News

Over the 96 years of Academy Awards history, over 900 men and women have been honored with acting nominations. On July 4, 2024, the oldest surviving acting winner (or nominee) has turned 100 years old. Our research shows that Eva Marie Saint joins a very short list of centenarians who received Oscar acting nominations, with four winning the award.

A star of stage, radio, TV and film, Saint won the Best Supporting Actress statue in 1955 for her debut movie performance in “On the Waterfront;” she is also the earliest surviving acting winner, and one of the last stars of the Golden Era. She later starred alongside Cary Grant in one of Alfred Hitchcock‘s most acclaimed films, “North by Northwest” (1959), and became known to a younger generation as Clark Kent’s adoptive mother in “Superman Returns” (2006). Although she’s never received another Oscar nomination, she’s earned five Emmy nominations, winning Best Miniseries Supporting Actress...

Darryl Hickman, a child actor in Leave Her to Heaven and The Grapes of Wrath, died at 92 on Wednesday, May 22, his family said. No cause was given.

Hickman appeared in more than 40 films, having been a contract player at Paramount and MGM.

He portrayed the youngest member of the Joad family, Winfield, in John Ford’s 1940 adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath, as well as a role as the younger version of Van Heflin’s character in the 1946 noir, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.

In 1945’s Leave Her to Heaven, Hickman played Danny, younger brother to Cornel Wilde’s Richard. Danny was disabled by polio and when he comes to live with Richard and his wife, Ellen (Gene Tierney). He drowns by Ellen’s hand in the middle of a lake due to jealousy of Richard’s affection for the boy.

In 1951, he briefly retired from acting to enter a monastery,...

Darryl Hickman, who appeared in such films as The Grapes of Wrath and Leave Her to Heaven as a youngster before becoming a CBS executive in charge of daytime drama and an actor once more, has died. He was 92.

Hickman, who lived in Montecito, died Wednesday, his family announced.

He was the older brother (by three years) of the late Dwayne Hickman, who starred on the 1959-63 CBS comedy The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Darryl appeared with his brother in Captain Eddie (1945) — he played famed fighter pilot Eddie Rickenbacker as a boy — and on three first-season episodes of Dobie as older brother Davey, who came home from college.

In 1951, after appearances in more than 40 movies, Hickman — who had been a contract player at Paramount and MGM — became disillusioned with the business and entered a monastery, though he was back in show business before long.

Hickman had made his first...

Stars like Kirk Douglas and Sean Connery defined action in their eras, leading to the rise of blockbuster franchises like James Bond. Charles Bronson brought a gritty and brutal edge to action movies in the 70s, influencing the tough vigilante archetype. Keanu Reeves and Dwayne Johnson exemplify the evolution of action stars, showcasing versatile talent in stunts, martial arts, and compelling stories.

Action movies have changed a lot over the decades, and that is reflected in the stars that rose to the top and became the most popular action heroes of their era. The action genre is a lot more than just fights, explosions, and guns, and it has been responsible for highlighting some incredible talent in Hollywood. With each new decade, there has been a shift in who becomes the biggest star in action movies, defining that generation's idea of action stars and the movies they appear in.

Action...

The third ‘Essential’ noir collection is easily [Imprint]’s best, with two genuine classics of the style plus two excellent and equally entertaining thrillers. The directors are first-rank: Lewis Milestone, Mitchell Leisen, William Dieterle and William Wyler. Top stars are present too: Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lisabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas, William Holden, Alexis Smith, Edmond O’Brien, Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March. The high-quality suspense and jeopardy are uniquely noir: The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, No Man Of Her Own, The Turning Point and The Desperate Hours. [Imprint] taps bona fide experts for the xtras.

Essential Film Noir Collection 3

Blu-ray (Region-Free)

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, No Man Of Her Own, The Turning Point, The Desperate Hours

Viavision [Imprint] 148, 149, 150, 151

1946 – 1955 / B&w / 1:37 Academy (3), 1:78 widescreen (1) / 411 min. / Street Date August 31, 2022 / Available from Viavision [Imprint] / au 139.95 , Amazon / 136.64

Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lisabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas; Barbara Stanwyck, John Lund, Lyle Bettger; William Holden, Alexis Smith,...

The film is Icelandiic director Hlynur Palmason’s third film following ‘Winter Brothers’ and ‘A White, White Day’.

