SUNY Oneonta history professor emeritus William Simons is a braver man than I.
Both of us are fascinated by Kirk Douglas, the movie actor and producer who was born in Amsterdam — my hometown, who died at 103 died in California four years ago.
The house where Douglas lived as a child stands on Eagle Street in Amsterdam’s East End. I have thought of knocking on the door but have never had the courage to do so.
Simons wrote in his latest article that he too wanted to visit the home, “Although I wanted to go inside the house at 46 Eagle St., where so many of [Douglas’s] formative experiences took place, that long eluded me.
Kirk Douglas raises his arms in triumph during his crowd-pleasing return to Amsterdam on June 1, 1985. File photo
“It is a private residence, unmarked, not open to the public. I felt entry into the house would heighten my understanding of [the actor’s] genesis years.”
Simons said, “John Naple, a former Peace Corps volunteer, retired science teacher and angel to the [Amsterdam] library, emerged as my benefactor. Back in the day, the Naple family resided on Eagle Street.”
Actor Kirk Douglas looks at a book with his second wife, Anne Buydens, in 1956.
Meeting the home’s current owner, Eddie Gegzno, and visiting the building was worthwhile according to Simons, even though Eddie never met the actor’s family and the house was extensively remodeled through the years.
Gegzno is retired from General Electric after nearly four decades. Through John’s intercession, Eddie allowed Simons to spend some time inside 46 Eagle St. on a Saturday afternoon — May 20, 2023.
Another issue in studying Douglas is what to call him. His birth name was Issur Danielovitch. When Issur was in grade school, his parents changed their surname to Demsky and Issur’s name to Isadore or Izzy. Like many actors of his day, Isadore Demsky Anglicized his name. Izzy became Kirk Douglas.
Simons, who grew up in the greater Boston area, was a big fan of Douglas in the movie "Spartacus." As a Jewish man, Simons was intrigued that, as Spartacus, Douglas did not appear to be Jewish.
Kirk Douglas and New York Governor Mario Cuomo meet in Amsterdam on June 1, 1985, the day city residents welcomed home their native son. About 28,000 people attended the parade for the s actor.
Simons wrote, “On the screen, Issur/Izzy/Kirk morphed into Spartacus, Odysseus, Doc Holliday, George Patton, Vincent van Gogh, Midge Kelly, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, Mickey Marcus, Hans Muller, Colonel Dax, Jiggs Casey, Matthew Harrison Brady and countless others.”
Simons wrote, “Although young Izzy endured beatings by anti-Semitic gangs, he also had good friends in the neighborhood. But the house on Eagle Street offered little refuge to the boy. Only later did he come to appreciate his mother Bryna and sisters. Izzy yearned for the larger world outside the house, his father’s domain. And he wanted his father’s attention and approval, both of which proved elusive.”
When Simons emerged from his visit to the former Demsky home, he and John Naple walked the length of Eagle Street.
Kirk Douglas and his wife, Anne, hold hands during a dedication ceremony at the Anne Douglas in the Los Angeles Mission in April 2016.
Simons wrote, “When we reached 29 Eagle St., John’s friend Emil Suda came out to join us. At the end of Eagle Street, the three of us turned left on East Main Street to see the former site of Harry’s favorite bar and the lodging house where he lived, courtesy of Kirk’s rent money, after Bryna left him.
“Then, our discussion switched to Kirk’s films. I never met anyone who knew more about the plots, characters and dialogues of Kirk Douglas films or spoke more enthusiastically of them than Emil.”
Kirk Douglas is shown with actress Lauren Bacall in an undated photo.
“Perhaps Izzy and Kirk never truly escaped Eagle Street, but they came to terms with it.” Simons said. “And Izzy and Kirk left quite a legacy not just for Jews, but for all aspirants of the American Dream.”
Simons’ latest article on Douglas is published in The Reporter, the newspaper of the Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton.