‘Twas just a week-ago today that the iconic actor Kirk Douglas passed away at the age of 103. What a long and interesting life he led. And as for me, I can’t help but have memories of him going all the way back to my childhood.

I’m the ultimate movie fan, and I’ve shared here with y’all a list of some of my all-time favorite movies, alongside my Wifey Lynndee’s faves. Undoubtedly, we’re a movie-watching duo! Ironically, though, there wasn’t one Kirk Douglas movie on my original list. There are, however, several of his films that should have received mention on my list, though I did say that there were millions of films that I love to watch over-and-over and in no way could I ever list ’em all!.

One of my all-time favorite Kirk Douglas films is Seven Days in May, also featuring another of my favorites, Burt Lancaster, who appeared in another two of my favorite films, From Here to Eternity and Field of Dreams. Reminiscing on my childhood days, I can’t help but remember 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. And later on in my budding amateur historian days, I saw Kirk in In Harm’s Way, The Heroes of Telemark, Is Paris Burning, and Victory at Entebbe, as well as a sci-fi time travel military flick, The Final Countdown.

It’s only as of late, though, that I’ve discovered some of his early film noir work from the so-called Golden Age of Hollywood, such as Out of the Past, along with Robert Mitchum, another favorite, Young Man with a Horn, loosely based on the life of jazz cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, also featuring Doris Day and Lauren Bacall, definitely another fave, and Ace in the Hole.

It was just this week, however, that I’ve discovered another all-time fave starring Kirk Douglas. Thanks to Turner Classic Movies, who always shows several movies in honor of the passing of a great star, began showing some of Kirk’s oldies the other day, and one of them was his debut film, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, a job he got with the help of a recommendation from his friend Lauren Bacall.

In this film, Douglas appeared with already well-known stars Barbara Stanwyck and Van Heflin. Though not the main star of the movie, Douglas gave an outstanding performance in the one film role he had where he played a weak, unlikable individual. And the dramatic ending gives tragic payback to the seedy characters Douglas and Stanwyck portrayed.

And to top it off, also on my DVR I have Kirk’s portrayal of Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life, a film noted for Douglas’ actual resemblance to van Gogh. That’s the next film that will most likely be added to my most favorite list, so I best be on my way, now, and watch it!

Until next time, see ya, bye ya!