New Europe Film Sales has boarded Icelandic writer/director Hlynur Palmason’s Godland, a feature that was shot in Iceland under the radar in 2021 and has today been confirmed for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard.

New Europe also sold the director’s first two features, Winter Brothers and A White, White Day, as well as his latest short Nest, which premiered at Berlinale 2022.

Godland is set in the late 19th century, when a young Danish priest (Elliott Crosset Hove) travels to a remote...

Kicking off today’s news round-up, Kristen Stewart will lead the next film from Saint Maud director Rose Glass. Titled Love Lies Bleeding, THR reports the A24 and Film4 production, co-written by Glass and Weronika Tofilska, follows the “extreme qualities it takes to succeed in the competitive world of bodybuilding.”

Josh and Benny Safdie are also lining up a few new projects. IndieWire let it slip that following Uncut Gems, the duo is developing a new project with star Adam Sandler, but no other details were given. Meanwhile, the brothers will executive produce a new documentary on the late, great Andy Kaufman, THR reports. Directed by Alex Braverman, the project will also be produced by Morgan Neville and Rick Rubin, and feature never-before-seen archival materials.

As Paris, District 13th arrives in the U.S. theaters, Jacques Audiard is once again going an unexpected route for his next film. He told...

Film4 developed project alongside filmmakers, will co-finance with A24, which handles global release.

Kristen Stewart, fresh off her Oscar nomination for Spencer, will star in Saint Maud director and Bifa winner Rose Glass’s romantic thriller follow-up Love Lies Bleeding for A24 and Film4.

The project is reportedly set in the world of competitive bodybuilding and based on a screenplay Glass co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska. The official synopsis provided by the companies describes it as “a romance fuelled by ego, desire and the American Dream”.

A24 will produce alongside Andrea Cornwell for Lobo Films and Oliver Kassman for Escape Plan Productions,...

Film4 developed project alongside filmmakers, will co-finance with A24, which handles global release.

Kristen Stewart, fresh off her Oscar nomination for Spencer, will star in Saint Maud director and Bifa winner Rose Glass’s romantic thriller follow-up Love Lies Bleeding for A24 and Film4.

The project is reportedly set in the world of competitive bodybuilding and based on a screenplay Glass co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska. The official synopsis provided by the companies describes it as “a romance fuelled by ego, desire and the American Dream”.

A24 will produce alongside Andrea Cornwell for Lobo Films and Oliver Kassman for Escape Plan Productions,...

Academy Award Nominee Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”) is set to star in romantic thriller “Love Lies Bleeding” for A24 and Film4, according to an individual with knowledge of the project.

Acclaimed director and double BAFTA nominee Rose Glass (“Saint Maud”) will direct from a script she co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska.

Although plot details are being kept under wraps, the logline for “Love Lies Bleeding” describes the project as a romance fuelled by ego, desire and the American Dream.

Film4 have developed the film alongside the filmmakers and will co-finance alongside A24. A24 will produce alongside Andrea Cornwell for Lobo Films and Oliver Kassman for Escape Plan Productions. A24 will also handle the global release of the film.

Stewart nabbed her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for portraying Diana Spencer in the biopic “Spencer,” which was directed by Pablo Larrain. Previously, she starred in the holiday themed romantic comedy “Happiest Season.

Up next from Saint Maud director Rose Glass is a romantic thriller for A24 titled Love Lies Bleeding, and we’ve learned that Oscar-nominee Kristen Stewart is set to star! Acclaimed director and double BAFTA nominee Rose Glass teams with A24 and Film4 for the new film. Glass will direct from a script she co-wrote with […]

The post ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ – Kristen Stewart Starring in A24 Thriller from ‘Saint Maud’ Director! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

On the heels of her first Oscar nomination for Spencer, Kristen Stewart has signed on to star in the A24 film Love Lies Bleeding from director Rose Glass (Saint Maud), Deadline has confirmed.

The romantic thriller examines a romance fueled by ego, desire and the American Dream. Glass is directing from the script she co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska. Film4 developed the project alongside the filmmakers and will co-finance alongside A24, which is producing and handling the pic’s global release. Andrea Cornwell will also produce for Lobo Films, alongside Oliver Kassman for Escape Plan Productions.

Glass is a double BAFTA nominee whose debut feature Saint Maud won her the Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director at the British Independent Film Awards, along with Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker of the Year at the London Film Critics Circle Awards.

