Charlton Heston Dead at 84

What a shame.  It’s a shame that such a massive man, in skill, heart and stature, was reduced by Alzheimer.s for so long.  What might be the biggest shame of all is that Heston’s last public appearance will be probably be remembered as Mikey presented it in that travesty of a lie-filled, “creatively edited” segment in Bowling for Columbine.

I doubt Michael is capable of shame as a human being anymore - if he ever was - but if he is, I hope that for just a brief moment today, he is ashamed of what he did to Mr. Heston in that film, especially now knowing the man was in the early grips of a disease that confounds, confuses and erases the mind.

So...what was your favorite Heston role?  I must admit, I hated Branaugh’s Hamlet, but I thought Heston was great in it.  I’d have to say that my favorite role of his was George Taylor in Planet of the Apes.  All around, that’s the role of his that stuck with me the most over my life.  He played them all, though.  Marc Antony three or four times, Ben Hur, the Player King, Michelangelo, Jefferson, Richelieu, John the Baptist, Moses, Macbeth, Andrew Jackson...the list goes on and on. 

Rest easy, Chuck.  From our cold, dead hands now.  We’ll keep those damn dirty apes at bay.