A Leading Man's Wisdom

Did you ever get to meet Al Jolson?

Not really, just a "hello." At that time, I was just a young actor.

Was there solidarity among Jewish actors?

I don't think so.

They were just actors?

Of course, they say that everybody with a Jewish name changed his name. When my parents came from Russia, their name was Danielovitch. My father had a brother who was going under the name of Demsky, so then it became Demsky. Of course, then I changed my name to Kirk Douglas. But at that time, it was not just Jewish actors who changed their names. Everyone did it.

You've told me that you always fasted on Yom Kippur. Why?

You know, the Day of Atonement almost scared me. The Book of Life is about who should live, who should die. Even when I worked on Yom Kippur--which I wouldn't do now--I didn't eat. Of course, my focus... You try making love to Lana Turner on an empty stomach!

I think people might still give it a try...

[Laughs] 

Could you tell me about the helicopter crash in 1991?

I was writing a book in Fillmore, California, where my editor was living. And a friend of mine, Noel Blanc, Mel Blanc's son, said that he was taking a helicopter-flying lesson and would pick me up. Well, I thought that was a wonderful idea. I have, to this day, guilty feelings because in the small plane that we hit when we took off, two young people were killed instantly. One of them was getting ready to go to his senior prom. I always have a feeling that it was our fault, even though I was just a passenger in the backseat. 

It wasn't your fault...

Well, in my mind it is, even now, when I think of it...

You know, I once spoke to a surgeon who was there when you were brought in after the helicopter crash, and he said that you had burns all over your body and were really in a terrible shape.

You see, I don't remember that. I know that Jack Valenti, who recently died and was a dear friend of mine, described me as being black all over. I do remember that my nose was banged up and being wheeled into a medical helicopter. The doctor onboard was a young woman, and I remember thinking, "She is very pretty." So I thought I must be OK.

That's almost like the Lenny Bruce routine about being in the ambulance!

Yes!

That's what guys are! You have a heart attack in the ambulance, you make a play for the nurse. Did the crash change your relationship to Judaism or God?

At first, I thought, "You know, I have gone through many things, is God pissed off at me?" But then I thought that maybe God wants me to be around, maybe there is something that I have to do. So I became interested in Judaism. I have much more awareness now of being a Jew and of believing in God.

Lighting the candles on Shabbat is a beautiful ceremony. It is the time to thank God for what He has given you and to take a moment each week for self-inventory. My wife Anne converted to Judaism and your wife taught her the prayer phonetically, so she now knows a prayer in Hebrew for lighting the candles

You had a second bar mitzvah when you were 83. Why did you decide to do that?

Good question. I've always identified with the underdog. What I like about the Jews is that we have always been the underdog and still survived throughout the ages. As Mark Twain once said, and I'm paraphrasing, "The Egyptian, the Babylonian and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away... the Jew saw them all and beat them all... All things are mortal but the Jew." The Jews just keep on going.

But it bothers me how much conflict there is among Jews. We had five crazy rabbis embracing the leader of Iran. I don't think most Jews agree with that. We have Jews who still cling to the old theory (also shared by some Muslims) that women are not equal to men. Times have changed; most progressive Jewish sects treat women equally. They can sit together in synagogue, they may become rabbis, and equality is maintained.

Once, when I was making a movie in France, I was learning the language, and I was pretty good. And people asked, "Well, what are you?" And I'd say, "I'm an American Jew." And my wife said, "They're not asking for your religion!" Well, I don't know. I always answer "American Jew," so there is no mistaking what I am.

Did you get any good presents for your second bar mitzvah?