A Day for the Greats

Friend of the Museum Kirk Douglas, who appeared in Edmond J. Safra Hall in September of 2007 to discuss his memoir Let's Face It is set to star in a one-man show at the age of 92. After meeting Mr. Douglas when he came to the Museum, it is not surprising to hear he still wants to perform; he is incredibly enthusiastic and completely dedicated to his craft. When we met him, he was charming, gracious, and kind. He kissed our hands and even signed a book for Betsy's grandma!

We weren't the only ones star-struck that day; actor John Turturro is a big fan (he even showed Douglas a list of his favorite actors he'd written as a kid with Douglas at the top) and came to the Museum just to meet him. After Turturro visited, however, he decided to come back a couple months later to present a screening of The Truce, in which he plays Primo Levi. (He says that it is the work he is most proud of: a quick look at Turturro's career will show you that really says something.)

We wish Mr. Douglas success in this new project.

We'd also like to take a moment to remember one of the greats whom we have recently lost: Horton Foote, the brilliant playwright and screenwriter, died on Wednesday. He leaves a legacy of over 60 plays and films,  including The Young Man from Atlanta, which won a Pulitzer in 1995 and  the Academy award-winning screenplay for Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Horton was able to do justice to adaptations of works by some of the greatest American writers of the 20th century--Lee, Faulkner, and Steinbeck--capturing the essence of their works' message while endowing them with cinematic appeal. To Kill a Mockingbird examines race relations and the fairness of the American legal system, both of which relate to the Museum's upcoming exhibits Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow and Seeking Justice: The Leo Frank Case Revisited.