Kirk Douglas on Losing a Role To Marlon Brando | The Dick Cavett Show

we were talking about the pleasures of writing and yet of course it's always dumped upon by those who are doomed to do it as the loneliest most wretched profession that drives all of its practitioners to alcoholism virtually and all kinds of suffering but I don't know course you see to begin with I never had any secret ambition to be a writer never occurred to me to be a writer I was always fascinated with the written word ever since I was a kid I've read voraciously I've always when I came to Hollywood I always felt they at the beginning they ignored the writer of the screenplay it was hard to find him he was in some cubicle you'd say but my first guy said look I'd like to talk to the writer they looked at me like was I some kind of a nut want to talk to the writer got him in solitary almost that of course now writers if screenplay are more recognized but I never thought about writing until I wrote my autobiography which I wrote this sort of a catharsis it gave me a chance to find out where I was where I am where I'm going and out of that I became interested in writing and it still fascinates me to think I'm here talking to you about a book as a radical instead of one of my 80 movies in some way it must feel like you're playing the part of writer wait a minute what are you doing here would john wayne think you were kind of a for being a man of letters to think your old buddy oh god yes I mean he thought I was a he was very very he was very very disappointed in me because we did four movies again he's very disappointed in me when I did yeah at plate van Gogh unless for life and we had a private showing of it after that he looked at me Kirby says how can you play a sniveling weakling who commits suicide yeah cuz I'm John I'm you know I'm an actor I'm trying to play a cat no he says we've got an image to maintain for the public so you know I mean John when I think John would not and I love that guy but John would not look kindly and the fact that I'm writing a novel I don't think he'd appreciate that do you think van Gogh was a little too unmasked Yulin for his taste oh yeah but he to him he was unforgivable he showed weakness and I portray men I like to find if see my idea even in a novel or in the movie that I played that played a lot of as you described unscrupulous people but I always fought a fine if you're playing a strong character I want to see where he's weak there you play a weak character what is he strong because everybody has a mixture of the elements that's interesting because there's a fine acting teacher miss well she's due to the Yale Drama School always referred to that as the in the armor and the character well that's what's interesting finally I wanted to be let them see you macho or the completely we chuckling what is that which may a weakness or a strength generally never make a pass at you was he supposed to what kind of a wide-eyed look let me just held that up on a card be sure and ask you and they said he's got a great story here but the time in the backseat of a car here give me that card I guess I was alluding to a moment in a movie and you know the one I mean where you turn and walk away and he kind of and you proved to be bare-assed what am I thinking about when I was bare ass in several movies yeah but with joy before Michael ever was with Michael made it really fashionable but with John Wayne what does what is that thing with that I don't realize that you walk away that you're wearing only your hose I had long johns I had my Long John done and that was my idea and to have my gun there and I'm having a scene with him but when I walk away you see that even that his pants on but he still carries his gun with him that was the idea you wouldn't white bear I didn't see the Douglass buttons at that one well I but if you look at enough movies you'll catch it now and then what does it say about me that I imagine that I saw the man there no I'm sincerely in the beholder and so he's evil I I was mad about John Wayne I'm willing to say that about a mother man right here on television whatever they think about noise I think that most people can fault that whenever the Pentagon were mapping out a military action they always consulted John Wayne right a real soldier said to me I like his movies but in the army we used to call it the right way and the John Wayne way and I'm afraid that might've hurt John's feelings someone also asked me once if you got any guts to ask him or none of his strapping sons ever served a moment in the Armed Forces and I didn't have a gut well you are you asking me now if you want to accept the quest course I didn't mean to be to begin with you see in this political campaign I'm always intrigued you talk about World War 2 that was the last of the so-called real Wars there were the black guy the black hats and the white hat these I went down there listed in the Navy became an honor what other alternative you have the Vietnam War we had to put that behind us was a terrible war I was against the Vietnam War I never thought why we were going in there it was a rich man's war my son Michael wasn't in the war because he has had back problems he probably inherited from me yeah a back problem which he couldn't pass it didn't pass the physical for which I was delighted I never approved of that war I felt sorry for all the veterans who came out of that war the way they were mistreated by our own government who sent them there yeah that's a mistake that we've made and it should be put behind