Kirk Douglas searches for lessons

LOS ANGELES, May 8 (Reuters) At age 90, actor Kirk Douglas has written his ninth, and he swears, final book. Featuring chapters like ''Thinking About Death,'' ''Dealing With Death,'' ''Almost Dying,'' ''Reading Obituaries'' and ''Sunset,'' the book is called, ''Let's Face it.'' With chapters and a title like that, you could assume that Douglas is either preparing for a second career as an undertaker or is as death-obsessed as any character in a Woody Allen movie.

Instead he assures a visitor that this is what people his age think about, that and whether they have done enough good in their lives.

''When you reach 90, you are living on the house's money,'' Douglas says shortly after he bounces -- thanks to new knees -- into the den of his Beverly Hills home, his white hair slicked back over his head.

The star of nearly 90 films looks almost as fit and trim and ready for a fight as when he was in his 20s and played a boxer in one of his early hits, ''Champion.'' But, as he says in his book, he sees a different Kirk Douglas: ''Here I am staggering into my 90s, hard of hearing, hard of seeing and with an impaired voice (from a stroke). Had I died in my 40s would I have been remembered as the Viking dancing across the oars? Maybe.'' Some of his thoughts are toss-away jokes with a kernel of truth, like if you thought 85 was old, wait till you hit 90 -- that's really old.

Others are serious and some are extremely painful memories of the people lost on the road to longevity.

For example, his close friend Burt Lancaster is never far from his thoughts, and he still gets a laugh recalling how Lancaster once introduced him at a dinner: ''Kirk would be the first to admit he is a difficult person. (Pause) I would be the second.'' When Lancaster had a stroke, his wife asked Douglas to accept an award for him, but she never let him see his friend again because of Lancaster's weakened condition.

''I had my first guilt about being alive when I was in a helicopter crash and two young people were killed -- one just 18 years old and getting ready to go to college. I was in hospital and operated on for my back but I was 75 years old. Why was I alive and this young man dead, when his life was just beginning?'' he said.

It is not a question that Douglas will have answered any time soon. Nor will he get over the loss of his youngest son Eric at age 45 from a drug overdose. Douglas and his wife Anne visit his grave twice a week.

GIANT EGO ''At age 90, you look back and realise how egotistical you were in your youth, how wrapped up you were in yourself and your career.

Then you look back and realize that the most important thing you can do is do something for the children.'' Now in the twilight of their lives, Douglas and his wife have opened scores of playgrounds for disadvantaged youth in Los Angeles.

In a long film career, Douglas was famed for powerful performances as characters who had to endure intense on-screen pain.

He is stabbed in ''Ace in the Hole,'' crucified in ''Spartacus,'' loses an eye in ''The Vikings,'' an ear in ''Lust for Life,'' and a finger in ''The Big Sky.'' Douglas said that of all his film roles, playing Vincent van Gogh in ''Lust for Life'' was his favorite. ''Spartacus'' was his favorite film because as producer he made history by breaking the Hollywood blacklist that barred Communists from working in the film industry.

''Spartacus is my favorite film because it enabled me to do something I am forever proud of -- breaking the blacklist. Dalton Trumbo was the writer but he was blacklisted and working under an assumed name. All the actors, including Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivier, had to sneak out to his house to discuss script changes because he wasn't allowed on set.

''I announced that he had written the script and would be given screen credit.'' As for ''Lust for Life'', ''It was the only part in which I lost control. As an actor I always thought I should be in control but I felt the personality of van Gogh take over.'' Douglas said he did have a goal for his 91st year. ''I'd like to meet Angelina Jolie, if my wife approves.'' REUTERS RN BD1715