Stewart portrayed Princess Diana in Pablo Larraín’s Spencer and has also...

Lewis Milestone directed this poetic, optimistic ode to the American infantryman, a ‘lone patrol’ saga that emphasizes its soldiers’ hopes and fears. The lineup of fresh, eager acting talent is remarkable: Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, George Tyne, John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges, Sterling Holloway, Norman Lloyd, Herbert Rudley, Richard Benedict, Huntz Hall, James Cardwell, Steve Brodie. Voiceovers and ‘ballads’ give a six-mile beachhead incursion the tone of a spiritual rumination. A beautiful full film restoration brings the image back to prime quality. The controversial filmmakers and the unusual production circumstances are covered in Alan K. Rode’s commentary.

A Walk in the Sun

Blu-ray + DVD

Kit Parker Films / Mvd Visual

1945 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 117 min. / Street Date January 18, 2022 / The Definitive Restoration / Available from Amazon / 29.95

Starring: Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, George Tyne, John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges, Sterling Holloway, Norman Lloyd, Herbert Rudley, Richard Benedict, Huntz Hall, James Cardwell, Steve Brodie, Matt Willis,...

Well, this is surreal. On Thursday, July 22, VH1 announced that The Surreal Life will be rebooted with a new slew of celebrity participants for fall 2021. As fans of the iconic series well know, The Surreal Life puts a batch of celebrities under one roof, causing countless headline-making reality TV moments. In fact, we have The Surreal Life, which originally ran for six seasons between 2003 and 2006, to thank for America's Next Top Model star Adrianne Curry's unexpected marriage to The Brady Bunch's Christopher Knight and Flavor Flav's revived success in the '00s, including his spinoff shows, Strange Love and Flavor of Love. Oh, and we'd be remiss if we didn't...

VH1 is diving back into the world of sur-reality TV.

The network is reviving The Surreal Life, a series that follows a group of celebrities as they cohabitate in a mansion and engage in drama-filled group challenges, Deadline reports.

More from TVLineRuPaul's Drag Race Finale Recap: Did the Right Queen Win Season 13?RuPaul's Drag Race Season 13 Finale: Who Will Win? And Who Should Win?Drag Race Reunion Rehashes Utica's Roast, That Untucked Fight and More

The upcoming Season 7, which is set to premiere this fall, will feature former NBA pro Dennis Rodman, rapper August Alsina, adult film star Stormy Daniels,...

Throughout its seven-year run on HBO, the supernatural series, True Blood, faced its fair share of criticism for some of its baffling plot turns and bizarre actions. One of the main characters that was often brought up by the fandom for being problematic was the vampire Bill Compton.

Related: True Blood: Anna Paquin's 10 Best Movies, Ranked By IMDb

Since his appearance in the series premiere, "Strange Love," the undead character was often denounced by fan and critics for exhibiting behaviors that were considered to be toxic and controlling. Not only did he treat Sookie Stackhouse badly but he also committed some very horrific deeds against his fellow undead citizens.

Before he was brought to life on the small screen by Stephen Moyer for the popular HBO series True Blood, Bill Compton existed solely in print as author Charlaine Harris's creation for her novel series The Southern Vampire Mysteries. He first appeared in both Dead Until Dark,  (the first novel in the bestselling author's supernatural collection) as well as the premiere episode of True Blood, "Strange Love."

Related: True Blood: Why We're Excited About A Reboot (& Why We're Not)

Though the vampire quickly became a popular character and main love interest for the title character Sookie Stackhouse on the HBO show, not all fans of Vampire Bill knew just how many differences there were between the television adaptation and Harris's original creation. Here are some of the most notable and surprising differences between the two versions of the beloved undead character.

Exclusive: Thinkfactory Media, the TV production company behind hit reality franchises such as Marriage Boot Camp and scripted series including Emmy-winning Hatfields & McCoys, has signed with ICM Partners for global representation.

Run by CEO and veteran producer Adam Reed, Thinkfactory Media, an ITV America company, produces unscripted fare that spans a variety of genres and formats for broadcast, cable and streaming partners. Current and recent series include A&e’s What’s it Worth?, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, We tv’s Marriage Boot Camp empire, encompassing flagship Reality Stars, alongside Family Edition and Hip Hop Edition, as well as We tv’s megahit Mama June: From Not to Hot.

