Wonderful stories, observations, thoughts and reflections, everyone. Thanks for all the posts, and special thanks to Gord, Armand, Joe, Bill and all the rest for all the kind words and thoughtful responses to mine. I had been expecting this for a while, and Heston has really been in the forefront of my mind since my most recent talks with Ray about their friendship and creative collaborations.

I totally agree with FrozenGhost's comment about the scene in the Hall of Records with Joe Calleia in Touch of Evil. Beautifully done on both actors' parts (don't think I've ever seen Calleia in a role that showcased him anywhere near that brilliantly, and Heston had his work cut out for him playing a Mexican character). It's also a splendid example of the way in which Welles (at his best) could blend depth of dialogue and emotion between two players within a small space in what is still a visually compelling context.

I had forgotten about Space Ghost. That was one of the highlights of Heston's lighter side. Thanks, Blackbiped, for reminding me. I also recall a time when Heston was in Nashville for a book signing and made an appearance on one of the Nashville Network talk shows (Crook & Chase, if I'm not mistaken). They were talking about the resonance of his voice and asked if he would give a serious Shakespearean reading of some contemporary country music lyrics. Heston cheerfully agreed, then delivered a somber, straight-faced, wonderfully funny dramatic reading of the lyrics to the Alan Jackson hit Chattahoochee (where "... it gets hotter than a hoochie-coochie"). I wish I had taped it.

I agree with Bill about Heston's performance in Soylent Green. I think he pulled off the last scene about as well as anybody could have. It was basically a rather staggering, no-win challenge for any actor, and Heston rose (his arm, at least) to the occasion. As for The Omega Man, Richard Matheson told me in an interview once that the movie was so far removed from his book that it didn't even bother him. He went on to say that he would have liked to have seen Heston play the role of Robert Neville in a much more faithful adaptation of his book. He said Heston was very close to the way he envisioned the character. That would have been a totally different experience than The Omega Man, though I do like that film simply because it thrilled me so much when I was ten years old.

Heston could appear so contemporary on screen so much of the time, but I agree with the assessment that he wouldn't have been quite as effective in many of the American stage roles that have become "modern" classics. Still, in his later years, I think he would have worked remarkably well as Williams' Big Daddy in Cat or as Danforth in Miller's The Crucible, roles written by modern playwrights, but definitely cast in the "classical" mold.

Last but not least, I just received this note from Kenny Miller, who says more from personal experience than I could ever say ...

"What a tremendous tribute to one of my favorite actors that I was lucky enough to work with twice. So many memories--but will always cherish him for when I went to read for The Buccaneer and he was there with DeMille, Anthony Quinn (the director), Henry Wilcoxson, and I was to cold read with the dialogue director, and Charlton said, 'I just finished working with Kenny in Orson's Touch of Evil and with your permission, I'd like to read with him. I almost passed out! After about three lines Tony looked at Mr. DeMille and said, "Isn't it amazing--after all the actors we've tested for this part-- and just two lines and we know Kenny's perfect." Mr. DeMille and Wilcoxson agreed. But it was Charlton's kindness and greatness of humanity that he shared with me on that nerve-racking morning that I ended up sharing so many scenes with him as the great 'Andrew Jackson' in DeMille's last film."

Terry Pace
pillaroffire@bellsouth.net

"I know, Sol, you've told me a hundred times before. People were better, the world was better ..." -- Detective Robert Thorn (Charlton Heston) in Soylent Green (1973)