Posted on 02/06/2020 8:12:04 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Before World War II, Depression-era Americans wanted their Hollywood male leads to be suave and sophisticated, whether they were in dramatic or humorous roles. After World War II, however, Americans craved authentic men on the screen — and in Kirk Douglas, they got a movie star so authentic, so searing, that even today Douglas is still a cultural touchpoint.
Issur Danielovitch Demsky, better known as Kirk Douglas, was born into poverty on December 9, 1916, in Amsterdam, New York. He died on February 5, 2020, at age 103, in Beverly Hills, California, not only wealthy, but also one of the most admired actors Hollywood has ever produced.
Douglas's life trajectory epitomized the opportunities available to hardworking first-generation American children hungry for success. He started on the bottom-most rung of the American ladder, writing in his autobiography The Ragman's Son:
"My father, who had been a horse trader in Russia, got himself a horse and a small wagon, and became a ragman, buying old rags, pieces of metal, and junk for pennies, nickels, and dimes[.] ... Even on Eagle Street, in the poorest section of town, where all families were struggling, the ragman was on the lowest rung on the ladder. And I was the ragman's son."
Douglas knew he could do better. Through hard work and intelligence, he put himself through St. Lawrence University, graduating in 1939 with a B.A. During college, he worked as a gardener, a janitor, and even a carnival wrestler. After graduating, Douglas earned a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.
In December 1941, after Pearl Harbor, Douglas joined the U.S. Navy, serving as a communications officer in anti-submarine warfare. He was medically discharged in 1944. By that time, he had married, and his first child was on the way.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Pound me too. Yeah, we heard all the allegations from the grave yesterday. Poor, bitter people. Yawn....
RE: Apparently you choose to live in a bubble... the story has been common knowledge for about 50 years
OK I choose NOT to live in a bubble, show me the documentary or the name of the original published article ( Date and Publication ).
RE: It was reported there was more than her.
WHO reported it? Can we have some documentation please. Reliable ones please. A link will be helpful.
RE: Natalie Wood??? Age 15-16??? Yeah another great Hollywood pedophile abuser bites the dust.
There is no recorded instance of Natalie Wood accusing Douglas of committing this act. She never even said she was raped by anyone.
If there was, I’d like you to show it to me — AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT, like the starlets who accused Harvey Weinstein.
This is putting words in the mouth of someone who died 30+ years ago.
The story has its roots in a Gawker piece, in which a guy claiming to be Robert Downey Jr. was posting the story all over message boards a few years ago, claiming he heard it from Wood’s daughter. Of course, the fact that the guy, who also doxxed Wood’s daughter and gave out her home phone, turned out not be Downey and was a fraud isn’t getting mentioned. SEE HERE:
http://gawker.com/5893793/did-robert-downey-jr-really-just-accuse-kirk-douglas-of-a-brutal-rape
Prior to that, the only instance of the story was a tabloid book, in which the author said he heard it from anonymous family members that Wood was raped by an actor, but no one was identified. Instead, vague clues were given (he has a famous son, etc), but the writer would not go on record and name anyone. Other than that, it’s on a handful of gossip blogs.
So this is the basis we’re going to destroy people now? It’s not even a matter of “believe all women>” Now, it’s believe all unsourced rumors, third-hand gossip or blind items, regardless of whether an accusation was ever even made on record by a victim.
A quick scan of twitter shows hundreds of posts, claiming Douglas is “a known rapist” and other such outlandish hyperbole. Uninformed people on social media forming a lynch mob (many think it’s a fact that Wood is on record with the claim, I HAVE NOT READ SUCH CLAIMS) should not be the basis of reporting as “fact.” Few, if any, are taking issue with the claims.
There is no recorded instance of Natalie Wood accusing Douglas of committing this act. She never even said she was raped by anyone.
If there was, I’d like you to show it to me — AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT, like the starlets who accused Harvey Weinstein.
This is putting words in the mouth of someone who died 30+ years ago.