Thinkfactory also recently announced a new unscripted project with Carole Baskin, the big cat activist of Tiger King fame, and her husband Harold Baskin, that will expose animal exploitation. The company currently has other unscripted projects set with History, TBS, Lifetime and TLC.

Kirk Douglas is one of Hollywood’s most legendary actors. Mostly known for his explosive acting style, he starred in over 90 films. Born Issur Danielovitch, Douglas made his debut in 1946 for The Strange Love of Martha Ivers with Barbara Stanwyck. From there, his career soared with heroic roles throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood. And he was touted as a male screen legend by the American Film Institute. May he rest in peace.

Related: Al Pacino’s 10 Most Iconic Roles, Ranked

In honor of this great legend, here are among his best roles that defined him and his career and must be seen to be believed.

We lost Kirk Douglas last week, and TCM today set a 24-hour marathon of programming featuring the legend of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The seminar actor’s life and career will be in the spotlight on March 5.

The “TCM Remembers Kirk Douglas” block will showcase 11 of his classic films — including Spartacus, Man with a Horn and Paths of Glory — along with the 2018 special

Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival: Michael Douglas, in which Ben Mankiewicz interviews the late star’s actor-producer son, Michael Douglas, at the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival. See the full program below.

Speaking of Spartacus and the TCM film fest, the event’s 2020 edition in April has set a 60th anniversary screening of the classic pic in a world-premiere 70mm print from a 4k restoration by Universal Pictures.

Peter Bart: Remembering Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas & ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’

Here’s the schedule for...

Kirk Douglas always comes out fighting. I use the present tense, because it’s damn near impossible to think of this paragon of golden-age Hollywood stardom any other way.

Yes, his son Michael Douglas formally announced yesterday that his father had died at the Methuselah-level age of 103, but it’s still hard to think this pugnacious defender of the underdog is really gone. Say these three words aloud — “I am Spartacus” — and you’ll conjure up the image of Douglas, a strapping 44 years old at the time, bearing down on...

Los Angeles – From his chiseled-from-marble good looks to his actor intensity on screen, Kirk Douglas defined the very concept of Movie Star. The actor also broke records for longevity, living to the ripe old age of 103. Kirk Douglas died of natural causes on February 5th, 2020, at his home in Los Angeles.

Douglas was known for his fierce commitment to his craft, and his independent spirit … he formed his own production company after dissatisfaction with the movie studio system of his era. He made several classic films, even a popular Walt Disney live action feature. He was father to Oscar-winner Michael Douglas, as well as three other sons from two marriages (his was married to his second wife for 66 years). He also committed his life to several charitable causes.

I Am Kirk Douglas: The Actor in ‘Spartacus’

Photo credit: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Douglas was born Issur Danielovich in Amsterdam, New...

Martin Amis’ 1984 novel “Money,” inspired by his painful experiences as the screenwriter of the disastrous 1980 sci-fi movie “Saturn 3,” includes a character based on “Saturn 3” star Kirk Douglas: “Lorne Guyland,” an aging but still virile screen legend, “had, in his time, on stage or screen, interpreted the roles of Genghis Khan, Al Capone, Marco Polo, Huckleberry Finn, Charlemagne, Paul Revere, Erasmus, Wyatt Earp, Voltaire, Sky Masterson, Einstein, Jack Kennedy, Rembrandt, Babe Ruth, Oliver Cromwell, Amerigo Vespucci, Zorro, Darwin, Sitting Bull, Freud, Napoleon, Spider-Man, Macbeth, Melville, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Methuselah, Mozart, Merlin, Marx, Mars, Moses and Jesus Christ.”

And while “Money” is not, on the whole, particularly kind to Kirk Douglas, this list does reflect the breadth and scope of a screen career that started in 1946 and culminated in the early 21st century.

On screen, Douglas was the epitome of the square-jawed leading man, whether he was playing a Roman slave,...

Kirk Douglas, one of the last stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age who died on Wednesday at 103, never won an Academy Award despite three nominations during the height of his career. In 1996, half a century after his film debut in “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers” (1946), the academy awarded him an honorary Oscar “for 50 years as a creative and moral force in the motion picture community” (watch above).

