Charlton Heston

I have certain things I do when entertainment stars I like pass on to the great Grauman's in the Sky.

First, I hear it's happened. This recently happened by glancing through an office window in the City as I walked past and saw the tickertape thing at the bottom of the screen. It was Richard Widmark, who I knew and respected but had no particular affection for. My heart stopped for a nanosecond though, as I thought how terrible it would be to learn of someone I really loved dying in that manner. Just a glance at a TV in an office reception as you walk past... I can't think of many worse ways to learn of something like that, actually.

I once found out via text message. A friend, emony actually, texted me with the words: "Are you OK?" to which I replied "What?" or something because I had no idea what she meant. She replied "Never mind" because she didn't want me to worry about whatever it was... but it got me thinking and I nipped quickly onto the news while I was at work. There it was: Ronnie Barker dead. That was OK. I could deal. Actually, I pretended I hadn't seen it until I saw the late edition newspapers. When I got home I put on my Porridge DVDs and laughed hard.

It's funny how people react when people die. Even when they're unconnected to the deceased, their attitude changes to some degree. It becomes socially unacceptable to say a bad word about them, unless they were a particularly despicable brand of humanity.

Well, Charlton Heston is dead. I can't sit here and lie: I didn't like the guy. I generally don't give his movies room amongst my collection. There are two exceptions: 55 Days at Peking and Earthquake, and those also star Ava Gardner so are here on special dispensation. I've never seen all of 55 Days at Peking.

Now, what was I saying? Yes, I didn't like Charlton Heston. You may tell me about his civil rights campaigning, which was admirable and conducted even before it became the fashionable thing to do... but I find it hard to accept from someone who was such an ardent fan of guns: the 'out of my cold dead hands!" thing occasionally rattles nastily around my head.

It would be silly for me to say that I didn't like a movie star because of some of his private opinions. Hypocritical too - any Errol Flynn fan, after all, should think twice before condemning anyone for most anything. No, my dislike of Charlton Heston isn't about his political ideologies - it seems to me in some respects he cared mostly about personal freedom, which I'm a big fan of too. That his idea of political freedom seemed to me to be about letting everyone have whatever weaponry they wanted is not really here or there.

No, my reasons for disliking Chuck are really easy and simple: I just didn't like him. I've never particularly rated his abilities as an actor, just as I never rated Laurence Olivier. Perhaps it's that he was in films I never really cared for - the likes of Soylent Green or Planet of the Apes. It's not about his personality or opinions at all, it's that I just didn't like the movies. They weren't my cup of tea. I'm currently trying to watch 55 Days at Peking on VHS (remember those, anyone?) and I can't say I'm overawed by it. Even Earthquake is some way down my list of favourite disaster movies, below The Towering Inferno, Airport, The Cassandra Crossing and The Poseidon Adventure. In fact, if you include Titanic movies as part of the genre, I'd say certainly my beloved A Night To Remember and even Titanic rate higher.

Hell, by virtue of including Olivia De Havilland, Airport '77 rates higher too. Once I watch On The Beach all the way through (on my fourth attempt) it'll rate higher too.

I'm some way into 55 Days at this point, and I am bored. Miss Gardner is beautiful and sparkling, and that's all I can say about it so far. And now it's 8pm and I'll flick it off to watch a repeat of Top Gear.

Now, at this point there are some people who'd say "Oh, if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." But I don't want to let it pass unnoticed. He was a movie star, and deserves a comment even if nobody but the writer reads it. I didn't like him, and his movies hardly touch my life. Except that without them, Hollywood would be a different place.

We can all quote bits from his films - parting the red sea, SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE! and all that damn-dirty-ape-omg-that's-the-statue-of-liberty stuff.

The thing for me is this: it marks the further passing into the foreign land of history of the world I have loved. This is a man who starred opposite Ava Gardner as her romantic lead. He was a contemporary of some of the world's favourite actors, even if you discount him as one yourself. With his death, that world gets further away.

I find it so hard to believe that people born during the age of Silent Movies are now either very old or dead, because to me, that isn't very long ago.

It's a selfish thought, but Charlton Heston dying for me points to more people dying, ones I really did love - Olivia De Havilland. Paul Newman. PETER O'TOOLE. Even say, Elizabeth Taylor.

One day, not very long from now, there won't be any of them left, and all we'll have to show for it are Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Which is OK, but it's not the Hollywood I absolutely love. All the Rat Pack are gone, did you know that? Joey Bishop died in October and the world hardly noticed.

My world is passing away from me, and one day it will be absolutely gone. I, presumably, will still be here.

So, Charlton Heston is dead. I'm sorry for his family. I hope his Alzheimer's was not unbearable because there's not a person on the planet who deserves such a fate. I can't lie though, I didn't like the guy and that was the case last week as it was today. Hope the Grauman's in the Sky gives him a good welcome.

