lancaster, Kirk was clearly well-liked by others across the board in the film community, socializing with and having as his house guests at times the likes of The Duke, perceived as on the ‘right’ of American politics and Brando regarded as what passes for a ‘leftie’ in America.

   Indeed Michael Douglas once said that it had helped him professionally as a youth to be brought up in an environment in which many of the Hollywood Greats of the day frequented his father’s house and Mike was able to observe them first hand and that helped him learn how to be a movie star. If what he says if valid they seem to have been good teachers!

   Kirk was also admired for his courage in standing up to the ‘McCarthy’ type people in Hollywood and bringing-in from the wilderness the talented but blacklisted Dalton Drumbo to write the screenplay for Spartacus. In this Kirk was publicly lauded and supported by JFK, whom some historians have designated “the greatest American ever.” I am sure The Donald would have something to say about that!; but certainly The Kennedys as a dynasty are listed by TIME Magazine as being among the 100 Greatest People of the 20th Century. See Part 2.

   The sentiments expressed in the Anonymous poem in the post of 28th December below at 4.05 pm were CHRONOLOGICALLY valid for just the 6 weeks before Kirk’s sad death. Of the 50 Greatest Legends ranked in AFI’s renowned lists Kirk was the last male standing; and now he has gone only Sophia Loren on the female side remains among the 50. “Out brief candle, out!” [William Shakespeare].

   Kirk was an individualist in multiple respects and can be genuinely called The Real Deal among celebrities and other notorieties about whom it is often hyperbolically said “We shall never see his like again.”

   Rest in peace, Giant.

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   1. In the 5th paragraph of my previous Kirk Douglas post 2 weeks should read “almost 6 weeks” – apologies. I just missed by seconds the time left on the useful correction button!

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      1. That error has been fixed Bob.

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         1. Thanks Bruce

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   2. TIME MAGAZINE: 100 GREATEST PEOPLE of 20th Century

      The list is split up into 10 sections, each containing entries in alphabetical order. Here are two which might particularly interest movie buffs – and supporters of the US Democratic Party!

      ARTISTS & ENTERTAINERS
      Louis Armstrong, jazz musician
      Lucille Ball, TV star
      The Beatles, rock musicians
      Marlon Brando, actor
      Coco Chanel, designer
      Charlie Chaplin, comic genius
      Le Corbusier, architect
      Bob Dylan, folk musician
      Frank Sinatra, singer

      HEROES & ICONS
      Muhammad Ali, heavyweight boxing champion
      The American G.I., a soldier for freedom
      Diana, Princess of Wales
      Anne Frank, diarist and Holocaust victim
      Billy Graham, evangelist
      Che Guevara, guerrilla leader
      Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay, conquerors of Mount Everest
      Helen Keller, champion of the disabled
      The Kennedys, dynasty
      Bruce Lee, actor and martial-arts star
      Charles Lindbergh, transatlantic aviator
      Harvey Milk, gay-rights leader
      Marilyn Monroe, actress
      Emmeline Pankhurst, suffragist
      Rosa Parks, civil rights torchbearer
      Pele, soccer star
      Jackie Robinson, baseball player
      Andrei Sakharov, Soviet dissident
      Mother Teresa, missionary nun
      Bill Wilson, founder of Alcoholics Anonymous

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      1. Thanks for sharing the Time Magazine list…..good list for sure….and one that covers lots of territory. Good stuff.

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   3. Hey Bob….thanks for a wonderful comment on Kirk Douglas. I did not realize Sophia Loren was the last AFI still standing…I guess the last time I thought about that list there were still a few alive. Good quote from Billy Shakespeake. I like your descriptions of him…The Real Deal…He Had It All. Good thoughts. Rest in Peace Kirk Douglas.

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      1. HI BRUCE Thanks for your feedback, and I like the positive response from you to the tributes from other viewers; Kirk deserves no less. As you liked my quote by the Great “Billy” here’s the another famous, albeit morbid, one.

         ‘The evil that men do lives after them;The good is oft interred with their bones.’

         I have always thought that what “Shakey” meant by this quote was that many people will lie silent like snakes in the grass until a person is dead and then make a big fuss about his/her perceived failings, often to make money by being controversial.

         I take the opposite view: criticise someone when they are alive and can defend themselves and, unless the person is a Monster like Hitler, try to say something positive when they die as we all have our failings.

         I of course wasn’t aware of Hisch when HE was alive; but I suppose it can be said in his favour that his ‘demonisation’ of Brando occurred when Marlon too was at least still about. I feel that a lot of the criticism of Brando though was political: he protested against the treatment of the Indian Community in certain sections of the American society of his day and the depiction of the native Americans as mindless Barbarians in the John Ford/John Wayne movies. Brando therefore had to be punished: Hollywood was the home from home for “Real Americans” after all.