The award was presented to Douglas, then 79, by Steven Spielberg, who extolled the icon’s key role in helping to “hammer the blacklist to pieces,” in addition to his cinematic contributions. Douglas famously fought for writer Dalton Trumbo to be credited on “Spartacus” (1960), breaking down barriers for other blacklisted creatives.

At the time of the ceremony, Douglas was recovering from a stroke that he had suffered two months earlier in January, which Spielberg referenced. “Whether he’s dealing with a character onscreen...

Kirk Douglas: Lifetime Achievement Award recipient at the 1st Annual Hollywood Film Awards® in 1997. Douglas came to silver screen stardom during the Golden Age of Hollywood in films like “Spartacus,” “Ace In the Hole”, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “Paths of Glory,” among many others. Visit Hollywood Film Awards® “Kirk Douglas was an American actor, producer, director, philanthropist and author. After an impoverished childhood with immigrant parents and six sisters, he made his film debut in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Douglas soon developed into a leading box-office star throughout the 1950s, known for serious dramas, including westerns and war films. During his career, he appeared in more than 90 films. Douglas was known for his explosive acting style, which he displayed as a criminal defense attorney in Town Without Pity (1961). Douglas became an international star through positive reception for his leading role as an unscrupulous...

Tony Sokol Feb 5, 2020

Kirk Douglas, an icon of Hollywood's Golden Age, was as heroic as some of the characters he played.

Stage and screen actor, producer, director and writer Kirk Douglas, whose career spanned more than 60 years, died Wednesday at the age of 103, according to Variety.

“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” his son, actor Michael Douglas, said in a statement.

“To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to. But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne,...

Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas is dead at the age of 103. The three-time Oscar nominee defied the Hollywood blacklist when he gave rightful credit screenwriter Dalton Trumbo on the film “Spartacus.” That move gave new life to careers of many directors, actors and writers accused of Communist ties in the 1950s.

Over his own career and beyond, Douglas received an honorary Academy Award, American Film Institute life achievement ward, Kennedy Center Honors, Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild life achievement award and National Medal of Arts. Tour our photo gallery above to see how we rank his greatest 15 films an an actor.

SEECelebrity Deaths 2020: In Memoriam Gallery

Born in 1916, Douglas kicked off his acting career after serving in the Navy during WWII. He made his film debut with a small role in “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers” (1946). His first Oscar nomination as Best Actor...

Kirk Douglas has died at the age of 103 leaving behind an iconic Hollywood legacy that included 92 acting credits and 75 films.

His son Michael, 75, shared an emotional statement with People announcing the news: “It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103. To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.”

The actor continued,...

Michael Douglas pays tribute to “a legend, a humanitarian”.

Kirk Douglas, the feisty and beloved star of Spartacus and Lust For Life and committed humanitarian activist, has died. He was 103.

Announcing the death on Instagram, son Michael Douglas paid tribute to “a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.”

In a statement, Steven Spielberg said, ”Kirk retained his movie star charisma right to the end of his wonderful life...

Legendary actor and producer Kirk Douglas died Wednesday at the age of 103. The actor, who rose to fame from performances in films like “Champion,” which earned him an Oscar nomination in 1949, was among the last living figures of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Douglas’ son, actor Michael Douglas, shared news of his father’s passing on Instagram Wednesday afternoon. In addition to Michael Douglas, Kirk Douglas is survived by his wife of 65 years, Anne Buydens, and children, the producers Joel and Peter Douglas.

“To the world he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to,” Michael Douglas wrote.

Kirk Douglas was a leading man of the 1950s with films like “Paths of Glory” and “Spartacus,” two of Stanley Kubrick’s earliest films,...

Kirk Douglas, the epitome of old-school Hollywood star power whose intense performances conveyed his characters’ fiery and sometimes conflicted core, died Wednesday at the age of 103.

“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” his son Michael said in a statement (via People). “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in...

Kirk Douglas, icon of Hollywood’s Golden Age and Spartacus star, has died at the age of 103.

“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” son Michael Douglas said in a statement on Instagram. “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.”

A three-time Academy Award nominee and recipient of an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1996, Douglas will be remembered for a prolific career in which he appeared in close to 100 movies and delivered numerous defining performances.

As well as his titular role in Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 historical epic Spartacus, in which he played the leader of a slave revolt against the Roman republic,...

Kirk Douglas, the dimple-chinned “Spartacus” star with the larger-than-life persona, died Wednesday. He was 103.

