Poseidon Quickies: Go "Big" or Go Home

All but forgotten now except by historical literature enthusiasts, A.B. Guthrie Jr's 1947 novel "The Big Sky" (one of a series of books about The Oregon Trail and the settling of Montana) was made into a 1952 feature starring Kirk Douglas. Douglas was already emerging as a key Hollywood actor despite having only begun making movies half a dozen years prior. He had been Oscar-nominated for 1949's Champion (losing to Broderick Crawford in All the King's Men) and would be nominated once more for another of his 1952 films, The Bad and the Beautiful (this time losing to Gary Cooper in High Noon.) Ironically, his third 1952 film was called The Big Trees and, like in The Big Sky, his character was also named Jim. A third nomination for Lust for Life (the one he really felt might bring the little gold man home for him) was lost to Yul Brynner for The King and I. That would have to suffice until his 1996 Honorary Oscar.

Director Howard Hawks settled on Douglas for his leading man after attempting to get the too expensive Marlon Brando. I have no recollection of any scene such as the one depicted on the poster (with a shirtless Douglas brandishing a tomahawk) though perhaps it has just faded from my memory. Virile Douglas does, however, seem to have trouble keeping his shirt closed.

Also on board was Underworld favorite Dewey Martin (in a role first offered to Montgomery Clift, who'd made an impact in director Hawks' Red River, 1948.) See Dewey dreamily looking out at... the big sky? Ha ha! We've always thought that Martin was cuter in live action rather than in posed publicity shots such as the ones here.

You can see and read a lot more about Martin right here.

 

There is a love triangle in the film, involving Douglas, Martin and Elizabeth Threatt. Now based on her glamour girl makeup on the film's poster, many may think this was just another case of a Caucasian actress being decked out to look like a Native American, but it actuality, Threatt was half Cherokee. Hawks came across her during her career as a model and cast her, with plans to utilize her further. Unfortunately, she declared Hollywood full of fakes and promptly left after this single movie.

This is a rather rare color publicity portrait of Martin and Threatt. One can see that the poster art was derived from this session. Reportedly, Threatt and Douglas became involved in a romance during the film shoot, though I don't know if he was one of the "fakes" she was referring to in her parting comments on Tinseltown.

Douglas and Martin, seen here with their guns out, looked to have the better chemistry if we are going by the still photos and shots from the actual film...

Don't believe me? How 'bout now? (I love Dewey's plunging neckline...)

 

Kirk was at his blondest during this one, I think. Love Dewey's expression.

Here's a "nip slip" from Douglas in the wake of a bar fight. I truly think this was all the shirtlessness he provided in the film. However, he did manage to give us a glimpse of some other physical characteristics of his.

You know, ol' Kirk was no stranger to showing off his physique. In pics like Spartacus (1960) as seen here, he could strip down to basically briefs. Other movies of his provide scanty clothing such as Ulysses (1954) and There Was a Crooked Man (1970), in which he briefly flashed his rear. But he tended to be packed in snugly and rarely revealed any discernible bumps or bulges. So that's why The Big Sky was a bit of a surprise at times (one particular time especially.)

But even in these tight-panted shots, you still can't really make anything out. Thus, I give you further evidence.

In this final sequence of shots, Douglas is seen with Arthur Hunnicut, who was Oscar-nominated for the film (losing to Anthony Quinn for Viva Zapata!) The cinematography was also nominated, but the award went to The Bad and the Beautiful, also starring Douglas.

As you're doubtless aware, I tend to keep an eye out for things like this, even as I am enjoying a vintage piece of cinema. I don't recall another Douglas film (although I am now old an failing! LOL) being this demonstrably bulgy. (Even The Story of Three Loves, 1953, in which he was a trapeze artist!)

Lastly, this was one of the films that Ted Turner hideously "colorized" back in the 1980s (some VHS packages back then contain a disclaimer about it), but this is an actual color photo of how he actually looked at the time on set.