         Similarily, if you look at an obiturary that I have copied to Part 2 of this post, you will understand why I would be guarded against accepting at face value controversial statements about Kirk who had strong religious and political views.

         Roger Ailes, the disgraced former Head of Fox News who is the subject of the Russell Crowe mini TV series The Loudest Voice and is played by John Lithgow in the Oscar nominations-connected Bombshell on the big screen, was so outlandish and sweeping in some of his statements and attitudes about and towards people or countries he disliked that he shocked even Rupert Murdoch, who has hardly the reputation for being a”bleeding-heart Liberal”.

         For example, shortly after the tragedy of 9/11 apparently Rupert introduced Ailes to a dark-skinned foriegn visitor who was a guest of Murdoch and the latter nearly fell through the floor when when Roger derisorily said to the visitor “I hope you haven’t knocked down any buildings on your way in.”

         Ailes also claimed that Obama’s people had put out a hit man assassination contract on him, Roger, personally; and when Obama got to the White House time others among Barack’s political enimies wew alleging that he and his wife practiced vodoo in the White House.

         Accordingly I am cautious about statements like “He did terrible things but it can’t be proven”; and I prefer instead the quote from arguably Kirk’s best mate, Burt, at the opening of 1952’s The Crimosn Pirate “Believe nothing of what you HEAR and only half of what you SEE!” I support your policy of staying away from politics but where accusations ARE made they should not be ignored.

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         1. ONE OF MANY OBITUARIES FOR KIRK IN PAPERS IN UNITED KINGDOM – 6 FEB 2020
            “Screen icon, Kirk Douglas, died yesterday at age 103. Born Issur Danielovitch to a Russian Jewish immigrant family, he built an incredible 87-film-long career and is beloved worldwide for his performances in films like Spartacus, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Paths of Glory and Lust for Life. He received an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

            While also enjoying a prolific career as an author, he is well-regarded for his outspoken connection to Judaism and Torah learning. Douglas’s Jewish journey began with an observant upbringing, which he moved away from as he got older, and then made a return to, later in life.

            Douglas attended cheder as a child and his parents dreamed that he would become a rabbi. Douglas later said “I was pretty good in cheder, so the Jews of our community thought they would do a wonderful thing and collect enough money to send me to a yeshiva to become a rabbi…[but] you don’t have to be a rabbi to be a Jew.” He also noted in “Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter and a Lifetime in Hollywood,” “I grew up praying in the morning and laying tefillin, but I gave up much of the formal aspect of religion.”

            That all changed 1991 when a helicopter crash made him focus on Judaism. In his book Climbing the Mountain, Douglas recalled his search for his identity, wondering why he had been spared while others had perished in the crash. “I came to believe that I was spared because I had never come to grips with what it means to be Jewish,” he said.

            Part of how he answered that call was by engaging in daily Torah study with a variety of rabbis at different Los Angeles synagogues, including Aish HaTorah. He also celebrated a second bar mitzvah at age 83. “Today, I am a man,” he is quoted as telling the glitzy Hollywood crowd in attendance.

            Douglas also valued tzedaka. He is well-known for having given over $100 million to charity during his lifetime, including to Torah organizations. He dedicated the Kirk Douglas Theater at the Aish World Center across from the Kotel. The theater shows films solely on the history of Judaism and Jerusalem. When his son, actor Michael Douglas, won the Genesis Prize, an award given to individuals who make a great impact on Jews and the Jewish world, and dedicated the award in honor of his father, who inspired him accordingly.

            Once Douglas became a regular student of Torah, he wanted to share the knowledge with others. His Jewish books include Young Heroes of the Bible, a take on stories from Tanach made for children. He felt that the lessons of Judaism would be of great impact on young readers. “All religion should try to make you a better person and a more caring person. Whenever religion does that for you, it’s a good religion…I’m proud to be a Jew.”
            In 2000, in a story not too different from his own Douglas made a guest appearance on “Touched By An Angel” and played an elderly man, Ross Burger, who no longer believed in God. When Ross found out that his devout son was dying from a brain tumor, he had to find his own faith again.

            Having grown up with a strong connection to Judaism, Douglas always fasted on Yom Kippur. “I always fasted on Yom Kippur,” he once said famously. “I still worked on the movie set, but I fasted.” Douglas’ second wife, Anne converted to Judaism before they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. He is quoted as saying, “She said I deserved to marry a nice Jewish girl.” Together, they celebrated Shabbos. He said, “When we light the candles we have a little service and say in Hebrew a small prayer where we’re thanking God for everything we have. I like that. I think that is a prayer that ever.”

