Of all the male stars of Golden Age Hollywood, Kirk Douglas became the final survivor, the last icon of a fabled era that the world will never see again. When he celebrated his birthday in 2016, a headline read — 'Legendary Hollywood horndog turns 100.' He was both a charismatic actor and a man of uncommon force and vigour. His restless and volcanic spirit is reflected both in his films and through his many sexual conquests. Douglas was the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, his father a ragman.Conquering Tinseltown, he became the personification of the American dream, moving from obscurity and (literally) rags to riches and major-league fame. The Who’s Who cast of characters roaring through his life featured not only a daunting list of Hollywood goddesses, but the town’s most colossal male talents and egos, too. They included his kindred hellraiser and best buddy Burt Lancaster, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Billy Wilder, Laurence Olivier, Rock Hudson, and a future U.S. President, Ronald Reagan.Douglas began his conquests in New York, stealing the virginity of model Betty Bacall before she moved to Hollywood, changed her name to Lauren, and married Humphrey Bogart. Later, both Marilyn Monroe and Lana Turner pursued him for boudoir duty. 'I had them all…well, almost,' he boasted.All of this is brought out, with photos, in this remarkable testimonial to the last hero of Hollywood’s cinematic and swashbuckling Golden Age, an inspiring testimonial to the values and core beliefs of an America that’s Gone with the Wind, yet lovingly remembered as a time when it, in many ways, was truly great.