He was the father of actor Michael Douglas and paterfamilias of a Hollywood family that included his sons, producers Joel and Peter and grandson Cameron Douglas.

Michael Douglas posted about his father on Instagram, saying, “It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103.”

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It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103. To the world he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to. But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad,...

Kirk Douglas, the prolific actor and producer whose “Spartacus” is credited with helping to end the Hollywood blacklist, patriarch of a successful entertainment dynasty and one of the last surviving stars of Hollywood’s golden age, died Wednesday. He was 103.

“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” his son Michael Douglas said in a statement posted on Instagram. “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.

“But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband.

The murky crimes of sordid characters come to the fore in the wide-open Nevada spaces… producer Hal Wallis’ Technicolor noir concentrates on the possessive and perverse competition for Lizabeth Scott’s luscious blonde — the mother that wants to corral her, the gangster who thinks she’s an escape and the local hunk who wears a badge. Robert Rossen’s edgy screenplay depicts its violent action on a psychological level.

Desert Fury

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1947 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 96 min. / Street Date Feb 26, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Lizabeth Scott, John Hodiak, Wendell Corey, Mary Astor, Kristine Miller, William Harrigan, James Flavin, Anna Camargo, Ray Teal.

Cinematography: Edward Cronjager, Charles Lang

Film Editor: Warren Low

Original Music: Miklos Rosza

Written by Robert Rossen from the novel by Ramona Stewart

Produced by Hal B. Wallis

Directed by Lewis Allen

As he was under contract to Hal Wallis, Burt Lancaster...

Kirk Douglas remarkably celebrates his 102nd birthday on December 9, 2018. The three-time Oscar nominee appeared in dozens of movies in a career that spanned decades. But how many of those titles are classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1916, Douglas kicked off his acting career after serving in the Navy during WWII. He made his film debut with a small role in “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers” (1946). His first Oscar nomination as Best Actor came just three years later for Mark Robson‘s boxing drama “Champion” (1949). He earned two more Oscar bids working with director Vincent Minnelli, first for the Hollywood melodrama “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952) and again for the Vincent Van Gogh biopic “Lust for Life” (1956). The latter film brought him victories at the Golden Globes and New York Film Critics Circle.

Kirk Douglas remarkably celebrates his 102nd birthday on December 9, 2018. The three-time Oscar nominee appeared in dozens of movies in a career that spanned decades. But how many of those titles are classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1916, Douglas kicked off his acting career after serving in the Navy during WWII. He made his film debut with a small role in “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers” (1946). His first Oscar nomination as Best Actor came just three years later for Mark Robson‘s boxing drama “Champion” (1949). He earned two more Oscar bids working with director Vincent Minnelli, first for the Hollywood melodrama “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952) and again for the Vincent Van Gogh biopic “Lust for Life” (1956). The latter film brought him victories at the Golden Globes and New York Film Critics Circle.

By John M. Whalen

It goes without saying that Kirk Douglas is a Hollywood icon. From his first role as Walter O’Neill in “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers,” (1946) to “Spartacus” (1960) and beyond that until his last, so far, appearance in a made for TV movie, he remains—even in retirement after a stroke and a helicopter crash— one of those larger than life movie stars, the kind they just don’t make any more. He had a look and a style. Those shiny white teeth could as easily smile charmingly at you or snarl like a barracuda. His bright blue eyes could be full of tenderness one minute, as in his love scenes in “Spartacus,” or fierce and mean as in “Gunfight at the Ok Corral.” He played complex characters that were always a mix of good and bad, but never evil.

Such a character is Johnny Hawks,...

Spartacus is now a centurion.

Kirk Douglas, one of the last great stars of Hollywood’s golden era, turned 100 on Friday. Born during the height of World War I to poor, illiterate Russian immigrants living in upstate New York, the legendary actor pulled himself out of poverty to become one of the most famous men in the world.

“My parents came from Russia and my original name was Izzy Danielovitch,” Douglas told People in 2015. He changed his name, unwieldy and too Semitic for Hollywood at the time, to Kirk Douglas before pursuing a career in show business. “I wish I had kept it,...

Kirk Douglas, one of Hollywood's most celebrated icons, turns 100 on Friday, marking a milestone in a life filled with some of the best roles a star could hope for and some of the best performances anyone has ever given.

