UPDATE ON THE BLACKLIST BACKSTORY...

[JackFavell]

I gotta read that Shelley Winters book one of these days.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

It certainly wasn't boring!

[moira finnie]

This story confirms my preconceived image of Kirk Douglas as quite an ego, the other star I have the same preconceived notions about is Burt lancaster. Were they great buddies and rivals or did they both star in the noir genre and flourish from there. I have more respect for Burt without being able to back much of this up. Two talented guys though, I'd love to know they were different or that there was a softie in there somewhere.

Those who knew both of them, reportedly said that all his life, Kirk Douglas always wanted to be Burt Lancaster. The latter oozed an effortless, street-wise grace (he was born in Harlem), did his own stunts, and had an "I don't need this crap" attitude toward much of Hollywood and all that went with it. Douglas, a gifted athlete as well, and one of the hardest working movie stars, always had a need to be admired that was more visible than his "friendly rival''s pose as a cold-blooded careerist and curious, closet intellectual. Lancaster was such a charismatic, mercurial figure, his intelligence and determination to shape his own career his way was exceptionally strong, but so were the drives that made him seek out challenges at every stage of his life. He was far more than he ever appeared to be, with some conflicts but a gift for balancing his popular roles with chancy parts that he would never have been allowed to try if he hadn't become his own producer too. Lancaster's interests in life extended far beyond acting and he was a very strong, principled voice in the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) back in the days when that organization (designed to uphold the Bill of Rights, even when it was highly unpopular, or led them to help neo-Nazis and the like) was often the target of FBI and other investigations.

The most telling story, revealing both men's vulnerabilities and flaws, was that Burt Lancaster reportedly brought Kirk Douglas to tears in front of fans by teasing him about the lifts in his shoes. Lancaster could be exceptionally well-spoken, worldly and articulate (a big surprise to Visconti when making The Leopard with the opera-loving actor) and was supposedly also as crude as can be at times, behaving like the worst caricature of a movie star that ever leapt off the pages of a Harold Robbins pulp novel. Despite this, he exhibited great loyalty to boyhood friends, and ended his career with several performances that draw you in and are marvelous to behold in ensemble pieces like Rocket Gibraltar, Atlantic City, Field of Dreams and Local Hero. What he left us was a blueprint of a great career and how to let it go and extend it by taking interesting roles instead of trying to stay in the center ring all of his life.

If you have a chance, anyone interested in Burt Lancaster might want to read Kate Buford's book Burt Lancaster: An American Life. It is a fair account of a complex man's life, and is very well written, researched and documented--even though the actor remained a rather elusive figure all his public life.

[JackFavell]

Thank you for that, Moira. Ive always wanted to know more about Burt, and I didn't know there were any good bios of him.

[charliechaplinfan]

I don't think Burt was as vocal as Kirk, and he hadn't written an autobiography or two, as I recall. He seemed to be more private. But Shelley Winters revealed much more about Burt than I think he wanted discussed!

Shelley Winters revealed much more about a few male film stars who might have wished she kept things under wraps, she enjoyed a healthy love life and had good taste, her role call reads like the best cast list ever. It's worth reading.

Thanks Moira for your insight into Kirk and Burt, I have that book on Burt, I haven't got around to reading it yet but I will, I got it because I wanted to re evaluate him, I got the impression that my first impressions of him were off kilter a little and there was obviously more to him than I first expected. I get that feeling a little about Kirk too. I've certainly discovered good performances by both recently and I'm keen to know more.

[Western Guy]

Moira, when I interviewed Mickey Knox he said that Kirk was very resentful of all the attention Hal Wallis was lavishing both on Burt and Wendell Cory - and probably Lizabeth Scott. Kirk admitted as much to Mickey, which was why he wanted out of the Wallis contract to do "Champion". Ego, yes -- but ultimately a smart move for Kirk.

Yes, that bringing Kirk to tears story happened during the making of "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral". I remember many moons ago when Burt was on the old "Donahue" program, through which he never sat down, instead kept walking about the stage. An audience member brought up the question of Burt's friendship with Kirk and I recall the strange laugh Burt delivered prior to answering. Going on memory but I seem to remember there was a studied answer that Burt gave. Makes me wonder how Burt viewed their friendship. Kirk, as we know, has always spoke with warm affection, even excusing Burt`s not wanting Kirk to visit him during those ill later days because Burt didn`t want anyone to see him in such a frail condition.

[moira finnie]

Moira, when I interviewed Mickey Knox he said that Kirk was very resentful of all the attention Hal Wallis was lavishing both on Burt and Wendell Cory - and probably Lizabeth Scott. Kirk admitted as much to Mickey, which was why he wanted out of the Wallis contract to do "Champion". Ego, yes -- but ultimately a smart move for Kirk.

