Newsday from New York, New York • 106

Under the Sea. A favorite story is of a Hollywood party in his honor for his Oscar-nominated performance as Vincent van Gogh in the 1956 "Lust for Life. John Wayne, with a couple of belts in him, demanded, "How can you play this weak, sniveling artist?" Douglas said he replied, "John, were in the world of make-believe. Were just acting. Douglas own favorite pictures, the 1957 Stanley Kubrick antiwar statement, "Paths of Glory, and the moralistic 1962 western, "Lonely Are the Brave, were commercial disappointments.

"I have made movies with so-called significant statements, but thats been a by-product, he insisted. "I always maintain that a movie is made fin entertainment. It takes people out of the world and its tensions for two hours. If you want to say something important, write a book. Seldom satisfied with saying his lines and pocketing his paycheck as a hired-hand actor, Douglas has made a mark as a producer and director, too.

Under his Bryna Co. banner, which he formed in 1955 and named for his mother, he was executive producer in 1960 of Spartacus and the 1971 picture "The Light at the Edge of the World. His wife, Anne, produced, and Douglas directed Brynas 1973 "Scalawag. "I haven't attempted to be a mogul, said Douglas, "but I like to be a part of the creative process. On Tough Guys I was an actor, but I love to work with the writer and the director and I love to be heard.

Douglas was so free with his advice that "Tough GuysT director Jeff Kanew surprised him with an "associate producer screen credit for Issur Danielovitch. Douglas broke the blacklist of suspected com- Neindar Daniel Goodrich The actor, 68, In a New York Interview: I alwaya have mixed feelinge about encouraging anybody to go Into thla profession. By Martin Kasindorf IRK DOUGLAS is 68. His famously sculpted face has the fine lines of the distant sandstone in "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

But the masculine, meteor-crater chin, the rigid jawline, the pre-Paul Newman blue eyes and the Bandy hair are unchanged, and the heroic broad shoulders are back in fashion. So Douglas, after 72 films and three Oscar nominations in 41 years, had to stride very quickly, head down, up Park Avenue a few days ago to minimi the excited "Hi, Kirk! shouts from taxi drivers and construction workers. Douglas professed himself "embarrassed by recognition nri honors. If so, he will feel downright mortified by the outpouring of praise tonight at the Majestic Theater stage tribute to his long career hosted by his costar in seven pictures, Burt Lancaster. The proceeds of tickets priced from $25 to $500 will benefit the 103-year-old American Academy of Dramatic Arts, which is setting up a scholar-ship iund in Douglas name.

This is fitting, because in 1939 an impoverished lad who was born Issur Danielovitch in Amsterdam, N.Y., received the first scholarship the academy ever gave. That was the start of Douglas decades as an actor, producer and director, from a bit as a singing Western Union boy in "Spring Again on Broadway to the forthcoming eipit-oour network mini-senes, "Queenie. What Douglas chiefly remembered about his two years at the academy was a tough teacher named Charles (Jelly) Jehllinger. This legendary coach had honed his skills on earlier students like Spencer Tracy. "Jelly beat the hell out of me, laughed Douglas, "but years later I was still using the things he taught me.

A fellow alum named Hume Cronyn will be appearing at the tribute, along with Lauren Bacall. Anthony Quinn, Jean Simmons, Jack Valenti and Barbara Walters. Even more impressive to Douglas is the promised appearance of his four show-business sons, Michael, Joel, Peter and Eric. "Its a feat in itself for my wife and I to get two of them together for dinner, he said. Douglas tried to discourage his sons from entering the entertainment business.

He has misgivings about the new scholarship fund, as well. "I always have mixed feelings about encouraging anybody to go into this profession, he said. "I think its so poignant, so sad. The ghTMa of success are so remote. It took eight Broadway roles and eight movies before Douglas future was assured in 1949 with his portrayal of a cynical boxer in "Cham- ri the put he is still most congratulated in encounters with fans.

The tribute will be liberal in its use of highlights from "Champion and other Douglas hits. Never concerned with preserving a wmelm screen image, Douglas said, he eqjoys having kids remember him best as the sailor singing "Whale of a Tail in Disneys "20,000 Leagues 4 Show-Biz Sons Kirk Douglas entire family has a show-business bent. His wife of 32 years, Anne Buydens Douglas, has produced movies for his independent Bryna Co. Douglas has two sons by Anne and two by his tint wife, Diana Dill (they were married six yean). The sms current activities: -Michael, 41, has just finished costarring with Glenn Close in the upcoming Fatal Attraction.

His next acting project is "Wall Street, for "Platoon writer-director Oliver Stone. Then he films the third in the Romancing the Stone and "The Jewel of the Nile series with Kathleen Turner. Joel, 37, married a Frenchwoman and lives in Nice, where he produces low-budget Peter, 30, who produced his Esther's 1980 picture, The Final Countdown, recently wrote, produced and directed A Tigers Tale. Trying to talk Kirk Douglas into acting with Giugoiy Pack in a remake of Inherit the Wind to be called The Monkey TriaL Peter also plans to produce the sequel to Fletch. isofftoabetter-tnan-averagestart as an actor.

After several Off-Broadwayplays he got a small part In The Golden Child, with Eddie Murphy, and recently starred in a Kansas City stage production of Butterflies Bays Kirk Douglas, Pm delighted that they are all ftmctioning and talented, when they Ivautagea. To be bom in i plus. You have nowhere to ad a rich movie star for a I dont know what 1 would have 'a A.