Kirk Douglas stars as the artist Vincent Van Gogh in the 1956 movie "Lust for Life." (UCLA Film & Television Archive)
by Kenneth Turan
This is the year when Kirk Douglas, one of Hollywood's most iconic stars, will celebrate his 100th birthday. To mark the event the UCLA Film & Television Archive has put together a massive series that will run from the beginning of July through the end of September showcasing the range of his films.
The series, screening at the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum in Westwood, kicks off this weekend with a trio of Douglas' best-remembered films, starting Friday at 7:30 p.m., with Douglas playing Vincent van Gogh to Anthony Quinn's Paul Gauguin in Vincente Minnelli's rapturous 1956 "Lust For Life."
That's followed on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a splendid double bill of two 1951 classics. First comes "Ace In The Hole," directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Douglas as an ambitious reporter (is there any other kind) who is not above exploiting tragedy for his own aims. Also playing is William Wyler's "Detective Story," with Douglas as a police detective whose zeal knows no bounds.