The Silver Screen Oasis

If you'd like I can scan the article and post all or part of it here with your permission, Stone.

As I just PM'd you, Moira --- absolutely!

In the meantime, here's the link to an excerpt from the Mickey Knox interview, courtesy of Film Monthly:

http://www.filmmonthly.com/Profiles/Art ... yKnox.html

Yay! Thanks, Western Guy!

I've been thinking about this thread for the last couple of days.

First and foremost, I like Kirk Douglas and I like many of his films. For all of my movie-loving career, I've always realized that Kirk has an ego (which also helps to explain some of Kirk's film choices and career arc).

But, I will say this- for the last forty years the story of the Blacklist has been on the media's radar. From books to magazine articles to newspaper columns to talk shows and documentaries, as Hollywood and its guilds have come to grips with the damage that the Blacklist wrought, one of the main stories has been (at least for more years than I can remember) how Douglas broke the Blacklist by hiring Trumbo and giving him credit on Spartacus.

Over the years, there has been push back on that story from a variety of writers, authors and eyewitnesses. But that push back tends to live in the shadow of the easy story- Kirk Douglas broke the Blacklist.

Like the story of who broke the color line on the Las Vegas Strip, the real story, of course, is more complicated. But, especially in this age of the internet, the complicated story usually gets trumped by the easy story.

And, in the easy story, Kirk, inevitably, gets the glory.

As an oral historian, I know that as people get older they tend to remember the story the way they wish it had been. They also tend to protect the myths that have sprung up around them or that they have a vested interest in. It's not easy to get them to admit otherwise.

Just two weeks ago, the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences hosted a screening of Spartacus to a sold out crowd. Kirk was there to introduce the film. The usually staid Academy audience rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation and to proclaim "No, I'm Spartacus!". The Blacklist was the topic of the evening.

As long as society, the media, his own peers and those who appreciate his career continue to give Douglas the credit for breaking the Blacklist, it should come as no surprise when Douglas takes that stance as well.

I'm not saying that makes it right. But if you are a student of the Blacklist, you already know that Kirk didn't do it single-handedly. There were others who fought just as valiantly against it. And those people deserve the credit as much as Kirk.

But at his age, Kirk is, in many ways, the last man standing and as Patton once said, "to the victor goes the spoils".

But Patton also said, "All glory is fleeting".

Just my two cents.

That's you all over, Lynn: a woman with a keen awareness of history, time and human nature! Thanks for putting this in such a clear perspective.

Stone, I just read the Film Monthly piece and it made me hungry for more.

moirafinnie wrote:That's you all over, Lynn: a woman with a keen awareness of history, time and human nature! Thanks for putting this in such a clear perspective.

Wonderful post, Lynn. I AM SPARTACUS!

So glad they all stood and shouted at the Academy. I wish I had had the guts to do that at the TCMFF 2011.

And he can still remember all the words to the the song he sang in 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea!

Got a whale of a tale to tell ya, lads
A whale of a tale or two
'Bout the flappin' fish and the girls I've loved
On nights like this with the moon above
A whale of a tale and it's all true
I swear by my tattoo

There was Mermaid Minnie, met her down in Madagaskar
She would kiss me, any time that I would ask her
Then one evening her flame of love blew out
Blow me down and pick me up!
She swapped me for a trout

Got a whale of a tale to tell ya, lads
A whale of a tale or two
'Bout the flappin' fish and the girls I've loved
On nights like this with the moon above
A whale of a tale and it's all true
I swear by my tattoo

There was Typhoon Tessie, met her on the coast of Java
When we kissed I bubbled up like molten lava
Then she gave me the scare of my young
Blow me down and pick me up!
She was the captain's wife

Got a whale of a tale to tell ya, lads
A whale of a tale or two
'Bout the flappin' fish and the girls I've loved
On nights like this with the moon above
A whale of a tale and it's all true
I swear by my tattoo

Does this mean that you wear a red and white striped shirt and carry a guitar around with you too?

Cute, Red!

Years ago in Chicago, columnist Bob Greene was apalled that a network TV broadcast of this film CUT the Whale of a Tale scene. "They cut Whale of a Tale? How could they do that?" He called Kirk Douglas who, if I remember correctly, was supportive of the journalist's pain. Some things are simply inexcusable.

I'd love to read your article too, I realise I've not been around quite as much of late but I will pay attention to your article.