Charlton Heston

I have certain things I do when entertainment stars I like pass on to the great Grauman's in the Sky.

First, I hear it's happened. This recently happened by glancing through an office window in the City as I walked past and saw the tickertape thing at the bottom of the screen. It was Richard Widmark, who I knew and respected but had no particular affection for. My heart stopped for a nanosecond though, as I thought how terrible it would be to learn of someone I really loved dying in that manner. Just a glance at a TV in an office reception as you walk past... I can't think of many worse ways to learn of something like that, actually.

I once found out via text message. A friend, emony actually, texted me with the words: "Are you OK?" to which I replied "What?" or something because I had no idea what she meant. She replied "Never mind" because she didn't want me to worry about whatever it was... but it got me thinking and I nipped quickly onto the news while I was at work. There it was: Ronnie Barker dead. That was OK. I could deal. Actually, I pretended I hadn't seen it until I saw the late edition newspapers. When I got home I put on my Porridge DVDs and laughed hard.

It's funny how people react when people die. Even when they're unconnected to the deceased, their attitude changes to some degree. It becomes socially unacceptable to say a bad word about them, unless they were a particularly despicable brand of humanity.

Well, Charlton Heston is dead. I can't sit here and lie: I didn't like the guy. I generally don't give his movies room amongst my collection. There are two exceptions: 55 Days at Peking and Earthquake, and those also star Ava Gardner so are here on special dispensation. I've never seen all of 55 Days at Peking.

Now, what was I saying? Yes, I didn't like Charlton Heston. You may tell me about his civil rights campaigning, which was admirable and conducted even before it became the fashionable thing to do... but I find it hard to accept from someone who was such an ardent fan of guns: the 'out of my cold dead hands!" thing occasionally rattles nastily around my head.

It would be silly for me to say that I didn't like a movie star because of some of his private opinions. Hypocritical too - any Errol Flynn fan, after all, should think twice before condemning anyone for most anything. No, my dislike of Charlton Heston isn't about his political ideologies - it seems to me in some respects he cared mostly about personal freedom, which I'm a big fan of too. That his idea of political freedom seemed to me to be about letting everyone have whatever weaponry they wanted is not really here or there.

No, my reasons for disliking Chuck are really easy and simple: I just didn't like him. I've never particularly rated his abilities as an actor, just as I never rated Laurence Olivier. Perhaps it's that he was in films I never really cared for - the likes of Soylent Green or Planet of the Apes. It's not about his personality or opinions at all, it's that I just didn't like the movies. They weren't my cup of tea. I'm currently trying to watch 55 Days at Peking on VHS (remember those, anyone?) and I can't say I'm overawed by it. Even Earthquake is some way down my list of favourite disaster movies, below The Towering Inferno, Airport, The Cassandra Crossing and The Poseidon Adventure. In fact, if you include Titanic movies as part of the genre, I'd say certainly my beloved A Night To Remember and even Titanic rate higher.

Hell, by virtue of including Olivia De Havilland, Airport '77 rates higher too. Once I watch On The Beach all the way through (on my fourth attempt) it'll rate higher too.

I'm some way into 55 Days at this point, and I am bored. Miss Gardner is beautiful and sparkling, and that's all I can say about it so far. And now it's 8pm and I'll flick it off to watch a repeat of Top Gear.

Now, at this point there are some people who'd say "Oh, if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." But I don't want to let it pass unnoticed. He was a movie star, and deserves a comment even if nobody but the writer reads it. I didn't like him, and his movies hardly touch my life. Except that without them, Hollywood would be a different place.

We can all quote bits from his films - parting the red sea, SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE! and all that damn-dirty-ape-omg-that's-the-statue-of-liberty stuff.

The thing for me is this: it marks the further passing into the foreign land of history of the world I have loved. This is a man who starred opposite Ava Gardner as her romantic lead. He was a contemporary of some of the world's favourite actors, even if you discount him as one yourself. With his death, that world gets further away.

I find it so hard to believe that people born during the age of Silent Movies are now either very old or dead, because to me, that isn't very long ago.

It's a selfish thought, but Charlton Heston dying for me points to more people dying, ones I really did love - Olivia De Havilland. Paul Newman. PETER O'TOOLE. Even say, Elizabeth Taylor.

One day, not very long from now, there won't be any of them left, and all we'll have to show for it are Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Which is OK, but it's not the Hollywood I absolutely love. All the Rat Pack are gone, did you know that? Joey Bishop died in October and the world hardly noticed.

My world is passing away from me, and one day it will be absolutely gone. I, presumably, will still be here.

So, Charlton Heston is dead. I'm sorry for his family. I hope his Alzheimer's was not unbearable because there's not a person on the planet who deserves such a fate. I can't lie though, I didn't like the guy and that was the case last week as it was today. Hope the Grauman's in the Sky gives him a good welcome.