From what I've read about Hal Wallis in the post-war period when he had many talents under personal contract, he missed the structure and behind-the-scenes talent of writers and others to craft good vehicles for his "stable of players." The rich abundance of such talent was there in spades at Warner Bros. in the '30s and '40s when Wallis was at his zenith. I think it is to Kirk Douglas' credit that he had the drive and intelligence to carve out a career for himself in spite of Wallis' hit-and-miss handling. Wendell Corey, for instance, should have been a character actor in films, but Wallis seemed to believe that each of his "properties" needed to be a star. (Corey had some serious personal problems on top of this, but he was a talented actor and deserved better). Most strangely regarding Wallis' management, he seemed to abandon William Dieterle some time after signing him, despite the fact that the veteran director repeatedly proved his remarkable versatility.

Stone, next time you speak with Mickey Knox, please tell him how much I enjoyed his memoir, The Good, the Bad, and the Dolce Vita: The Adventures of an Actor. He was one of the few living sources who knew and wrote about his friendships with Helen Walker and Richard Conte, two actors whose work has always meant a lot to me. He writes well--I wish he would write more about the essentials of film acting and the people he has known over the years. I have the feeling there was much left unsaid.

My memory of that Phil Donahue show with Lancaster is not as sharp as yours, though I do remember him speaking with great fondness about his mother, who encouraged him to pursue an education and who could still turn heads when she strode down the street--I guess Burt got his grace and good looks somewhere. I believe he also took pains to explain his commitment to the ACLU on that program, since it was near the time of the Skokie march, when the ACLU lost so much credibility by expending the organization's limited resources on a vile bunch of Neo-Nazis who wanted to march in the largely Jewish suburb of Skokie, Illinois, where many Holocaust survivors lived. Lancaster's eloquence when explaining his belief that the speech we hate needs to be protected in spite of our emotions impressed me with the cogent points and ethical thought behind his words.

Alison, I would take everything Shelley Winters writes--especially about her amours--with a big dose of salt. I have little respect for men or women who make money off their love lives--especially when there may be unaware spouses and children still living who may be hurt by their trumpeting their insecurities attractiveness. I don't mean to offend you, but I did not respect her after reading her books.

[Western Guy]

Would that I could speak again with my great buddy Mickey Knox, Moira. Sadly, he is suffering from Alzheimer's and from what I understand is now living with one of his daughters. I definitely agree with you about his book, which he refused to call an autobiography - rather, his memoirs. Mickey had a wealth of great show biz stories and wasn't afraid not to pull punches, as with his working with Lawrence Tierney.

Mickey said that Burt was probably his closest Hollywood friend; both men and their wives socialized frequently. But eventually there came a falling out when Burt's friend and partner Harold Hecht became a "songbird" during the HUAC investigations. Mickey thought Hecht was a "fink" (his own word), but Burt stuck by him.

Actually Mickey really wasn't too fond of Richard Conte, either - or, more appropriately, vice-versa. Conte, apparently, looked upon the up-and-coming Mickey as a threat and pulled a kind of double-face on Mickey when they were appearing together in a play. Mickey did tell me at one point that he was working on a novel, but I don't think anything came of that. He studied Journalism, hence his ability to write well.

Wendell Corey definitely did have some personal problems, which effectively curtailed his career to the point where he was starring with John Carradine in a Ted V. Mikels movie. From what Kirk writes, Wendell didn't care much for him and didn't take pains to hide his dislike. Yet when Wendell passed away, his wife asked for Kirk to read the eulogy, which frankly, and understandably, puzzled Douglas.

[charliechaplinfan]

Moira, you don't offend me at all. Shelley's memoirs were a rip roaring read, I guess if someone says they slept with someone I take it as gospel truth although I know that person would have put their own spin on what happened to make themselves out to be the pursued. I don't really know Shelley away from her films, apart from knowing she is the double of my mother when she was younger. What I learned later is she might have done Farley Granger a bit of a disservice saying she left him for Vittorio Gassman. Almost everyone else I could believe it of, apart from Burt Lancaster who didn't seem to fit the mould she put him in. I know she was obviously more attractive than the current spouses to the man who 'seduced' her. Please don't worry though, I'd much rather have a refreshingly honest opinion anyday.

[moira finnie]

Actually Mickey really wasn't too fond of Richard Conte, either - or, more appropriately, vice-versa. Conte, apparently, looked upon the up-and-coming Mickey as a threat and pulled a kind of double-face on Mickey when they were appearing together in a play. Mickey did tell me at one point that he was working on a novel, but I don't think anything came of that. He studied Journalism, hence his ability to write well.

Stone, I had the same impression about Conte & Mickey Knox's relationship after their early years together on Broadway when reading the book. I thought that the baptism of fire that Conte endured and Knox witnessed during rehearsals for "Jason" on Broadway at the hands of a hyper-critical theatrical legend, director George Abbott, was very moving. It was especially interesting that it shattered the youthful Conte--though he was said to have begun building his character akin to his own persona after that.

