In June 1972, a small item buried in production notes became one of those eyebrow‑raising Hollywood anecdotes about on‑set boundaries and family filmmaking. Seventeen‑year‑old Peter Douglas — the son of Kirk Douglas and newly hired as the still photographer for his father’s Bryna Company production Scalawag, filmed on location in Yugoslavia — photographed actress Lesley‑Anne Down posing nude. Those images were subsequently sold to Playboy. The shoot took place inside a uniquely familial production context: Kirk Douglas produced, directed and starred in the picture, Anne Buydens was co‑producer, younger brother Eric served on the production staff, and even the family dog had a role. The engagement marked one of Peter’s earliest professional forays behind the camera while still a teenager working in his father’s independent company.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1970s
The 1972 Yugoslavia Shoot: 17‑Year‑Old Peter Douglas Photographs Lesley‑Anne Down Nude — Pictures End Up in Playboy
Peter Douglas / Scalawag (The Bryna Company) / 1970s
In June 1972, a small item buried in production notes became one of those eyebrow‑raising Hollywood anecdotes about on‑set boundaries and family filmmaking. Seventeen‑year‑old Peter Douglas — the son of Kirk Douglas and newly hired as the still photographer for his father’s Bryna Company production Scalawag, filmed on location in Yugoslavia — photographed actress Lesley‑Anne Down posing nude. Those images were subsequently sold to Playboy. The shoot took place inside a uniquely familial production context: Kirk Douglas produced, directed and starred in the picture, Anne Buydens was co‑producer, younger brother Eric served on the production staff, and even the family dog had a role. The engagement marked one of Peter’s earliest professional forays behind the camera while still a teenager working in his father’s independent company.
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