Kirk Douglas

Anne Douglas

One-hundred-year-old screen icon Kirk Douglas and his wife of 62 years, Anne Buydens, share untold stories and secrets to longevity in life and love. In Kirk and Anne the couple's story unfolds through their own commentary and a treasure trove of priceless letters. Painstakingly maintained by Anne over the course of more than six decades and never before made public, the correspondence includes details of their (often turbulent) courtship and marriage, set against the backdrop of Kirk's screen triumphs in films ranging from Lust For Life to Paths of Glory and Spartacus. Through the letters themselves and Kirk and Anne's words, never-before-told stories emerge about the legendary stars they knew so well: Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Gregory Peck, Cole Porter, John Wayne, Tony Curtis, and son Michael Douglas; fascinating first-hand accounts of Hollywood film sets and dinner parties; and exotic tales of travel to over forty countries as goodwill ambassadors. There are personal stories of presidents and first ladies (JFK and Jackie, Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, Bill and Hillary Clinton and, “Ronnie” and Nancy Reagan), and powerful memories of both joy and sadness. Complemented by dozens of photos, Kirk and Anne candidly details the adventurous, oftentimes comic, and poignant reality behind the glamour of a Hollywood life, as only a couple of sixty-two years (and counting) could tell it.

Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood

Kirk and Anne

Kilt maker Kirsty Muir must decide between glamorous Scottish fiddler Jake MacIver and dependable shop owner Andrew Macrae in 1960s Edinburgh.

The Kilt Maker

Josie Morrow and Lina Braid are the best of friends. But although Josie has an "understanding" with Agnus, Lina's brother, her mother has far more grandiose plans than for her to marry a local boy. She sees civil engineer Duncan Guthrie, a lodger in their Queensferry boarding house, as a much better catch, However, it is Lina who Duncan falls for, forcing her to break her promise to her childhood sweetheart in order to marry him.

Bridge Of Hope

A silver-screen romance in wartime Edinburgh - Though content in her job, Jess dreams of a more exciting life. So when she is hired to work in the box office at the Princes Street cinema, she is thrilled. Jess is star-struck, not just by the silver screen, but also by handsome projectionist, Ben Daniel. But it is Ben's assistant, Rusty MacVail, whom she marries. As the Second World War looms, her beloved cinema is threatened, Ben comes back into her life, and Jess will need all her courage to face what lies ahead.

Starlight

A bitter-sweet romantic tale of broken hearts and second chances in wartime Edinburgh, from the much-loved Scottish storyteller - Edinburgh, 1911. When intelligent Elinor Rae leaves her crowded tenement family home to become a maid in an exclusive ladies’ club in the idyllic Primrose Square, she doesn’t look back. Two years later and Elinor is still in love with the square, and now also with Stephen Muirhead, her evening tutor. But it all goes wrong – Elinor’s head is turned by handsome Barry, and when he signs up to the war effort without thinking of her, she is devastated and bitterly regrets her mistake. But has Stephen really put Elinor behind him?

Primrose Square

Nothing Ventured: A romance set in 1920s Scotland

Rose Burnett, Martie Stweart and Alex Kelsie grew up in the "Colonies", a housing development by the Water of Leith. Only Rose, a lawyer's daughter, did not belong. Still, when Alex and Martie both decided to train as nurses in Edinburgh, they're relieved to see Rose's friendly face- even if she is now Staff Burnett. Whilst Martie is determined to escape the misery of her childhood and find a rish husband, Alex has more romantic dreams. She's had a crush on Rose's brother since they were children and is secretly excited when he's admitted to the hospital with a mild case of TB. But, though Tim Burnett finally seems to notice her, nurses in the 1950s are strictly forbidden from any personal development with their patients. They all laugh when one of the patients nicknames them the 'Butterfly Girls' after the Butterfly wards they work on, but, as Rose points out, nursing is for keeping your feet on the ground, not flying. Alex is risking more than her heart in pursuing a relationship with Tom...

The Butterfly Girls

When Lorne Malcolm runs away on her wedding day, her sister Rosa?s life is turned upside down. 1910. It's the morning of beautiful eighteen-year-old Lorne Malcolm's wedding to handsome Daniel MacNeil, but when her older sister Rosa returns from a trip to the flower shop, Lorne has disappeared. A shocked Rosa, her father, Greg, and Daniel must come to terms with the fact that Lorne has run off to Ireland with wealthy landowner's son, Rory Thain. Jilted on his wedding day, a devastated Daniel turns to Rosa for comfort. Despite her initial misgivings, Rosa's feelings for Daniel grow and the pair are soon married. But have Daniel's feelings for Lorne really gone away? Can the newly married couple put the past behind them? Rosa may seem to be embarking on a bright new future, but she will have to deal with tragedy and heartbreak on her own road to happiness.

Highland Sisters

The war has brought devastating changes to the people of Portobello, a seaside district of Edinburgh. But as VE day nears, Tess Gillespie and her mother are feeling hopeful. Tess is looking forward to being able to walk on her beloved beaches for the first time since war was declared. More importantly, her father and sister will soon be back home and they can all be a family once again. However, the war has changed Don Gillespie and no longer content to settle back in to his former life. The future will bring both betrayal and heartbreak for all the Gillespie women. And it will take all their courage and resolution to rebuild their lives and find new happiness.

The Road To The Sands

Turner Classic Movies

The late film icon and screen legend Kirk Douglas was married to Anne Buydens for more than six decades. Here they both look back on a lifetime filled with drama both on and off the screen. Sharing priceless correspondence with each other as well as the celebrities and world leaders they called friends, Kirk and Anne is a candid portrayal of the pleasures and pitfalls of a Hollywood life lived in the public eye. Compiled from Anne's private archive of letters and photographs, this is an intimate glimpse into the Douglases' courtship and marriage set against the backdrop of Kirk's screen triumphs, including The Vikings, Lust For Life, Paths of Glory, and Spartacus. The letters themselves, as well as Kirk and Anne's vivid descriptions of their experiences, reveal remarkable insight and anecdotes about the legendary figures they knew so well, including Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, the Kennedys, and the Reagans. Filled with photos from film sets, private moments, and public events, Kirk and Anne details the adventurous, oftentimes comic, and poignant reality behind the glamour of a Hollywood marriage.

Unable to learn anything about a beautiful and mysterious young woman's past, the Earl of Rycote becomes to determined to discover Caroline's secret before he falls prey to his uncontrollable desires. Original.

Miss Caroline's Deception

A land- a building of several storeys of separate dwellings communicating by a common stair. Madge Ritchie moves her three young daughters into Catherine's Land when the death of her husband leaves them in reduced circumstances. By 1920 Madge can't imagine life without her noisy, nosy neighbours; though two of her girls, ambitious Abby and artistic Rachel, both dream of making their escape. Only Jennie, the middle child most like her gentle mother, is happy in the hurly-burly atmosphere of the tenements. But when Jim Gilbride and his sons Malcom and Rory move into the Ritchies' stair the lives of both families are to change dramatically- and the bonds of love and hatred, jealously and forgiveness are forged that will bind them all to Catherine's Land for ever.

Catherine's Land

1935, Edinburgh: Beautiful Lindsay ‘Lindy’ Gillian is determined to look on the bright side in spite of the Depression: she has a job working for her stepmother at Murchie’s Provisions, and her family reside in one of the nicer flats in a nearby tenement block. But when Roderick Connor strolls into the shop one day, Lindy has to make a choice that will turn her world upside down, while a new arrival, surprise opportunities and war clouds from Spain on the horizon all have unexpected repercussions . . .

Anne Douglas

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