Perhaps the coolness that Conte exuded later (when Mickey describes working together on a film in a remote foreign location) became his shield? That attitude seems to have been characteristic of the guarded actor as he matured from other reports I've read. I wonder if it came out of that first painful experience in the theater when a caustic director manipulated the then-vulnerable youth? Conte's ease with his own ethnicity (when no leading men of his generation seemed to be so comfortable with being Italian) and his ability to convey a certain inner tension and a potential for danger makes his acting so interesting to me. I'm not too sure that Richard Conte regarded his career as entirely worthwhile by that time. One story I recall reading once was that Conte supposedly took Alison's pal ( ) Shelley Winters aside on the set of The Raging Tide (1951)--a pretty good, atmospheric "B" noir, btw--and told her to give herself a break by knocking off The Method stuff, since the story, and that of most movies, was aimed at a 7th grade mentality.

Alison, thanks for being so understanding!

[Western Guy]

Mickey went into a long discussion concerning his relationship with Conte during our interview. What really bugs me is how the publication that printed our discussion cut the damn thing near in half. Even Mickey made comment on that when he saw the magazine. But, yes, thanks Moira: "Jason" was the play the two had acted in. I do have the original, uncensored, as it were, interview around my office someplace where he speaks not only of Conte, but Julie Garfield, Larry Parks and others. What is really interesting is how another publication to which I submitted my talk with Mickey sat on the interview forever, without comment. Which is why I finally pulled it and sent it elsewhere, where it should have been printed intact. When I finally contacted the editor at the first magazine and asked him why he was holding off printing the piece, he said he didn't like the "Commie" angle. The HUAC stuff and all. And, dammit, the guy wasn't even born when that McCarthy "witch hunt" was going on. Like many of those stone-faced, non-applauding people sitting at the Oscar ceremony the year Elia Kazan won a much-deserved Honorary award not for his politics but for his amazing body of work, this editor pimple was years away from burgeoning into a full-fledged a pimple when this Hollywood tragedy was needlessly destroying lives.

Dare I begin my friendship with Marc Lawrence . . . ?

One funny story. When he discovered my real name: of Ukrainian orgin, Marc was quick to ask if I was Russian. No, i thought, but at Marc's advanced years I was rushin' to do the interview.

Insert groan ---

[JackFavell]

I for one, would love to hear any info or interviews you would feel comfortable talking about here, Western Guy. Mickey Knox! Richard Conte! Burt Lancaster! Marc Lawrence! It's like a dream come true to hear about these guys! I mean, who ever gets to hear what Marc Lawrence thought??!! It kills me to hear that there is info out there that no one in the business wants published, for whatever reason. If you'd rather not talk about those interviews, I would most certainly understand, it's your work, after all, and you should benefit from printing it. But I KNOW you would find a very appreciative audience here.

[moira finnie]

Yeah, like Wendy said!!! (And if you read the PM I sent you, Stone, you'll get the same message about a friendly, receptive if penniless audience who loves hearing this stuff). Thanks for posting about this. And yes...I'd love to hear all about Marc Lawrence too...especially since I can't find an affordable copy of his autobiography.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

We here at the SSO enjoy a fascinating read, Stone! I thoroughly relish all your posts.

Yeah, like Wendy said!!! (And if you read the PM I sent you, Stone, you'll get the same message about a friendly, receptive if penniless audience who loves hearing this stuff). Thanks for posting about this. And yes...I'd love to hear all about Marc Lawrence too...especially since I can't find an affordable copy of his autobiography.

Ditto!

I for one, would love to hear any info or interviews you would feel comfortable talking about here, Western Guy. Mickey Knox! Richard Conte! Burt Lancaster! Marc Lawrence! It's like a dream come true to hear about these guys! I mean, who ever gets to hear what Marc Lawrence thought??!! It kills me to hear that there is info out there that no one in the business wants published, for whatever reason. If you'd rather not talk about those interviews, I would most certainly understand, it's your work, after all, and you should benefit from printing it. But I KNOW you would find a very appreciative audience here.

Ditto X 2!

[Western Guy]

Hey gang!

Re: Mickey. I'm going to dig out the entire interview I did with him and forward it to Moira. It was such good stuff and it's unfortunate that only a small part of it was actually published. I appreciate your appreciation.

So many stories to share. From interviewing Anthony Quinn during my days at Northwestern to planning with Marc Lawrence to write a book focusing solely on his film career -- which, amazingly, no publisher approached seemed to have an interest in. One thing I can say off the bat is that during our telephone conversations Marc, though often blunt, was a sweetheart. He loved hearing from his fans and even into his 90s made it a point to personally answer fan mail. He provided some neat info for my George Raft book and the one regret I have is that when I was in Vegas working on Dolores Fuller's autobiography I never took Marc up on his invitation to veer into California and stop in for a visit. The same with Mickey Knox.

Sadly, the HUAC thing continued to cause pain for Marc up until the end of his life. His companion at the time, a woman named Gloria, urged me during our pre-book discussions not to bring up the whole HUAC ordeal. Mark lost many friendships, including Mickey, Jeff Corey and even Tony Quinn (though in later years there was a soirt of reconciliation. Much must have been forgiven as Tony even agreed to write the Foreword to our project.

Am happy to answer any specific questions (if I can). As I just told Moira, really enjoy participating on this Board and am honored that many of you find interest in my postings.