Kirk Douglas' range

Back in September I posted commenting on a number of the unsavory characters Kirk Douglas played in his earlier movies. Later on, though, he got to play some good guys, characters very different than what he had done in movies like Ace in the Hole.

I mentioned 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea earlier this week, and at 3:15 PM ET this afternoon, you can catch Douglas in Lust for Life on TCM. Douglas plays Vincent van Gogh, the Dutch artist famous for cutting off his ear, along with painting a bunch of very good paintings in his revolutionary style. It's a testament to Douglas' acting ability that he was able to pull off such diverse roles.

It also says something about the state of Hollywood back in the old days. Van Gogh's artist friend Paul Gauguin was played in Lust for Life by Anthony Quinn. Quinn had a broad career himself, and won his second Oscar for this part.