I did find myself wishing that someone other than Kirk Douglas had played the lead. I thought Kirk did a lot of scenery-chewing, but the big problem was Kirk’s looks. He was just too fucking improbably handsome to play a loser desperate to grab an opportunity to make it big in journalism.
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I gotta disagree. He looked just like the guy who always got by on his looks, and thus never developed any real character. He was stuck in a place where his charm was worth nothing, so he had had to grub for the first time in his life. And his past failures were due largely to hubris; the eternal failing of the too-goodlooking-for-their-own-good crowd.
At least, that’s how I read his character, which is why he seemed perfect in the role to me.
[QUOTE=lissener]
I gotta disagree. He looked just like the guy who always got by on his looks, and thus never developed any real character. He was stuck in a place where his charm was worth nothing, so he had had to grub for the first time in his life. And his past failures were due largely to hubris; the eternal failing of the too-goodlooking-for-their-own-good crowd.
At least, that’s how I read his character, which is why he seemed perfect in the role to me.
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And it’s not like this role was a departure for Douglas at the time. He played quite a few charming heels (e.g., Champion) early in his career.
