Bombshells to Blasters, An Auction You Can't Refuse Pt. 1

Lot #57:

Heston's Scrapbook Filming The Ten Commandments

First Time To Auction

Paramount, 1956. Created in 1954 / Paramount, 1956. Vintage scrapbook personally curated by actor Charlton Heston and his wife, Lydia Clarke, from material compiled while Heston starred as the revered prophet "Moses" in Cecil B. DeMille's epic biblical blockbuster The Ten Commandments. The 35-page collection of materials is housed in a monogrammed 3-ring binder with gold gilt "The Hestons" inscribed on the lower left corner of the cover. Materials include (63) black and white production photographs of Heston in and out of character and on set, as well as while touring exotic locations and historical venues, (4) telegrams, and many typed letters, essays, and journal entries by Heston on studio stationery and blank pages, cut and pasted to fit on each plastic sleeved page alongside photos. This rare, one-of-a-kind, homemade scrapbook chronicles Heston's personal experience filming an American masterpiece in the heat of actual production in the desert of Egypt. The collection starts at the very beginning ofpre-production with a newspaper clipping tipped into the first page declaring: "De Mille Off for Egypt to Film Life of Moses." On the facing page the Hestons begin memorializing the momentous production with an 8 x 10 in. production portrait photograph of Heston in full regal "Moses" character makeup and headdress. The following page features 2-telegrams sent to Mrs. Heston from France Tuesday October 5th, 1954, which read in part; "Paris is Gray I Am Blue Wed Both Be Bright Were You Here Too." and from Cairo on Wednesday October 6th, which reads in full; "Im Here I Miss You And I Love You: Me."What follows are a series of journal entries chronicling Charlton Heston's experiences from traveling to exotic locations, through production and back again. Entries take up immediately after his Oct. 6th telegram and, while the entries are generally undated, bear the day of the week at the top. The first entry, written on "Paramount Pictures Corp. - 'The Ten Commandments'" stationery, begins; "Nearly midnight...Thursday almost. Yes, darling, the end of my first day in egypt. There is so much to tell you. I hardly know where to start doing it." Heston goes on to write with affection, "I am seven hours of sun time away from you as I write, darling.It's five minutes into Thursday now, as I type..but for you it's not yet suppertime Wednesday." Heston goes on to speak of the mundane aspects of the trip, delays, and the drive from the airport to his hotel where he slept. In the morning there was a light supper laid out for him. He had a tough time explaining to an electrician that he needed a plug for his electric razor. Next, off to meet DeMille on the set. Heston writes entries sometimes only hours apart. The star intersperses his day to day experiences as well as production-specific information as in the paragraph that speaks of dealing with the chariot horses, in part: "None of the 200 Arab horses had ever BEEN hitched, either, from the look of them. Arabs are as nervous as goosed school girls anyway, and these chariot hitches were driving them crazy." Heston goes on to talk of his stallion that he rode until fellow actor Harry Wilcoxon [sic] (Henry) "Pentaur" intervened telling Heston how upset everyone would be if he was "thrown off and stomped on." The journal continues through Heston's first encounters with fellow actors, impressions of the country, production challenges and more. The entire scrapbook concludes as it began, with a telegram to his wife, which reads, in part: "Arriving Ecstatic TWA 941 Six Wednesday Morning..."A historical, first-person account of the making of what is arguably one of the greatest epic American films ever endeavored. Written by the hand of the movie's legendary star. Exhibiting age, handling, some burning through pages from adhesive, and some loose attachments. In overall vintage very good condition.