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The Ropes
Los Angeles Times Article - 1/3/1971
HESTON SWORN IN; FINDS WAY AROUND D.C.
Charlton Heston (D-CA) was sworn in as California's Senator at 9:30 p.m. PT today by Vice President Spiro Agnew in a short ceremony to succeed George Murphy. Like Murphy, Heston is a prominent actor who has no prior experience in electoral politics. He was flanked by his wife Lydia, son Fraser, as well as his extended family in addition to a small contingent of acting friends who watched from the senate gallery.
Conversation between Senators Heston and Humphrey - 1/3/1971
HESTON: It's a pleasure to meet you, Hubert.
HUMPHREY: And I you, Mr. Heston. You aren't very familiar with this environment, I take it.
HESTON: I know the place, Hubert, I just haven't been here. I've been around, you know.
HUMPHREY: Yes, yes, of course. I saw that ad you did a couple years ago -
HESTON: The one by Laughlin?
HUMPHREY: That's the - uh - one I was thinking of.
HESTON: Hubert, I want you to know that I've been in a - heh - few productions as well.
HUMPHREY: How could I forget? I quite liked the one with the...apes, wasn't it?
HESTON: Many did.
HUMPHREY: ...
HUMPHREY: Shall I show you around the building?
HESTON: Certainly.
HUMPHREY: Well, you'll find the Candy Desk over there...
Excerpt from El-Cid: The Life of Charlton Heston by Emelie Raymond - Released 2004
Heston found himself in a body full of strangers when he had arrived to the senate. Initially, he intended to pass bills in relation to arts funding and tax breaks for the Motion Picture Industry, but this was more difficult than imagined as other bills came to the forefront of the congressional table. On this front, he would find a friend in senator and former vice president Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, who became one of his lasting friends in congress. They were not political opposites by any means, but the 'coalitions' that propelled them to victory in their respective states were markedly different. Humphrey could appreciate Heston's time as a de facto union boss during his premiership of the Screen Actors Guild, while Heston had nothing but respect for the longtime civil rights campaigner. Of course, Humphrey made no bones about his secret intentions to stand against Nixon in 1972, and Heston was aware of this.
One of Heston's first major pieces of legislation came in the form of the 'Javits bill', which was introduced by New York Senator Jacob Javits on the 25th. It reformed the private pension system in order to mandate employers to insure employees. It also would create a Pension and Employee Benefit Plan Commission which would establish coverage priorities. It went before the Senate Labor Committee, which Heston was a part of, in July of 1971. He telephoned Javits numerous times between January and July, as well as Labor Committee chairman Harrison Williams of New Jersey. Heston ensured that he would support the bill in exchange for Javits' support on a bill regarding funding of the arts that Heston had planned to author in the coming months. However, it faced trouble when Russell Long's Finance Committee took issue with the bill's blatant attempt to establish the Labor Committee's dominance on matters relating to pensions. Long was, to put it bluntly, 'pissed'. He wasn't willing to let things go by without a fight.
This is where Heston came in. Long, who planned to refer the bill to Finance, met with him to have a 'brisk' conversation. Heston intended to see through the passage of Javits' bill, regardless of his own small seniority in the senate. The meeting was frank, and both men came out of it only slightly more sure than before. Heston sought to address Long's problems by consulting Williams and requesting that the provisions which enhanced the Labor Committee's power on funding and portability (the transferring of pension funds being altered). Williams then spoke to Javits, who reluctantly agreed to withdraw those specific motions. Long backed down, and permitted the bill to go to the senate in time for the summer of 1972, where it would pass with 60 votes in favor and 39 in opposition (with one absence). Heston had made his mark, and Humphrey was very impressed.
In mid-to-late 1971, Heston, along with Republican Senator Charles 'Mac' Mathias of Maryland, would author the Heston-Mathias Art Protection Act of 1971. The bill, in spite of Mathias' involvement, was essentially Heston's baby. Many of the provisions were holdovers from the SAG period, including a 20% tax break on income made via the American Motion Picture Industry and investment tax credits for studios, plus a $2,000,000 increase in funding for the National Endowment of the Arts. While it would not make it pass Long's Finance Committee, many of the sections made it into the Revenue Act of 1971 and other tax-related bills of that year...
Moving House; Diaries 1970-1976 by Charlton Heston - Entry for 11/1/1971
Further success on the Javits bill. It's incredibly odd to find myself speaking the language of congresspeople, as it is a strange and complex language not used on the streets of Los Angeles. It has been a year since I won the race against Murphy, and yet I still perform what the comedians refer to as a double-take whenever someone refers to me as 'Senator'. Progress has been made, but I suspect it will be some time before I accustom myself to this bloody chamber...
Saw Ted [Kennedy] on the floor today. Still a deeply unpleasant man who I doubt I will ever come to like. I voted for his brother, but something about him rubs me the wrong way. I must express relief that he is not in the fray for 1972, as I'm unsure on whether I could bring myself to support him out of any sense other than the mysterious beast known as 'party unity'.
