A bit of Hollywood History

Cropped screenshot of Charlton Heston from the trailer for the film Ben Hur (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Easter is around the corner, and the season wouldn't quite be the same at my home if I didn't squeeze in my favorite flick, Ben Hur.  I don't know why I insist that this film is my 'Easter' staple, right there with the ham and mashed potatoes that symbolize the start of the holiday, but Mr. Heston has always held a special place in my heart.

Filmed in Italy, and using a $15 million budget, Ben Hur was one of the most expensive films ever made up until that point.  The famous chariot race, alone, took over 3 weeks to shoot, and Heston did most of his own stunts.

This week, in 1960, Ben Hur won 11 awards at the Oscars, sweeping the Academy Awards.  To this day, Ben Hur still owns the record for the most amounts of Oscars ever won for a single film, although Titanic and Lord of the Rings have matched it.

Now, for that bit of history that rivals the actual film—

The author, Lew Wallace, was a former general and lawyer who found time to write during his busy schedule.  While scribbling down his ideas for his epic novel,   Wallace served as territorial governor of New Mexico at the time of the Lincoln County Wars.  Since there were so many murders, rapes, and theft, Wallace met and struck up a deal with a certain young man, promising leniency to him if he provided evidence and testimony to aid in the end of the wars.

Wallace didn't keep his promise and, instead, signed the death warrant for the one man that he promised clemency—Billy the Kid.

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