You were the last of Hollywood's Golden Age stars, Mr. Douglas: your
status nothing short of superheroic in a wide range of films, from Mark Robson's pugnacious "The Champion" to Vincente Minnelli's moving Van Gogh biopic, "Lust for Life" to Elia Kazan's existential "The Arrangement" to John Frankenheimer's intense "Seven Days in May" to Stanley Kubrick's questioning "Paths of Glory" to Kevin Billington's offbeat "Light at the Edge of the World" to Michele Lupo's thrilling "The Master Touch" (aka, "A Man to Respect").
In science-fiction/fantasy/horror, you raised the content of Don Taylor's “The Final Countdown”; Brian De Palma's “The Fury”; Alberto De Martino's “Holocaust 2000” (aka, "Rain of Fire"); Stanley Donen's “Saturn 3”; and Richard Fleischer's “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". You also proved a competent vocalist in Sherman Yellen's '73 musical version of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"; and left your indelible mark on my favorite “Tales from the Crypt”, Robert Zemeckis' war-torn “Yellow”.
In science-fiction/fantasy/horror, you raised the content of Don Taylor's “The Final Countdown”; Brian De Palma's “The Fury”; Alberto De Martino's “Holocaust 2000” (aka, "Rain of Fire"); Stanley Donen's “Saturn 3”; and Richard Fleischer's “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". You also proved a competent vocalist in Sherman Yellen's '73 musical version of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"; and left your indelible mark on my favorite “Tales from the Crypt”, Robert Zemeckis' war-torn “Yellow”.
In the gutsy adventure arena, you covered even greater ground, particularly in westerns, wrestling David Miller's “Lonely Are the Brave”; King Vidor's “Man Without a Star”; Joseph L. Mankiewicz's "There Was a Crooked Man"; Hal Needham's "The Villain" (aka, "Cactus Jack"); Robert Aldrich's "The Last Sunset"; Lamont Johnson's dual-ending “A
Gunfight”; and John Sturges' celebrated “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral”, where you portrayed the incomparable John "Doc" Holliday.
However, my favorites among your rugged outings will remain threefold: Richard Fleischer's “The Vikings”, where as the crafty Einor, you smoothly transitioned from villainy to sympathy; Mario Camerini's "Ulysses", where you epitomized one the greatest legends of any age; and Stanley Kubrick's "Spartacus", where you gained a pledge of support from sword-and-sandal fans that will spearhead its way into centuries to come.
However, my favorites among your rugged outings will remain threefold: Richard Fleischer's “The Vikings”, where as the crafty Einor, you smoothly transitioned from villainy to sympathy; Mario Camerini's "Ulysses", where you epitomized one the greatest legends of any age; and Stanley Kubrick's "Spartacus", where you gained a pledge of support from sword-and-sandal fans that will spearhead its way into centuries to come.
They sure as hell don’t make ‘em like you
anymore, Mr. Douglas, but your movies will continue to resonate, if only to show future generations of actors and admirers how it can--and should--be done.
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