For Kirk Douglas and Wife, the Playground's the Thing

May 28, 2008— -- When the gates open and Kirk Douglas — yes, the Academy Award-winning actor, now 91 — strides across the blacktop, fans giggle and crane their necks for a better look. When he approaches them with his arm outstretched, they reach up to slap high-fives.

There may not be a red carpet here, and true, the photographers mostly consist of small arms hoisting cellphone cameras overhead.

But make no mistake: This is a bona-fide premiere — just not for one of Douglas' movies.

On this overcast day in May, the fans are parents, students and friends of Beethoven Street Elementary School in Culver City. They are here to thank Douglas and his wife, Anne, for the colorful play structure on the once-barren playground, courtesy of the Anne & Kirk Douglas Playground Award.

The Douglases have been fixing up school playgrounds for 11 years. And on Wednesday, when they dedicate their 401st Los Angeles-area playground, Kirk Douglas will slide down one last slide — something he does at every dedication — and call it mission accomplished.

"What nobody acknowledges is that every dedication I risk my life," he says with a laugh. "I'm getting too old for this."

Art for heart's sake

The playground awards began one day in 1997 while Anne Douglas was reading in the Los Angeles Times about the sorry state of school playgrounds in the area.

She knew she had to help.

"It was deplorable that for me, a country like this, a city like Los Angeles, would tolerate this," says Anne Douglas, who was born in Germany.

"Let me tell you about my wife," Kirk Douglas says after the ceremony, sitting on a plush couch next to his wife of 55 years. "When we got married, she was very anxious to become a citizen. And when she became a citizen she felt: 'I had to do something for my new country.' "

He speaks in a slow cadence so people can understand his stroke-impaired speech. "Let's face it: The world is in a mess and young people are going to inherit that mess. So we should do all we can to help them."

Anne Douglas called a friend who ran a foundation and met with then-mayor Richard Riordan. Riordan pledged $500,000 from the Riordan Foundation, she says. And they were off.

Most foundation awards came in at the maximum $25,000. The foundation requires schools to match funds, either in cash or in services and materials. That ensures that each school becomes involved, says Anne Douglas.

New playground equipment may not seem like much to some, especially when public school needs are so great. But "it's huge," says Donna Ayers, a mother active in the school's booster club, Friends of Beethoven. "They had nothing to play on before."

Not only does it give kids, who face an epidemic of obesity, a place to be active, it also helps them socialize, says principal Althea Ford.

Plus, "the kids love it," says playground supervisor Therese Webster. "I love it. I love watching the kids play out here. Even the teachers come out and play with the kids on it."

Philanthropy is not new to the Douglas family. In 1964 they formed the Douglas Foundation, financed largely by sales from the family's spectacular art collection, which includes works by Miró, Picasso and Chagall.

"What else do you do with your money?" asks Kirk Douglas. "You give it away to people who need it. You help them." Plus, he says, "it feels so good that I think it's selfish."

Among their accomplishments: a homeless shelter for women, the Anne Douglas Center for Women and the Motion Picture Relief Home's Alzheimer's Unit, named "Harry's Haven" after Douglas' father.

But, as Kirk Douglas tells it, the playgrounds are his most important work because it's crucial to give children a good start in life.

"Today I am very sad and I'm very glad," he tells the kids at Beethoven. "I'm sad because this month will finish our goal of 400 playgrounds. I also will be glad because nobody will be shaking me and saying 'Wake up! It's time to go to school!' "

Though he and his wife are stepping down, they welcome others to take up the mantle. "The program could benefit the entire country," he says. "I think every individual should take a more personal action about their surroundings."

Much more to do

As for the Douglases, they're not exactly retiring. They still work out daily with a personal trainer — who is 95. And Douglas is working on his 10th book, no matter that he said his ninth would be his last. When asked about that, he leans forward as if he's revealing a big secret. "Don't ever believe an actor," he says with a smile, his famous chin dimple still apparent.

Besides, he has other projects afoot. He has been calling for the U.S. government to apologize to African-Americans for slavery. "We are such a superpower, and what I am suggesting would not cost any money at all," he says. He even has a MySpace page with 2,800 friends in hopes of drawing attention to the issue.

But what about retirement? He is, after all, 91.

"When I see all that about retiring, (I think), 'What are they going to do when they retire?' I think retirement should be the beginning of helping others — caring for others."