Charlton Heston dies

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 5:19am

Yes, he did play on Broadway, once for months at the beginning of his career and three times for a night-or-two when he was a star.

And in his time, he was one of the biggest.

He died of Alzheimer's the same damn disease that took my father in August and is working away on my mother. What a curse of the modern age.

I met Chuck on the 40th anniversary of the release of "Ben Hur" at a screening at Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles. He could not have been more gracious or fun to talk to. He shook my hand, very firmly for a man as ill as he was that year (and somewhat frail - he rallied I understand), looked me square in the eye and said the making of the film was perhaps the most enjoyable time of his career, except for nights like this when he got to share the film with younger audience. I told him I saw it when it came out in '59 on a military base, every night for two weeks (my mom worked at the candy counter that Christmas) and he said "You probably know the lines better than I do, son." I quoted, in a poor Heston imitation "The wise old days of Solomon." He said "Wise, indeed." and moved on, leaving me thrilled.

Now that was a movie star.

Updated On: 4/6/08 at 05:19 AM

[thatgirl712]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 5:33am

A great loss.


Diane

[slimandslam]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 8:43am

To save everyone the trouble of checking IBDB, here are Charlton Heston's Broadway credits:

1947-48: Played Proculeius in a production of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra at the Martin Beck. Katharine Cornell played Cleopatra, and Godfrey Tearle played Antony. Eli Wallach was also in that production, as Diomedes. Ran for 126 performances.

1949: Appeared in an original play called Leaf and Bough by Joseph Hayes, which ran for three performances at the Cort. I know nothing about this play, and IBDB credits the cast alphabetically, so I don't know if Heston was a lead or not. Heston's character was named Glenn Campbell. In light of the subsequent celebrity of someone else named Glenn Campbell, you can now amaze your friends by telling them "Charlton Heston once played Glenn Campbell," and then watching their brains lock up as they try to imagine Charlton Heston, guitar in hand, singing "Rhinestone Cowboy."

1950: Appeared in Design for a Stained Glass Window, an original play William Berney and Howard Richardson, which ran for eight performances at the Mansfield Theater (now the Brooks Atkinson). Again, I know nothing about this show. His perfromance in this one won him a Theatre World award.

1960: The only time he appeared on Broadway after his breakthrough screen perfromance in The Ten Commandments was in an original play at the Helen Hayes written by Benn W. Levy, called The Tumbler. Heston headed a cast of five, which also included Rosemary Harris, Donald Moffatt, and Martha Scott. Laurence Olivier directed. It ran for only five performances.

[StageFan2]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 9:02am

Sympathies and prayers to his family and friends. This has been a long time coming. Sorry he's gone - glad his struggle is over. R.I.P. Mr. Heston.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 9:04am

A great loss. We will never see his equal.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 9:21am

So sad. He will definitely be missed.

[Not Barker, Todd.]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 10:06am

He and his wife also started a theatre in North Carolina before he became famous.

[erikaamato]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 10:19am

I'm very sad to hear this news.

I, too, met Mr. Heston, singing at his home for Christmas Eve about 6 years ago (I'm the girl in green). He was hospitable beyond belief, and so respectful of us as performers.

He even insisted we eat with all his guests - mostly family - after we'd sung. Not just "oh, help yourself to the buffet, you can eat in the kitchen," but "Help yourself, mix and mingle, enjoy, and sit anywhere you like."

He even had his butler (yes, an old-fashioned butler) give us a tour of his memorabilia, and I got to hold the staff from The Ten Commandments. And one of his Oscars. Pretty cool.

He shall be missed.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 10:33am

Go to the off topic board & read Liverpools comments . Real compassionate chap our Liverpool.

Heston was a giant . I cannot say I have ever disliked any of his films. Some films were bearable because he was in them. One wonders what some films might have been had he played in them such as the Stephen Boyd role in Fall Of The Roman Empire which he turned down.

A great loss.