us I often wonder why mr. Clinton for example has never said I hope they don't think I would not have gone into World War two because I'm afraid some old-timers just never have seen the difference between Vietnam and I'm I would assume that he would you see you can't compare the two right I can't assume that and by the way I'm you misunderstood me someone asked me if I had the guts to ask John Wayne white his sons had never been and nor he and Wayne has never been in I mean people assume that John was at least took two islands during the war no well for whatever reason I never asked him I wasn't interested can you in two minutes explain how your feelings must have been hurt when some nobody got a part you wanted in some obscure thing called Trek line cafe no no matter of fact truck lanka's say I dying to play that part a play and play on Broadway I didn't get the part I went to see the opening night and I saw this guy on the stage with in my part mumbling and mumbling and I thought oh my god how much better I would be in that part and then finally in the third act he erupted and electrified the audience and I looked in the program who's that guy Marlon Brando that change that name he was excellent yeah yeah somebody said that it would almost gave the actress who played with the nervous breakdown because it was so electrifying and that was his technique he would do almost nothing nothing nothing nothing in suddenly bang yeah he was but he is ruined more actors because people try to imitate that style they can it did kind of give birth to a school of acting and some of the people who tried to appear to also happen to have talent but it's better safe to say we would not have had Newman and Jimmy Dean and certain people a friend who hadn't made it opened the door to a different kind possibly but he also opened the door to a lot of bad acting because you don't get those actors well I don't why should I go from here to there I don't feel like it doesn't motivate me the guy said you go from here to there because you're paid to go from here to there you just find a reason to go there ya know is that sort of silly type of acting no I think Marlon introduced more bad actors because they tried to imitate what which was very unique in original to him sir are you guys friends at all no I mean I I've met him briefly no I don't know him at all but not enemies not at all so with that dead was delivery the way you said no I there was so much power behind it that I thought maybe were emphatic ly not friends it's not bad at all yeah from what little I know about him as an actor I admire him as a person I don't know enough about him I don't know you know where it really where he's that do you think you by the idea that Hollywood has really destroyed anybody or do they destroy themselves both things are true but success Nick is very difficult to deal with and when you have success in in my profession it's so overwhelming yeah that you let have to learn how to handle it you know that's why I admire Michael I think he handles his success he knows what's make believing what's real he deals with himself as a person that's very important because I think a lot of people in in my profession end up miserable because of failure is easier to handle why don't you and a few of your friends who can't write as well as you do get together and you do a book on how to survive success I think it'd be a terrific it would apply to people not only in show business but a lot of other fields doing it I think I try to do that with my with my son's I think that's a personal thing that you try to relate to people who are close to you did you see basic instincts yet of course of course I thought it was a great movie from the point of acting I think that a lot of people are so overwhelmed by the explicit sexuality of it yeah I told Michael I think it's one of the best acting jobs he's ever done mm-hmm because it was a very complicated character was always on the edge you know so you're not entirely ashamed of Michael's work a shame I just think you read I think I heard Chuck met once when he got an Oscar the feelings of welled up in you were so oh he's got two Oscars yeah I have never gotten an Oscar I've been nominated I I got nominees are lots of things I don't tell it always a bridesmaid in the bride's never well congratulations on a splendid life well actually it's over and all of us are going to remember you fondly thank you thank you so when they give those Lifetime Achievement Awards I somebody say my life is over what the hell is there I always think somebody's looking at it yeah had a health reports and she's we better give this guy an award quick I was alluding to your close shave with the groom Reaper in that helicopter and I'm here please come back every decade from now on thank you Kirk Douglas you wrote he wrote the gift by God we'll see you next time [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: The Dick Cavett Show

Views: 482,544

Keywords: Talk Show, Dick Cavett, kirk douglas, kirk douglas interview, michael douglas, kirk douglas dick cavett, kirk douglas marlon brando, kirk douglas death, kirk douglas movies, kirk douglas died, kirk douglas dead, kirk douglas age, kirk douglas actor, kirk douglas dies, kirk douglas wife, kirk douglas 103, kirk douglas van gogh, lust for life, godfrey gao, kirk douglas nra, muere kirk douglas, joel douglas, natalie wood death, sam and dave, Did Kirk Douglas have a stroke?

Id: xbMDdnhPN_c

Length: 10min 54sec (654 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 07 2020