# Happy Birthday Kirk Douglas **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762 "2016-03-02T19:35:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/1 "2016-03-02T19:35:06Z")
He is 99 years old. I know his birthday is not until Dec. 9. But, I wanted to try an experiment and I hope that all the Dopers here will not mind if I try this. So many great acting and singing talents have been dying recently that I just wanted to try and pay tribute to one of the greatest while he is still alive. I first became appreciative of his talent when I saw Spartacus (1960). > **[Spartacus (1960) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054331/)** > > Spartacus: Directed by Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Mann. With Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton. The slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as... He has produced and acted in so many great films that younger people truly loved during the 1950s and 1960s. Some of my favorites are: Detective Story (1951) [Detective Story (1951) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043465/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_80) The Bad & the Beautiful (1952) [The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044391/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_77) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) [20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046672/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_71) Lust for Life (1956) [Lust for Life (1956) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049456/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_67) Paths of Glory (1957) [Paths of Glory (1957) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050825/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_64) Town Without Pity (1961) [Town Without Pity (1961) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055539/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_58) Seven Days in May (1964) [Seven Days in May (1964) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058576/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_51) In Harm’s Way (1965) [In Harm's Way (1965) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059309/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_50) The War Wagon (1967) [The War Wagon (1967) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062472/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_45) Inherit the Wind (1988) [Inherit the Wind (TV Movie 1988) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095373/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_14) I know that I’ll be very sad when he passes. I’d like to honor the man now when it’s easier to talk about his great work and be happy about it. When he passes, it will be much more difficult to talk about him and maintain a happy mood. I’d like to invite anyone who has some cherished memories about any of his films or plays to tell us about them here. I was very impressed when I learned that he named his production company after his mother. His mother’s first name was Bryna and he named his company “Bryna Productions”. He produced some of his greatest films with that production company. I also felt very proud of him when I learned that he joined the US Navy in 1941 and only returned to acting after hostilities had ceased. So, some of his roles in war movies (like In Harm’s Way) felt so realistic to me. Does anyone have any favorite anecdotes they’d like to share about Kirk Douglas? Has anyone here ever met him? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/2 "2016-03-02T19:52:38Z")
Now there’s a real mesch. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/3 "2016-03-02T20:03:33Z")
Funny you should post this now. I was battling insomnia Saturday night and switched on Channel 11 (Toronto), which often shows **old** movies after 2:00 am, just in time to catch Kirk in what must have been one of his earliest flicks, _ **My Dear Secretary** _ (1948, according to IMDB). Kind of a silly romantic comedy, but it’s available on YouTube and is definitely worth a watch!\* \*A young Keenan Wynn and Irene Ryan (“Granny” on _ **The Beverly Hillbillies** _) are in it as well. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/4 "2016-03-02T20:32:54Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > hat I just wanted to try and pay tribute to one of the greatest _while he is still alive_. Do you think Douglas reads this message board? Are you expecting him to die soon? ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/5 "2016-03-03T00:57:02Z")
That’s sweet of you, glad to hear he’s still among us came across this piece he wrote to VF, sent it to my folks who just celebrated their 62 anniversary [http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/09/kirk-douglas-201109](http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/09/kirk-douglas-201109) life is good 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/6 "2016-03-03T01:09:11Z")
> [@chela](#): > > That’s sweet of you, glad to hear he’s still among us > > came across this piece he wrote to VF, sent it to my folks who just celebrated their 62 anniversary > > [http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/09/kirk-douglas-201109](http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/09/kirk-douglas-201109) > > life is good > > 🆒 Wow! That was really beautiful. Anyone who is thinking about aging would really benefit from reading that. And there comes a time for most everyone when they do want to think about aging **- if they are lucky.** 😛 ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/7 "2016-03-03T01:12:47Z")
I’m Kirk Douglas! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/8 "2016-03-03T02:00:13Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Wow! That was really beautiful. > > Anyone who is thinking about aging would really benefit from reading that. > > And there comes a time for most everyone when they do want to think about aging **- if they are lucky.** > > 😛 Yes . . . even though I’m way too young . . . merely 70. ---
**Author:** ![koufax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ea924/32.png) [@koufax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koufax)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/9 "2016-03-03T05:53:33Z")
My nephew is an UBER driver in Santa Barbara and he picked up one of his sons one night and he took a liking to my nephew. My nephew become his part time private driver and a few months ago they went down to L.A. and picked up Kirk and his wife and took them to a restaurant for lunch. He sat in the front seat with my nephew and he told me when they came out from lunch people started recognizing him and saying hello. I told my nephew he had a Hollywood icon sitting in his front seat. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/10 "2016-03-03T06:30:00Z")
> [@koufax](#): > > My nephew is an UBER driver in Santa Barbara and he picked up one of his sons one night and he took a liking to my nephew. My nephew become his part time private driver and a few months ago they went down to L.A. and picked up Kirk and his wife and took them to a restaurant for lunch. > > He sat in the front seat with my nephew and he told me when they came out from lunch people started recognizing him and saying hello. > > I told my nephew he had a Hollywood icon sitting in his front seat. It’s easy for people to take a liking to a service person. If you are just polite and respectful, that is often all it takes. It amazes me how many taxi drivers and other service people seem to go out of their way to be obnoxious and condescending to the people who pay them for their service. Only about one in ten seem to be someone you would want to have as a private driver. Good for your nephew! ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/11 "2016-03-03T15:54:34Z")
Awesome actor. ---
**Author:** ![Shearer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/57b2e6/32.png) [@Shearer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shearer)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/12 "2016-03-05T09:28:51Z")
Is he the last living Golden Age star? ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/13 "2016-03-05T14:05:23Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > I’m Kirk Douglas! No, I’m Kirk Douglas! ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/14 "2016-03-05T16:54:28Z")
> [@Shearer](#): > > Is he the last living Golden Age star? Olivia de Havilland is also still living; she turns 100 on July 1st. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/15 "2016-03-05T20:45:26Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Anyone who is thinking about aging > > And there comes a time for most everyone when they do want to think about aging > 😛 You mean it’s an option? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/16 "2016-03-05T22:23:20Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > You mean it’s an option? :smack: Exercise, diet and sex can delay it a bit ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-kirk-douglas/747762/17 "2016-03-05T23:08:29Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Exercise, diet and sex can delay it a bit IMHO, the love of a good spouse is one of the greatest life extenders there is.