With three Oscar nominations and an honorary Lifetime Achievement Oscar under his belt, Et is taking a look back at some of Douglas' greatest films in honor of his special day.

Photos: 12 Actors' Kids Who Went On To Become Stars

1. Champion (1949)

United Artists

In one of his first leading roles, Douglas starred as a boxer named Midge Kelly, whose rise to fame and stardom in the ring brings out his vain, cruel side in his private life. The black and white noir drama earned Douglas his first of three Oscar nominations.

2. Ace in the Hole (1951)

Paramount Pictures

In this brooding, cynical noir thriller, directed by Billy Wilder, Douglas plays Chuck Tatum, a disgraced...

Noir if I can help it! Sultry Lizabeth Scott out-'fatals' every femme we know in this wickedly ruthless tale of unadulterated female venality. Rough creep Dan Duryea meets his match, as do other unfortunate males that get between Liz and a plump bag of blackmail loot. The Film Noir Foundation's restoration is a valiant rescue job, for a worthy 'annihilating melodrama.' Too Late for Tears Blu-ray + DVD Flicker Alley / FIlm Noir Foundation 1949 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 102 min. / Street Date May 17, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Lizabeth Scott, Don DeFore, Dan Duryea, Arthur Kennedy, Kristine Miller, Barry Kelley Cinematography William Mellor Art Direction James Sullivan Film Editor Harry Keller Original Music Dale Butts Written by Roy Huggins from his story Produced by Hunt Stromberg Directed by Byron Haskin

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Who's doing good work for film preservation? The Film Noir Foundation has racked up some impressive rescues and restorations in the last fifteen years or so,...

Tired of stupid sword 'n' sandal costume pictures? Robert Rossen's all-star bio-epic of the charter founder of the Masons is a superior analysis of political ambition and the ruthless application of power. Yeah, he's wearing a blond wig, but Richard Burton captures the force of Alexander without camping up Asia Minor. Alexander the Great Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1956 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 136 min. / Ship Date March 15, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Richard Burton, Fredric March, Claire Bloom, Danielle Darrieux, Barry Jones, Harry Andrews, Stanley Baker, Niall MacGinnis, Peter Cushing. Cinematography Robert Krasker Art Direction Andrej Andrejew Film Editor Ralph Kemplen Original Music Mario Nascimbene Produced by Gordon Griffith, Robert Rossen Written and Directed by Robert Rossen

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Critical opinions aren't supposed to flip-flop with every screening of a film, but I have to admit that my appreciation of Robert Rossen's 1956 epic Alexander the Great...

'Being Julia' movie: Annette Bening and Shaun Evans 'Being Julia' movie review: Annette Bening showcase tells us a little about Avice A little Being Julia movie background: In Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1950 Oscar-winning classic All About Eve, Bette Davis plays Margo Channing, a major Broadway star who, despite her talent, wit, and some forty-odd years on this planet, falls prey to the youthful, ambitious wannabe Eve Harrington: sweet, soft-spoken Anne Baxter on the outside; ruthless, poisonous gargoyle on the inside.* More than a decade earlier, in 1937 to be exact, W. Somerset Maugham had written Theatre, a novel about West End diva Julia Lambert. In Maugham's tale, Julia, despite her talent, wit, and some forty-odd years on this planet, succumbs to her vanity when she falls madly in love with Tom Fennel, a handsome – and deceptively innocent-looking – American half her age. Through Tom's "special friendship" with the renowned Julia, an ambitious young actress,...

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

Written by Robert Rossen, Robert Riskin

Directed by Lewis Milestone

U.S.A., 1946

As a teenager, Martha Ivers (Janis Wilson) was a petulant rebel who regularly struck the ire of her caretaking aunt, a wicked woman prone to sucking the joy out of Martha’s life even though she offers the youngling a home in her plush Pennsylvania estate. One of the teen’s attempts to run away with street smart Sam Masterson (Darryl Hickman) changes the rest of her life in ways she could never have anticipated. Caught by the police once again and sent back home, Martha unleashes her frustrations on her aunt, murdering her in the process. The only witness to the killing is young Walter O’Neil (Mickey Kuhn), son of Martha’s tutor. Martha claims an intruder killed the vile old creature amidst a frantic escape. Flash forward years...