[Liverpool]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 10:34am

he was an idiot and a bigot

good riddance to bad rubbish


but then roxy, i guess that explains why you love him so much, you too have so much in common Updated On: 4/6/08 at 10:34 AM

[Bruce Memblagh!]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 10:50am

"he was an idiot and a bigot

good riddance to bad rubbish


but then roxy, i guess that explains why you love him so much, you too have so much in common"


Regardless of Heston's homophobia/bigotry, what a thoroughly unpleasant thing to say in the light of his death. Then again ugly chubs can be rather vitriolic - some form of defense mechanism perhaps.

[Liverpool]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 10:52am

Yes cause i'm supposed to praise a racist homophobe that was a mediocre actor just because he's dead??? umm or not.

[Bruce Memblagh!]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 10:55am

no-one is expecting your (or anyone's) praise of him as an actor Liverpool. You merely saw this as an opportunity for yet another stab. The thing that grown ups do is remain silent when they have nothing to add in what I think was meant to be a genuine thread about the loss of someone.
Updated On: 4/6/08 at 10:55 AM

[Liverpool]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 10:57am

yes, a thread about the loss of someone terrible.

[Bruce Memblagh!]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 10:58am

yes yes yes you made your "attempt" at making a point earlier. Now go back before your donuts get stale and let those who do have something to contribute in the spirit of this thread do so.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 11:01am

sorry guys but im with Liverpool on this

Whilst he was a great actor and when anyone dies its a tragedy for their friends and family the simple fact is he was a bigot and represented a dangerous organization.

His stance on guns (which to this day i still dont understand about america) and his homophobic views etc were vile.

Like i say, a great actor, sad his family and friends but you cant escape the facts

[Liverpool]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 11:01am

Ooh fat jokes, how original and well thought out. Go back to the pit you crawled out of. The world was a little bit better for those 3 months you didn't post.

[Bruce Memblagh!]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 11:03am

well perhaps that was about as offensive as your poisonous comments. not so much towards the man himself but indirectly for folk who have loved ones suffering from Alzheimers that you have all but rubbed their noses in
Updated On: 4/6/08 at 11:03 AM

[Idinster87]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 11:12am

songanddanceman,


I am glad that you pointed this out. I'm a bit ashamed to say that I first heard the news last night on perezhilton.com (Hey, it can sometimes be entertaining when I'm bored on the internet), and I couldn't help but be a bit surprised when he (Who is an out and proud gay man) seemed so remorseful. I understand that death is always a tragedy, especially after having the affliction he did (a good friend of mine recently passed after her own battle). But what he did in terms of his anti-gay and pro-violence, pro-gun agenda was simply a tragedy in and of itself. He was the one who showed up after each and every school shooting (He came to Littleton, CO at the time of the Columbine students' funerals) and rallied in defense of guns. That, I feel, next to an act like "Rev." Phelps going to Matthew Shepard's funeral-and many others to this day- was one of the most disgusting public acts I had ever heard of.

However, with that being sad, I can only hope that he will be remembered for the positive contributions he made, including his film and stage work. That, I feel, should be remembered and appreciated.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 11:18am

Every time you open your mouth Liver, you continue to put your foot into it. Way to go Liver

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 11:18am

Every time you open your mouth Liver, you continue to put your foot into it. Way to go Liver

[Liverpool]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 11:20am

yes roxy, but at least the shoes on my feet won't get be kicked out of nice resturants, the same can not be said about your wife.

[Parsley]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 11:20am

I have no positive feelings whatsoever towards Heston because of his dangerously homophobic views in the past but my thoughts are with his family. But equally I am not going to slag him off for the sake of it as it serves nothing.

I felt the same when Reagan died and for much the same reasons - ie) no feelings at all of sadness for his passing just for those closest to him. When Thatcher goes I know I will not be alone in lacking sadness then too for the nastiness she did when she had power - Clause 28 etc etc etc.

[puppetman2]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 11:21am

There is one funny moment I can remember from a Heston performance. He was doing McBeth on live TV back in the days of black and white shows. He was killed and fell with his head behind a rock. The actor who killed him reached down and picked up a fake head. Heston didn't wait long enough and sat up while the camera was still on his body.
Oh for the days of live TV and the fun things that happened.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/6/08 at 11:26am

I have always been repulsed by liver.

I could never figure out why.

Until now.