Kirk Douglas fury: Star quit Rambo franchise amid snub that saw his scenes cut

Today, Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas is on screens as he stars opposite Barbara Stanwyck in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, which airs from 3.45pm on Talking Pictures TV. The 1946 classic follows the story of a deeply unhappy woman wishing to get out of her loveless marriage. The film holds a rare 100 percent approval rating with reviews aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, and was Douglas’ debut cinematic role.

Following its release, Douglas’ stay in the world’s consciousness would last for generations, culminating in him earning an array of Oscar nominations, for his roles in films Champion, The Bad and the Beautiful and Lust for Life.

While Douglas won a legion of fans throughout his career, he may have garnered even more had his role in the Eighties classic Rambo been maintained.

But after a falling out with executives, Douglas ditched his part, deciding to move on from the Sylvester Stallone classic.

Rambo: First Blood was released in 1982, and remains one of director and actor Stallone’s biggest box-office successes.

Prior to its release, The New York Times reported that Douglas had been lined up for a “small, but significant cameo” in the film, where he would have been Stallone’s character’s Army trainer.

The report from the time said: “Kirk Douglas, who was to have played an important cameo role as Mr Stallone’s Army trainer, left after his small but flashy cameo was drastically cut.

“His replacement, Richard Crenna, had a contract that increased his price dramatically after a certain number of weeks of work.

“Since the production was behind schedule as that day neared, several of Mr Crenna’s scenes were still unshot. His scenes were telescoped, and he was released.”

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A report from The Digital Fix added: “When the scenes he had filmed were messed with and ultimately cut quite drastically, Douglas was enraged.

“So much so, that he upped sticks and quit the job right then and there, never to return to Rambo again.”

The Digital Fix reported earlier this year that the production of Rambo: First Blood was plagued with production issues, including Stallone himself getting injured.

Bad weather also forced a number of the film’s stunts to be limited and delayed, the report added.

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And the relationship between Douglas and director Ted Kotcheff broke down completely, Screen Rant claimed in February, after the Hollywood star “constantly requested script changes”, including “wanting to steal lines from other actors that sounded good”.

It added: “After months of attempting to appease his requests and meeting with little success, the production gave Douglas an ultimatum to stick with the original script or leave – so he left.

“In a 2014 chat with Empire, Stallone detailed Kirk Douglas’ bizarre alternate ending to First Blood, and its rejection appeared to play a big role in his departure.”

While Douglas was replaced, there had been talk Stallone himself may not have earned the title role of Rambo, with stars such as Al Pacino, Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman all touted as potential leads.

Though Douglas ultimately didn’t make the Rambo cut, his filmography is one for the ages, and in 2014 he reflected on his debut role in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.

Writing for Huff Post, Douglas, who passed away in 2020 aged 103, noted how it was a landmark role for him, but it was also plagued with its own difficulties.

He said: “I remember saying my lines perfectly during the first rehearsal. Pretty impressive, I thought, until I saw the way everyone was looking at me. I had learned Van Heflin’s part instead of the role of the weak, alcoholic husband of Martha Ivers.

“How mortifying! My next humiliation was not far behind. The director told me to light a cigarette. I didn’t smoke, but I obeyed. It made me dizzy and nauseous, and I ran to my dressing room to throw up. After the film wrapped, I went back to New York and got parts in a few more flops.

“So I became a film actor out of necessity, and soon I was working regularly in Hollywood – as well as smoking four packs a day.”

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers airs this afternoon on Talking Pictures TV from 3.45pm.