Kirk Douglas has played many roles in his ninety-five
years. At the Egyptian Theatre’s Lloyd E.
Rigler Theatre on Wednesday, prior to a screening of his fifty-year-old
favorite Lonely Are the Brave (Universal, 1962), he discussed two of them:
actor and author. (The event commenced a
week-long retrospective titled "Path of Glory: An In-Person Tribute to
Kirk Douglas").
Entertainment journalist Geoff Boucher moderated the
pre-screening discussion and introduced the icon: “I’m honored to be part of
the audience, like you, and I’m honored to be up here. The best actors disappear into their roles,
but icons always keep part of themselves onscreen. What do we know about Kirk Douglas? Every one of his characters makes hard
choices and is a figure of integrity.
Not always a good guy, not always a bad guy, but a real guy. Ladies and gentlemen, Kirk Douglas.”
To rapturous applause, the casually dressed, gentlemanly
Douglas emerged from the side of the expansive theater and sat in a chair
opposite Boucher. The two, once seated,
flanked a bold one-sheet for the evening’s feature presentation, and the
evening’s honoree earnestly thanked the audience in the full auditorium. “Thank you.
I would like to thank you all for coming to see a picture that I made
fifty years ago.” To more hearty
applause, he joked, “If you don’t [like it], ask for your money back.” Laughter ensued, and Boucher initiated a
memorable interview.
“You know, you made so many memorable films. But this one’s special for you, isn’t
it? You’ve talked about it often. This is one that really stands out for
you. Why does it?”
“Well, you know, Edward Abbey wrote the book. And when I read the book, I was so intrigued
by the character. The character and his
horse, Whisky. The problem with the
picture is, by the end of the picture,
you’re all going to be rooting for the horse instead of me. But [Edward Lewis made] the picture, and I
knew that the only guy that could write this was Dalton Trumbo.” The reference to the controversial scribe
elicited enthusiastic applause. Douglas
continued, elaborating on his role in securing elusive work and credit for the
ex-blacklisted screenwriter. (Douglas
was instrumental in publicly acknowledging Trumbo’s work on Spartacus, which is
recognized as the beginning of the end of the infamous blacklist.)
“Dalton Trumbo, who wrote the picture, was fabulous. In my last book (I’ve written ten books)…It’s
called I Am Spartacus: The Making of a Movie and the Breaking of the
Blacklist. It was a very divisive
time. They…were talking about communists
… and were you about to become communists…in Hollywood, and especially the
effect on the writers. And they had a
hearing, and if you said the wrong … they put them in jail. And Dalton Trumbo spent ten days in jail, and
then I got him to write Spartacus, but by that time he wasn’t really blacklisted.
But I was young then, you know? I hated
the injustice of it.”
Boucher elaborated, “And as you say, by standing up for
people like Dalton Trumbo, and your collaborations with Dalton on Spartacus and
on this film, it must have been very satisfying for you. Although you had some problems with this film
when it first came out, right? I mean,
the title wasn’t the titled you wanted, is it?”
“No. The book was
called The Brave Cowboy. And I didn’t
want that title. And I wanted to go with
The Last Cowboy. But the studio who had
the money insisted on Lonely Are the Brave. And I thought, ‘What the hell does that mean?’” He had to pause briefly due to the audience’s
spontaneous laughter. “ The picture
would be unsuccessful with that name. I
thought … I always said that’s a lousy name.
It’s good? that Lonely Are the Brave caught on.”
Boucher reiterated that Douglas’s written works are
engaging and diverse. “Well you know,
this book that you’ve written it’s come out, it’s already had multiple
printings. I Am Spartacus. It came out in June. It’s added to the Kirk Douglas bookshelf,
which is an extraordinary bookshelf. And
for someone who thinks a lot about the written word, I just want to tell you
what a joy it is to be one of your readers.
It’s a very impressive shelf that you’ve put together of your thoughts.”
“Well, also, in addition to writing about that bleak
period of the blacklist, I wanted to describe the making of the film. … It
was a big film. And I was very
excited. So it took a lot of research …
when we were talking about something … I’m very pleased with the reception of the
book. And, you will like it.” The understated confidence in the author’s
voice was palpable.
The discussion continued, traversing through topics such
as the notable one-armed bar fight in Lonely Are the Brave to Stanley Kubrick’s
direction of Spartacus to the honoree’s longevity and rich life. “I’m ninety-five years old,” the actor
proudly and succinctly concluded to a thunderous response. He went on to describe his poor origins and
what he modestly considers his incredible luck.
“Well, that’s fantastic,” the moderator said. “To go the places you’ve been, and work with
people you’ve worked with, and have the career that you’ve—represented not just
by talent but also by integrity—we’re very, very happy to see you tonight. It’s an honor.”
The guest of honor concluded with an amusing anecdote
about an age-old encounter with bygone Hollywood royalty. “Now I was not in movies very long when I was
making Lonely Are the Brave in Albuquerque.
And [I was with] a big star. And
he invited me to dinner. I was very
pleased with that he invited me. We went to dinner. And he ordered French wine and
everything … And I was very impressed. Then the guy came in with the check. And he gave me the check and as it turned …
asked me to be the host.” (The actor had
difficulty recalling which specific late legend it was; a knowledgeable and
helpful audience member reminded him that it was Errol Flynn.)
“I’m really glad and happy that you came here. And I hope you enjoy the picture that I made
fifty years ago.” To an appreciative
standing ovation, the living legend left the building.