Kirk Douglas the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, which gave him a special scholarship. One of his classmates was Betty Joan Perske (later known as Lauren Bacall), who would play an important role in launching his film career. Bacall wrote that she "had a wild crush on Kirk," and they dated casually. Another classmate, and a friend of Bacall's, was aspiring actress Diana Dill, who would later become Douglas's first wife. During their time together, Bacall learned Douglas had no money, and that he once spent the night in jail since he had no place to sleep. She
To Have and Have Not Sloane in Walter Brennan's part as the alcoholic sidekick, although Sloane's interpretation was less overtly comedic than Brennan's. The movie features a bravura performance by Eddie Albert as a charismatic villain. Pauline Kael and Bosley Crowther have claimed that the ending was used for John Huston's film "Key Largo" (1948); Kael also said that "One Trip Across" was made into "The Gun Runners" (1958). The 1977 film The Deep reused characters and plot elements, setting the tale in Bermuda with the villain a Haitian drug lord. The alcoholic sidekick to the boat skipper was played by Eli Wallach. In 1987