For Colin McGuigan over at Riding the High Country blog at https://livius1.com/

Kirk Douglas was seemed to be cut from the cloth of the Old Guard. He was athletic to be sure – and not afraid to show it.
Combined with unquestionable Star Power and Acting talent he was a perfect Action Hero.

Running the Oars

AI says:
Douglas performed the stunt himself — repeatedly — with no rehearsal.
According to production accounts and Douglas’s own autobiography, director Richard Fleischer originally hired stuntmen for the sequence, but Douglas insisted on doing it personally after watching them practice.
He then ran the oars several times, maintaining rhythm and momentum to avoid slipping.
He even fell into the near‑freezing fjord during one take, calmly swam to the camera boat to ask if they got the shot, then swam back to do more.
It’s one of the most iconic practical stunts of 1950s cinema.
No CGI, no trick photography — just Douglas’s athleticism and nerve.
It helped cement The Vikings as a standout historical epic.

Classic stuff.