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            1. Very interesting Bob, thanks for sharing. Seems people often turn to spiritually as they progress in years. Incidentally son Michael has been doing well lately in the TV comedy The Kominski Method where he makes a delightful duo with a other veteran, Alan Arkin.

5. Sad sad news but not unexpected. 103? Wow! Kirk was one of my all time favorites. A true Hollywood legend. Rest in Peace.

   Olivia de Havilland, born the same year as Kirk, still the oldest living Hollywood legend.

   I watched Spartacus on New Years Day, I think I’ll watch The Bad and the Beautiful and The Vikings at the weekend as a tribute to Kirk.

   Looking at the chart I’ve seen 38 of the 71 films listed. Lots of favorites including – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Spartacus, The Vikings, Paths of Glory, Saturn 3, The Final Countdown, The Fury, Bad and the Beautiful, Out of the Past, Seven Days in May, Lonely are the Brave, The War Wagon and Gunfight at the OK Corral.

   Top rated movies I haven’t seen include – The Strange Love of Martha Ivers and A Letter to Three Wives.

   Good work Bruce. Vote Up!

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   1. OK, I have no excuse for being absent from the UMR Forum for over a year and that it takes the death of the last of the Hollywood male giants of the classic era for me to come out of the shadows and leave a comment. But to fair, I have been checking periodically the new pages on this site….and Kirk Douglas passing away at 103 is an event, albeit a sad one, that should not be left uncommented. I remember when we were commemorating Kirk’s century on this site and it’s comforting to see that he is still fondly appreciated and remembered by many followers of UMR, in a day and age when most movie-goers have forgotten or never knew the great stars of yesteryears.

      Kirk Douglas originally came to fame with stand-out performances playing sons of b*** like in Champion, Ace in the Hole and The Bad and the Beautiful, but he soon found equal success playing sensitive characters like Vincent Van Gogh in Lust for Life, action heroes like Spartacus and Doc Holliday in Gunfight at OK Corral, and intelligent men of integrity like in Path of Glory and Seven Days in May, just to name a few of his wonderful characterizations. He was a powerful and unique personality that stood out in all his films, one of my all time favourite actors and stars.

      While Kirk did not make it in Cogerson’s book of the greatest 50 stars, mainly because his box office success was not quite as phenomenal as some others 🙂 – when one considers the long lasting impact of his films, including several that were not successful when first released but became more appreciated over time (Paths of Glory, Ace in the Hole, Lonely Are the Brave), Douglas no doubt has one of the most memorable legacies in the movies….and I’m sure that Bruce would agree that today, WE ARE ALL SPARTACUS!!!

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      1. Hey PhilHoF17.
         1. First of all….good to see you again, even if it took the death of the legend Kirk Douglas to get you back in the forums.
         2. Secondly…..hope all has gone well for you and your family over the last year. UMR is more popular than it has every been before. January 2020 was our best month ever.
         3. Thirdly….let’s talk about your Douglas thoughts…I remember his 100th birthday celebration….hard to believe that was almost 3 and a half years ago.
         4. I agree with your breakdown of his career….from the late 1940s to the early 1960s he was on top of the Hollywood mountain.
         5. I have sadly not seen Champion or Ace In The Hole..but have seen the rest of the movies you mentioned.
         6. Yes Kirk did not make my book….but he did earn honorable mentions.
         7. Yes, you are correct the box office career of Kirk is good, but when compared to others it does not shine as much. And yes….that kept him out of the Top 50.
         8. Kirk not making the book was one of the few complaints I got about the book.
         9. I like your last comment….WE ARE ALL SPARTACUS!!!
         10. Once again…..good to hear from you….hope you come back before 2020 ends….lol.
         Good stuff. Rest in peace Kirk Douglas.

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         1. Hi Bruce, I am well and so is my family, thank you for asking and providing your thoughts on my Kirk Douglas comments.i recently watched for the first time The Indian Fighter and Ulysses. Not the best he’s done but he’s always fun to watch. Glad to hear UMR is as popular ever!

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   2. Hey Steve…thanks for the thoughts on Kirk Douglas and his legacy. Tally count…I am at 23 to your very impressive total of 38. Not thinking I have seen a new to me Kirk Douglas movie in a very long time. Hopefully, Olivia has a few birthdays left. I have seen all of your favorites. Pretty sure my dad took me to The Fury…..but I am not 100% sure…so I did not include that one in my totals. Years ago, Flora talked me into seeing The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. Douglas was ok in his first film role….but that movie is owned by Barbara Stanwyck. Good comment. RIP Kirk.

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