Lizabeth Scott dead at 92: Film noir star of the '40s and '50s Lizabeth Scott, a Paramount star in the 1940s usually cast as film noir heroines, died of congestive heart failure on Jan. 31, 2015, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Scott, born (as Emma Matzo) on Sept. 29, 1922, was 92. (See also: Lizabeth Scott photo at recent The Strange Love of Martha Ivers screening.) Among the two dozen film featuring Lizabeth Scott – whose hair-style and husky line delivery were clearly inspired by Paramount's own Veronica Lake (along with Warner Bros.' Lauren Bacall) – were the following: John Farrow's You Came Along (1945), with Robert Cummings. Lewis Milestone's The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), with Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, and Kirk Douglas. Desert Fury (1947), with Burt Lancaster. Dead Reckoning (1947), with Humphrey Bogart. Pitfall (1948), with Dick Powell. Dark City (1950), with Charlton Heston. The Racket (1951), with Robert Ryan and Robert Mitchum.

Polly Bergen dead at 84: ‘First woman president of the U.S.A.,’ former mistress of Tony Soprano’s father Emmy Award-winning actress Polly Bergen — whose roles ranged from the first U.S.A. woman president in Kisses for My President to the former mistress of both Tony Soprano’s father and John F. Kennedy in the television hit series The Sopranos — died from "natural causes" on September 20, 2014, at her home in Southbury, Connecticut. The 84-year-old Bergen, a heavy smoker for five decades, had been suffering from emphysema and other ailments since the 1990s. "Most people think I was born in a rich Long Island family," she told The Washington Post in 1988, but Polly Bergen was actually born Nellie Paulina Burgin on July 14, 1930, to an impoverished family in Knoxville, Tennessee. Her father was an illiterate construction worker while her mother got only as far as the third grade. The family...

Marta Heflin, the niece of the Oscar-winning actor Van Heflin and an accomplished actress in her own right, died Sept. 18 after a lengthy illness, according to a paid obituary in The New York Times. She was 68. A stage and cabaret performer with large eyes and a waifish frame that often belied her commanding presence, Heflin frequently worked with film director Robert Altman, in such movies as Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (Altman and Heflin also worked on the Broadway stage version together), A Perfect Couple and A Wedding. In addition, reports The Times, Heflin...

Broadway actress Marta Heflin dead at 68: Featured in several Robert Altman movies (photo: Marta Heflin in ‘A Perfect Couple’) Stage actress Marta Heflin, who was featured in a handful of movies in the ’70s and early ’80s, including three Robert Altman efforts, died on September 18, 2013, after "a long illness." Heflin (born on March 29, 1945, in Washington, D.C.) was 68. On Broadway, Marta Heflin was featured in the musicals Fiddler on the Roof, Hair, Soon, and Jesus Christ Superstar (replacing Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene). Additionally, she was seen in Ed Graczyk’s Robert Altman-directed 1982 play Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, about a group of James Dean fans — among them Karen Black, Cher, Sandy Dennis, Kathy Bates, Sudie Bond, and Mark Patton — who get together on the twentieth anniversary of Dean’s death. Marta Heflin movies Along with her fellow Come Back to the Five and Dime,...

Marta Heflin, an actress from a famous Hollywood family who appeared for Robert Altman in the Broadway and film versions of Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, has died. She was 68. Heflin, who also starred as a young groupie matched up with a middle-aged businessman (Paul Dooley) in Altman’s romantic comedy A Perfect Couple, died Sept. 18 after a long illness, according to a paid obituary in The New York Times. Heflin’s uncle was Oscar-winning actor Van Heflin (Johnny Eager, Shane, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers), and her aunt was Frances

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Masterful in its silences, a little less so in its chatter, writer/director Noah Buschel's Sparrows Dance begins almost as a tribute to Chantal Akerman’s masterpiece, Jeanne Dielman, 23 Qual du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, the difference mainly being a dissimilar choice of heroines. Instead of a bored housewife turned prostitute, we have a former actress turned agoraphobic who hasn't left her apartment in over year.

Additionally, here the heroine has no name, at least her moniker's never revealed. Instead she's listed as Woman in Apartment (Marin Ireland) on the credits. That's possibly why in many of the early shots her physiognomy is blocked out. She's lying in the bathtub with a white washcloth over her face. We view her from the back as she vigorously rides her exercise bike. Or we just see her eye as she stares out of her peephole to make sure she’s safe.

The camera...