TCM and U.S. Postal Service® to Salute Charlton Heston with Stamp Dedication Ceremony during 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood

April 11 Event at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX to Include Issuance of New "Legends of Hollywood" Stamp Featuring Heston

Heston Family Members to Attend Ceremony, Followed by TCM Classic Film Festival’s World Premiere Screening of Restored Touch of Evil (1958)
 

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and theUnited States Postal Service® (USPS)will salute Charlton Heston with the issuance of a brand new commemorative Forever® postage stamp featuring the Oscar®-winning actor. The official First Day of Issue Ceremony will take place at Hollywood’s historic TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX® on Friday, April 11, at 10 a.m. during the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival. TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz is set to host the ceremony, which will be attended by members of Heston’s family, including Heston’s wife Lydia Clarke Heston, who took the photograph on which the stamp is based, and his son, filmmaker Fraser Heston, his daughter Holly Rochell and other honored guests. Immediately following the ceremony, the USPS will offer collectible First-Day-of-Issue postmarks and have the Charlton Heston Forever® stamp and related philatelic merchandise on sale.  In addition, the day’s honored guests will be on-hand for an autograph session.

TCM’s celebration of Charlton Heston will continue at noon, when festival passholders have the opportunity to attend the World Premiere screening of the newly restored Touch of Evil (1958), to be introduced by Mankiewicz and Fraser Heston. And one week before the ceremony, Mankiewicz will present a night of Charlton Heston films on TCM Friday, April 4, beginning at 8 p.m. (ET).

"Charlton Heston brought an intensity and power to the screen that few could ever match and nobody could ever forget," said Mankiewicz. "He commanded the screen with memorable performances that stood out against even the most spectacular backgrounds. It’s an honor to be taking part in this special celebration of Heston’s unique contributions to motion pictures."

Heston is the 18th star to be honored as part of the USPS’ "Legends of Hollywood" series, which first launched in 1995. Past stamps have celebrated such Hollywood greats as Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, Lucille Ball, Audrey Hepburn, John Wayne, Judy Garland, James Stewart, Bette Davis, Gary Cooper, Katharine Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

“On behalf of my mother, Lydia; my sister, Holly Rochell; and the entire Heston family, I can say enthusiastically how deeply grateful we all are that my father, Charlton, has been honored with a ’Legends of Hollywood’ postage stamp," said Fraser Heston. "In many ways, a nation’s stamps are a cross-section of a culture, its ideals and icons, in microcosm. As a fervently patriotic American, my father would be deeply moved to know that his image, based on one of my mother’s photographs, will be on a United States Forever Postage Stamp. We look forward with great anticipation to the unveiling of the stamp at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood on April 11."

The Charlton Heston stamp ceremony is one of many events being staged in celebration of TCM’s 20th Anniversary as a leading authority in classic film. The anniversary coincides with the TCM Classic Film Festival, which takes place Thursday, April 10 - Sunday, April 13.

"One of the ways we are celebrating TCM’s 20th anniversary is by giving fans the chance to experience some of that Hollywood magic up close," said Jeff Gregor, Turner Entertainment Networks chief marketing officer and general manager of TCM. "We look forward to welcoming classic movie fans from around the world as we unveil the Charlton Heston commemorative postage stamp during the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival."

Below is a complete schedule of TCM events celebrating the life and career of Charlton Heston.

TCM Salutes Charlton Heston

Friday, April 4, beginning at 8 p.m. (ET) on TCM

One week before the unveiling of a new postage stamp honoringCharlton Heston, TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz will present a night of the legendary actor’s films. During introductions, they will not only discuss Charlton Heston’s remarkable career, but also what it was like for Fraser Heston to grow up with such a legendary father.

8 p.m. - Ruby Gentry (1952)

9:30 p.m. - The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)

Midnight - 55 Days at Peking (1963)

3 a,m. - Soylent Green (1973)

4:45 a.m. - Skyjacked (1972)

"Legends of Hollywood: Charlton Heston" Stamp Dedication Ceremony

Friday, April 11, at 10 a.m. (PT) at the TCL Chinese Theater IMAX®

TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz will host this special Stamp Dedication Ceremony honoring Charlton Heston. Filmmaker Fraser Heston, son of the legendary actor, will also participate in the ceremony, which will be attended by Heston family members and honored guests. This event is open to the public, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

"Legends of Hollywood: Charlton Heston" First-Day Sales and Autograph Session

Friday, April 11, at 10:45 a.m. (PT) outside the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX®

Outside the theater immediately following the Stamp Dedication Ceremony, the USPS will offer first-day sales and cancellations of the Heston stamp. There will also be a special autographing session with Ben Mankiewicz, Fraser Heston and other honored guests. The USPS will continue to be on hand throughout the festival to offer additional sales and cancellations. This event is open to the public.

TCM Classic Film Festival: Touch of Evil (1958) - World Premiere Restoration

Friday, April 11, at Noon (PT) at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX®

Following the stamp ceremony and signing session, festival passholders will have the opportunity to enjoy the world premiere screening of the newly restoredTouch of Evil (1958). Orson Welles took film noir to its darkest depths with this story about a border-town nightmare. Charlton Heston stars as a Mexican drug-enforcement officer helping American detectives investigate a car bomb explosion at a border crossing. Janet Leigh is his young wife, and Welles is the corrupt American detective heading the case. Also starring are Akim Tamiroff, Marlene Dietrich, Joseph Calleia, Keenan Wynn, Joseph Cotten, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Mercedes McCambridge. Though Welles’ original cut is lost to history, this version includes the 1998 reconstruction by producer Rick Schmidlin and editor/sound designer Walter Murch using Welles’ 1958 notes and a new, painstakingly restored original negative.

Touch of Evil has been reconstructed from the original camera negative and is being presented in collaboration with Universal Studios. This event is open to TCM Classic Film Festival passholders and the public.