Sepiatone Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 97 years today. Surprised it took this long for someone to mention it. Anyway, Happy Birthday, Spartacus. Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 ..which brings up the question-----Has any other male star as big as KIrk Douglas, lived as long as he has? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 >..which brings up the question-----Has any other male star as big as KIrk Douglas, lived as long as he has? Certainly not in the same category, but just as big in their own right, may I subjectively submit: Bob Hope made it to 100-yrs old - George Burns also to 100-years old. And let's not forget the lovely Olivia de Havilland at 97-yrs of age - and still with us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Ouch. I forgot about both of them........but, the last time I checked, Olivia was not a male. Edited by: finance on Dec 9, 2013 5:52 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BartonKeyes Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 And Kirk Douglas is by no means the oldest living actor of Hollywood's Golden Age. Other examples are Eli Wallach and Norman Lloyd who are now 98 and 99 years old, respectively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Yes Remy! Good picks! -------------------------------------------- >Ouch. I forgot about both of them........but, the last time I checked, Olivia was not a male. She permitted that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 And since Olivia's birthday is earlier in the year, she's a bit older than Kirk. Sister Joan is a year behind........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arturo Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 ..which brings up the question-----Has any other male star as big as KIrk Douglas, lived as long as he has? *Certainly not in the same category, but just as big in their own right, may I subjectively submit: Bob Hope made it to 100-yrs old - George Burns also to 100-years old.* Bob Hope was certainly a bigger star than was Kirk Douglas, at least according to the Box Office listings. Hope was in the them, in the Top Ten through most of the 40s and well into the 50s, usually a little behind his friend and costar Bing Crosby. Hope even topped the list at the end of the 40s. Douglas never made the Top Ten lists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Right. I just clear forgot about Hope. Shame, shame, shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted December 10, 2013 Author Share Posted December 10, 2013 > Bob Hope was certainly a bigger star than was Kirk Douglas, at least according to the Box Office listings. This is apples and oranges. Hope may have drawn more people to the box office, even with many mediocre offerings, but Douglas was clearly the better actor, if one can call Hope an actor. In reality, I doubt either had any low opinions of the other. I'm still disappointed that out of 114 viewings, only eight bothered to respond, and NONE with birthday wishes! Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrroberts Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Belated birthday wishes to Mr Douglas ( I've been away from the board for the last few days). What a great performer, I'll have to dig out my copy of "Tough Guys" just for fun, to see KIrk and Burt in their final pairing, I believe they had a ball doing that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arturo Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 *This is apples and oranges. Hope may have drawn more people to the box office, even with many mediocre offerings, but Douglas was clearly the better actor, if one can call Hope an actor.* Yes, it is apples and oranges because I stated he was a bigger star, not better actor. The original comments were about big stars, not best actors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavenderblue19 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Happy Birthday, Mr. Douglas. I've read 3 out of the 10 books you've written, the last I Am Spartacus . They were all great, well written, entertaining and informative. I love your films and you are truly a Legendary Actor, Humanitiarian and all around Great Guy. Wishing you another 97 years of Happy Brithdays Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 A few years ago I attended a book signing in Toronto, a promotion of Douglas' book My Stroke of Luck, with Kirk there to sign copies of his latest work. Michael Douglas and Catherine Zita Jones were up on the podium, as well, Michael introducing his father, who was, of course, the star of the hour. It was a bit of a mad house, I feeling pretty sardine-like in this crowd of Douglas enthusiasts, with so many sporting large posters of him as Spartacus. I managed to maneuver myself fairly close to the podium where Kirk was signing books. I passed my copy of the book (which we had all purchased ahead of time) towards him. Three or four hands in the crowd ahead of me passed the book towards Douglas. I watched him sign it then hand it back to someone by the podium. The book started to get passed by hands back towards me, then disappeared, someone scooping the book up. It all evened out, however, as I managed to get someone else's signed book that was getting passed among the hands in the crowd. Kirk was smiling and seemed to be enjoying himself at this bookstore event, needing to rest his signing hand after fifteen minutes or so because it was starting to hurt from all the autographs. Off to the side of the room I noticed some security guards clearing a path with a roped off section. No one was paying much attention to them since all eyes were on Douglas at the podium (Michael and Catherine had left once the book signings began). I made my way over to the security cleared area, and, much as I suspected, after another ten or fifteen minutes, Kirk left the podium, making his exit from the room along the cleared path. As he passed by I extended my hand and the actor shook hands with me, as well as a couple of others. It was fun and I felt a bit like a giggly teenager going through this process. To be honest, though, I can't recall actually seeing any teenagers there. I guess most of us there were a bunch of old time film fans feeling like teens as we all took a stab at seeing one of the last of the Hollywood greats from another era. So I have my signed book (actually someone else's) and my memory of being one of the few to shake Spartacus' hand that day. Thanks, Kirk, for a million wonderful film memories, as well as that day in a Toronto book store in which a little bit of old time Hollywood insanity took place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyM108 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 When I was growing up, I always associated Kirk Douglas with a bunch of overhyped costume dramas that would bore me to death after 10 minutes. But once I got hooked onto TCM and started getting exposed to his less costumy side, in films like Out of the Past, I Walk Alone, The Bad and the Beautiful, Ace in the Hole, and Young Man With a Horn, my entire perspective of his acting talents did a 180. So Happy Birthday to yet another actor who made me come back for a second look, thanks to TCM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 >.. and started getting exposed to his less costumy side, in films like Out of the Past, I Walk Alone, The Bad and the Beautiful, Ace in the Hole, and Young Man With a Horn, my entire perspective of his acting talents did a 180. Same here. I could never get used to his costume roles - even westerns (save Paths of Glory). I especially like Ace in the Hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 The implication is that Douglas is known for his costume roles. I don't believe he is (SPARTACUS being the primary one). It's Heston who is known for his costume roles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arturo Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Nor.did I. Sure there was SPARTACUS,.20 THOUSAND.LEAGUES,.LUST FOR.LIFE.....All high profile period.films. But he became a star in CHAMPION, and he did many modern day dramas, along with the costume.films.and westerns. His intensity seemed.so mid 20th Century to me,.a by product.of.cold war tensions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted December 11, 2013 Author Share Posted December 11, 2013 > Nor.did I. Sure there was SPARTACUS,.20 THOUSAND.LEAGUES,.LUST FOR.LIFE.....All high profile period.films. But he became a star in CHAMPION, and he did many modern day dramas, along with the costume.films.and westerns. His intensity seemed.so mid 20th Century to me,.a by product.of.cold war tensions. You seem to use the PERIOD a lot, Arturo. Is it your time of month? Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arturo Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Being male, I don't have a menstrual cycle. The periods result when I am typing on my cell phone, not sure when it happens, but probably when i hit the space key, I must hit the period key next to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorch Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 I recall seeing Spartacus at the drive in during the summer of 1960. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but I went on my bicycle. I still enjoy a spectacle like that, but my favorite Douglas movies are The Big Sky and Lonely are the Brave. So, here's a belated birthday wish to Jim Deakins and John W. Burns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Sometimes it appeared as if his intensity and facial grimaces may have resulted from hemmorhoid problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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