The story has its roots in a Gawker piece, in which a guy claiming to be Robert Downey Jr. was posting the story all over message boards a few years ago, claiming he heard it from Wood’s daughter. Of course, the fact that the guy, who also doxxed Wood’s daughter and gave out her home phone, turned out not be Downey and was a fraud isn’t getting mentioned. SEE HERE:
http://gawker.com/5893793/did-robert-downey-jr-really-just-accuse-kirk-douglas-of-a-brutal-rape
Prior to that, the only instance of the story was a tabloid book, in which the author said he heard it from anonymous family members that Wood was raped by an actor, but no one was identified. Instead, vague clues were given (he has a famous son, etc), but the writer would not go on record and name anyone. Other than that, it’s on a handful of gossip blogs.
So this is the basis we’re going to destroy people now? It’s not even a matter of “believe all women>” Now, it’s believe all unsourced rumors, third-hand gossip or blind items, regardless of whether an accusation was ever even made on record by a victim.
A quick scan of twitter shows hundreds of posts, claiming Douglas is “a known rapist” and other such outlandish hyperbole. Uninformed people on social media forming a lynch mob (many think it’s a fact that Wood is on record with the claim, I HAVE NOT READ SUCH CLAIMS) should not be the basis of reporting as “fact.” Few, if any, are taking issue with the claims.
The first time I heard of it was in the biography channel piece on Natalie Wood made in 2003. They didn't name Kirk Douglass directly to avoid a lawsuit, but gave a bunch of clues which made it obvious who they were talking about.
RE: They didn’t name Kirk Douglass directly to avoid a lawsuit, but gave a bunch of clues which made it obvious who they were talking about.
And that’s enough to convict the man as a rapist?
What did Natalie Wood say IN PUBLIC?
He didn’t dissuade his son from doing that filthy Liberace movie.
I can accuse anyone of having raped someone nearly 60 years ago too. That makes me credible?........................ Well if Natalie was alive today at 81 would you believe her? If it occurred she would remember it, it was a traumatic experience for a 15-16 yr old. It wasn’t her first boyfriend in the front seat of a car at the drive in event. (Which had that occurred she would remember it.)That you would believe, but not the assault? I remember the girl I took to see Sparticus, and most of the other girls I went to the movies with in the 1950’s - 60’. Would you judge me on my age and say I couldn’t remember what I did 60 yrs ago? I know I didn’t vote for JFK, I was still under age.
“I can accuse anyone of having raped someone nearly 60 years ago too. That makes me credible?”
It does if you accuse someone with an “R” behind their name.
Maybe some people here should extend the same courtesy to Kirk Douglas that they would to President Trump if some blogger posted an unverified rumor of him raping someone.
We’ll miss Kirk Douglas (my fave: The Vikings) but while he was doing Western shoot-em-ups, Kirk was huge into gun control, so much so that his co-star took him to task while he was toting a Colt six-shooter, thus:
Kirk: “You don’t understand, this is all make-believe!”
Co-star: “No, Kirk, this is all make-money!!”
I believe it was Natalie Wood.
He is dead, he can't be convicted of anything. Douglass was one of the first stars to start his own production company. He was incredibly powerful and influential. Just like Weinstein this is not the only tale about how he abused his position of power over others. He never got convicted because it was a different time then. Natalie reportedly spoke with many of her friends over the years about the incident.
Kirk was 103 when he died, my assumption is that nearly everyone with first or even second hand knowledge of this is now dead, but the interviews on the documentary that I originally watched nearly 20 years ago were quite compelling and forever shaded my view of Kirk Douglass.
Me too, I think it was one of his best. I am watching it now.
RE: He is dead, he can’t be convicted of anything. Douglass was one of the first stars to start his own production company.
By “convict” I mean convict his character. Taint him as a rapist forever. The things you mentioned — RUMORS ALL, no statement from the alleged victim — CONVICTS HIM?
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