Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Kirk Douglas established himself as a genuinely titanic force in American cinema. With a chin sharper than a chef’s knife and eyes that blinded those who dared to look deep into them, Douglas transcended the very role of the movie star and became a force of artistic nature in the process.
With phenomenal performances in the likes of Spartacus, The Bad and the Beautiful and Lust for Life, Douglas wrote himself eternally into the shining annals of Hollywood’s history, each time delivering acting efforts of remarkable intensity and dedicated attention to emotional nuance.
During an interview with Roger Ebert, Douglas once discussed how the public’s perception of an actor is often determined by the kind of characters that they want them to play. He noted: “A star’s image is determined by what the public wants. They want me to be tough. A loved enemy. Neither the public nor the critics want you to do something they don’t want you to do.”
It was at that point that Douglas spoke of the consummate actor. He continued, “That’s why the perfect movie star is John Wayne. I was in a lousy picture with him once, In Harm’s Way.” The 1965 film directed by Otto Preminger tells of a series of US naval officers and their wives based in Hawaii on the eve of the United States’ entry into World War II.
“I used to think about John Wayne; he brings so much authority to a role he can pronounce literally any line in a script and get away with it,” Douglas added of his co-star. “But I figured In Harm’s Way had a line even John Wayne couldn’t get away with. It was ‘I need a fast ship because I mean to be in harm’s way.’
Wayne himself had famously spoken of Douglas and how he was embarrassed by his performance as Vincent van Gogh in the 1956 Vincente Minnelli biopic Lust for Life. After a private showing of the film that Wayne attended, the actor had accompanied Douglas out onto a veranda after a couple of drinks.
Explaining how Wayne berated him, Douglas noted during in Conversations with Classic Film Stars appearance, “He said, ‘How the hell could you play a goddamn character like that?’ And I said, ‘What do you mean? I’m an actor. He’s a fascinating character.’ And Wayne said, ‘No, no. We should never play those kind of weak, snivelling characters. I don’t ever want to see you in a part like that again! They have no dignity!’”
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