HESTON SWORN IN; FINDS WAY AROUND D.C.
Charlton Heston (D-CA) was sworn in as California's Senator at 9:30 p.m. PT today by Vice President Spiro Agnew in a short ceremony to succeed George Murphy. Like Murphy, Heston is a prominent actor who has no prior experience in electoral politics. He was flanked by his wife Lydia, son Fraser, as well as his extended family in addition to a small contingent of acting friends who watched from the senate gallery.
Conversation between Senators Heston and Humphrey - 1/3/1971
HESTON: It's a pleasure to meet you, Hubert.
HUMPHREY: And I you, Mr. Heston. You aren't very familiar with this environment, I take it.
HESTON: I know the place, Hubert, I just haven't been here. I've been around, you know.
HUMPHREY: Yes, yes, of course. I saw that ad you did a couple years ago -
HESTON: The one by Laughlin?
HUMPHREY: That's the - uh - one I was thinking of.
HESTON: Hubert, I want you to know that I've been in a - heh - few productions as well.
HUMPHREY: How could I forget? I quite liked the one with the...apes, wasn't it?
HESTON: Many did.
HUMPHREY: ...
HUMPHREY: Shall I show you around the building?
HESTON: Certainly.
HUMPHREY: Well, you'll find the Candy Desk over there...
Excerpt from El-Cid: The Life of Charlton Heston by Emelie Raymond - Released 2004
Heston found himself in a body full of strangers when he had arrived to the senate. Initially, he intended to pass bills in relation to arts funding and tax breaks for the Motion Picture Industry, but this was more difficult than imagined as other bills came to the forefront of the congressional table. On this front, he would find a friend in senator and former vice president Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, who became one of his lasting friends in congress. They were not political opposites by any means, but the 'coalitions' that propelled them to victory in their respective states were markedly different. Humphrey could appreciate Heston's time as a de facto union boss during his premiership of the Screen Actors Guild, while Heston had nothing but respect for the longtime civil rights campaigner. Of course, Humphrey made no bones about his secret intentions to stand against Nixon in 1972, and Heston was aware of this.
One of Heston's first major pieces of legislation came in the form of the 'Javits bill', which was introduced by New York Senator Jacob Javits on the 25th. It reformed the private pension system in order to mandate employers to insure employees. It also would create a Pension and Employee Benefit Plan Commission which would establish coverage priorities. It went before the Senate Labor Committee, which Heston was a part of, in July of 1971. He telephoned Javits numerous times between January and July, as well as Labor Committee chairman Harrison Williams of New Jersey. Heston ensured that he would support the bill in exchange for Javits' support on a bill regarding funding of the arts that Heston had planned to author in the coming months. However, it faced trouble when Russell Long's Finance Committee took issue with the bill's blatant attempt to establish the Labor Committee's dominance on matters relating to pensions. Long was, to put it bluntly, 'pissed'. He wasn't willing to let things go by without a fight.
This is where Heston came in. Long, who planned to refer the bill to Finance, met with him to have a 'brisk' conversation. Heston intended to see through the passage of Javits' bill, regardless of his own small seniority in the senate. The meeting was frank, and both men came out of it only slightly more sure than before. Heston sought to address Long's problems by consulting Williams and requesting that the provisions which enhanced the Labor Committee's power on funding and portability (the transferring of pension funds being altered). Williams then spoke to Javits, who reluctantly agreed to withdraw those specific motions. Long backed down, and permitted the bill to go to the senate in time for the summer of 1972, where it would pass with 60 votes in favor and 39 in opposition (with one absence). Heston had made his mark, and Humphrey was very impressed.
In mid-to-late 1971, Heston, along with Republican Senator Charles 'Mac' Mathias of Maryland, would author the Heston-Mathias Art Protection Act of 1971. The bill, in spite of Mathias' involvement, was essentially Heston's baby. Many of the provisions were holdovers from the SAG period, including a 20% tax break on income made via the American Motion Picture Industry and investment tax credits for studios, plus a $2,000,000 increase in funding for the National Endowment of the Arts. While it would not make it pass Long's Finance Committee, many of the sections made it into the Revenue Act of 1971 and other tax-related bills of that year...
Moving House; Diaries 1970-1976 by Charlton Heston - Entry for 11/1/1971
Further success on the Javits bill. It's incredibly odd to find myself speaking the language of congresspeople, as it is a strange and complex language not used on the streets of Los Angeles. It has been a year since I won the race against Murphy, and yet I still perform what the comedians refer to as a double-take whenever someone refers to me as 'Senator'. Progress has been made, but I suspect it will be some time before I accustom myself to this bloody chamber...
Saw Ted [Kennedy] on the floor today. Still a deeply unpleasant man who I doubt I will ever come to like. I voted for his brother, but something about him rubs me the wrong way. I must express relief that he is not in the fray for 1972, as I'm unsure on whether I could bring myself to support him out of any sense other than the mysterious beast known as 'party unity'.
- Gorrister
- Word Count: 1000