Charlton Heston: Hollywood’s Last Icon (2017)

My wife, Susan, saw this hardcover book at a thrift store yesterday and immediately thought of me. Isn’t she thoughtful?

I’ve read the opening three chapters of this story, and it’s not a lot different than his own version from “In The Arena”, except for the fact that a family relative disputes his claim of hunting rabbits in the woods as a child.

For the rest of her long life, Lilla tried to deny the emotional struggle of the early Michigan years of Heston’s life. In 1985, after published his memoir, she called Heston’s memories of those days “nonsense.” From an article in People magazine: “Charlton says his favorite childhood memory is ‘hunting rabbits.’ Mom says, “He never hunted a rabbit in his life!…As to his memory of himself as a ‘shy little country boy,’ she points out, ‘We lived in Wilmette [an affluent Chicago suburb).'”

Lilla Heston, People, August 19, 1985.

Honestly, it’s what kids do: make up an alternate version of their memories to imbue their lives with significance and an interesting backstory. In some respects, I did the same thing as a child.

I look forward to reading the rest of the book, and if something of interest arises, I’ll let you know.