Burt Lancaster.

Burt Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994), was best known for his athletic build and smile. After first performing in "tough guy" roles, Lancaster reinvented himself in late 1950s and performed in more challenging roles, and became one of the best actors of his era.

Personal Quote:

On Kirk Douglas. "We both came from, sort of, well, shall we say, humble beginnings. We were both young, brash, cocky, arrogant. We knew everything, were highly opinionated. We were invincible. Nobody liked us".

Lancaster made six films over the years with Kirk Douglas, including:

I Walk Alone (1948), Frankie Madison, returns to New York after 14 years in prison. Noll Turner, Frankie's former bootlegging partner, is now a wealthy nightclub manager, and Frankie is expecting him to honor a promise they made when he was first arrested.

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). Is a film starring Burt Lancaster as Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas as Doc Holliday, the story is about the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, in Tombstone, Arizona. The film was based on a real event which took place on October 26, 1881.

The Devil's Disciple (1959). Takes place in a small New England town, during the American War of Independence, Dick Dudgeon, is mistaken for minister Rev. Anthony Anderson, and arrested by the British. The minister's wife, Judith, mistakenly thinks that Dick, is in love with her. Taken to see the British commander General Burgoyne, Dudgeon is ready to die for his beliefs.

The List of Adrian Messenger (1963). Messenger, asks a friend to check into a list of names before leaving on a trip. After his plane blown out of the sky, his friend checks into the list, each person seems to have died in mysterious circumstances.

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Seven Days in May (1964). The President, manages to get a nuclear disarmament treaty through the Senate. Jiggs Casey, a Marine Colonel, finds evidence that General Scott, the head of the Joint Chiefs, is not planning to wait. Casey, goes to the president with the information and the conflict begins, with each side not sure who can be trusted.

Lancaster and Douglas, are reunited for their final movie, Tough Guys (1986). Harry and Archie, are released from prison, now old enough to collect Social Security. But, their ideas for retirement, is to see if they can get away with a train robbery.


Although Douglas, was always second billed under Lancaster, in these films, with the exceptions of, I Walk Alone, in which Douglas played a villain, their roles were usually the same size, and in Seven Days in May, Douglas' part was larger but, much less dramatic than Lancaster's.

Lancaster, also asked his close friend Nick Cravat, to perform in his films. They co-starred together in nine films: The Flame and the Arrow (1952), Ten Tall Men (1951), Crimson Pirate, The Crimson Pirate (1952), Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), Scalphunters, The Scalphunters (1968), Airport (1970), Valdez Is Coming (1971), Ulzana's Raid (1972), The Midnight Man (1974) and Island of Dr. Moreau and The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977).

Lancaster starred in three films with Deborah Kerr: From Here to Eternity, Separate Tables, and The Gypsy Moths.

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The Killers (1946)

The Killers (1946). Film noir. Based on the short story of the same name by Ernest Hemingway. The film was directed by Robert Siodmak Cast: Burt Lancaster in his screen debut, as well as Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien, and Sam Levene.

Two hit men, Max and Al, drive to small town diner, looking for,"the Swede" . They find him held up in a boarding house where, they carry out thier plans to murder him.

The Swede had life insurance, so Investigator Jim Reardon, is assigned to look into the murder for his company. Interviewing people from his past, Reardon believes that The Swede's murder was because of a payroll robbery masterminded by, Big Jim Colfax and Kitty Collins , the woman Swede loved.

The film was very entertaining.. Although, I never quite figured out why Swede allowed himself to be murdered, and who ordered the killing.

Virginia Christine, was best known as the "Folger Coffee Woman". After moving to Los Angeles, Virginia worked in radio while attending the University of California, Los Angeles. She was trained for a theatrical career by actor/director Fritz Feld, whom she married in 1940. In 1942, she signed a contract with Warner Bros. and began performing in films: Edge of Darkness (1943), High Noon (1952), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), The Mummy's Curse (1944) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). She was a favorite of Stanley Kramer, performing in a number of his films. But her greatest fame came in the 1960's when she started her 21-year appearances as "Mrs. Olson", who always had comforting words for young married couples while pouring Folgers Coffee.

Happy Birthday: Burt Lancaster!

At the age of 9, Lancaster met Nick Cravat, with whom he worked with throughout his life. Together they formed the acrobat duo "Lang and Cravat" and joined the Kay Brothers circus. Unfortunately, in 1939, an injury would force Lancaster to give up the profession. He would later be reunited with Cravat in nine films: The Flame and the Arrow, The Crimson Pirate, Run Silent Run Deep, The Scalphunters, Airport, Valdez Is Coming, Ulzana's Raid, The Midnight Man and The Island of Dr. Moreau. He then found temporary work, first as a salesman for Marshall Fields, and then as a singing waiter in restaurants, until 1942.

The United States having then entered World War II, Lancaster joined the United States Army and performed with the Army's Twenty-First Special Services Division, one of the military groups organized to follow the troops on the ground and provide USO entertainment to keep up morale. He served with General Mark Clark's Fifth Army in Italy from 1943–1945.



TCM is celebrating Burt Lancaster's Birthday today with the movies listed below:

Jim Thorpe--All American (1951) .The famous Native American athlete fights prejudice in his pursuit of sports stardom. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Phyllis Thaxter, Charles Bickford. Dir: Michael Curtiz.

Vengeance Valley (1951) . An honest rancher tries to block his evil brother's plots while keeping them from their father. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Robert Walker, Joanne Dru. Dir: Richard Thorpe.

From Here To Eternity (1953). Enlisted men in Hawaii fight for love and honor on the eve of World War II. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra.

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) . Dramatization of the legendary battle between Wyatt Earp and the Clanton Gang. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Jo Van Fleet. Dir: John Sturges.


Sweet Smell Of Success (1957) . A crooked press agent stoops to new depths to help an egotistical columnist break up his sister's romance. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Martin Milner. Dir: Alexander Mackendrick.

Birdman Of Alcatraz (1962) . True story of Robert Stroud, the prison lifer who became an expert on birds. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Telly Savalas, Thelma Ritter. Dir: John Frankenheimer.

Seven Days In May (1964). An American military officer discovers his superiors are planning a military coup. Cast: Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Fredric March and Ava Gardner. Dir: John Frankenheimer.