DAILY DIRT: Best ending of any movie in the ’60s? Here’s our medal choices

Do you “Planet of the Apes” devotees remember Charlton Heston’s name in that film? The answer follows Thought O’ The Day … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,036 of The Daily Dirt

1. There are endings to movies, and then there are ENDINGS.

If you’re still thinking about how a film ended weeks, years, even decades afterward, that was a movie that did its job. I have a handful of those iconic and oh-so-powerful and thought-provoking endings I’d like to share.

Today we start the decade of the 1960s, to be followed by the 1970s and 1980s.

Gold medal: “Planet of the Apes”. The 1968 original, and forever the best, of this longstanding sci-fi series. That heart-stopping scene when at the end Charlton Heston comes across what remains of the Statue of Liberty on some deserted beach will always be one of the famous jaw-droppers. It’s then that the pieces come together about some man-made extinction event that connects all of the other mysteries and questions. And Heston’s name in the film was George Taylor.

Silver medal: “Night of the Living Dead”. Also a 1968 classic, this one is in black and white and is the film that truly gave birth to decades of zombie-themed movies and TV series. The ending is what separates this film from many other similar efforts. Just when you think our hero is about to survive the first night of the undead attack, well … let’s just say that ending is rather (unexpectedly) tragic.

Bronze medal: “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”. This is another example of the late 1960s, which was a great period for movies, especially great endings. “Butch and Sundance” came to us in 1969, highlighted by the overall performances of Paul Newman and Robert Redford, and an ending that was a classic freeze frame accented by the rat-tat-tat-tat of gunshots in the background, indicating the end of Butch and Sundance at the hands of Bolivian soldiers. The interesting part of this is the film is fictional, because the deaths of Butch and Sundance were never verified. The ending provides every indication they did not survive this onslaught, but …

2. Did you know (Part 99)

• That the late Jack Buck would have been 100 years old this week (Wednesday, to be exact). It’s hard to believe it’s been 22 years since the legendary Cardinals baseball and NFL broadcaster, a graduate of Ohio State, left us.
• That the guy whose name adorns “Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies,” Wally Amos, was once a talent agent who signed Simon and Garfunkel and represented other acts like Diana Ross, Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye.
• That Montpelier, Vt., is the only U.S. state capital without a McDonald’s restaurant.
• That a one-way trip on Russia’s Trans-Siberian Railway would find you crossing 3,901 bridges and passing through eight different time zones.
• That the fastest to reach 100 career home runs have been: 1. Ryan Howard (325 games), 2. Pete Alonso (347), 3. Gary Sanchez (355), 4. Fernando Tatis Jr. (362), 5. Aaron Judge (371).

3. This is kind of a two-part thought.

First, can you name all the NHL team nicknames that do not end in “s” — and yes, this is kind of a trick question. 

If you were thinking Lightning, Kraken, Avalanche and Wild you would be correct, but beginning in the 2025-26 season there will be the Utah Hockey Club. The team that is relocating from Arizona is still trying to decide on a permanent nickname and the finalists are Blizzard, Mammoth, Outlaws, Yeti and the Utah HC (Hockey Club). So, there’s a good chance the final answer to that question could be five.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Actually, today there are two Thoughts O’ The Day: 1. Well, I guess I’m never going to Montpelier, Vt., and 2. I kind of like the idea of calling the team the Utah HC. Or maybe the Yeti.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He’s no damn dirty ape.