It's Maycomb, Alabama at the height of the Depression. Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) is a widower with two children Jeremy "Jem" (Philip Alford) and Jean Louise "Scout" (Mary Badham). He's a lawyer who is surviving the Depression; he receives his payments in kind from his poor neighbors. Well respected in the community, he's asked to take on an impossible case - a local African-American handyman, Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell (Collin Wilcox). Atticus agrees to defend Tom, and the lives of the Finch family are deeply affected. We'll be discussing To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), the most recent TCM Presents: Fathom Events. That To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the all-time great films is not a statement with which most people would argue. A moving portrait of one man's attempts to combat racism in his small town, it is a timeless film. Gregory Peck is incomparable as Atticus Finch, the lawyer who cannot say no when asked to take on a difficult and controversial case. It's a part that won him the Academy Award, and has been voted as the #1 Greatest Heroes in AFI's list of Heroes and Villains in the Movies. I'm not going to discuss Go Set a Watchman (which I refuse to read. It's likely it was a first draft of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, and should not have been published as a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird) or the Broadway play of To Kill a Mockingbird by Aaron Sorkin (which I've not seen, but hope to one day). Suffice it to say, in my opinion To Kill a Mockingbird is a film (and book) that should stand apart from these two later portraits of Atticus.
It's hard to believe that Mr. Peck was not Harper Lee's first choice for Atticus - she initially wanted Spencer Tracy (New Yorkerarticle). In fact, several other actors were approached BEFORE Mr. Peck, including James Stewart ( Hank and Jim: The Fifty-Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewartby Scott Eyman) and Rock Hudson. Bing Crosby, in fact, campaigned to get the part. Today, it's next to impossible to imagine anyone else in the role, Mr. Peck so makes it his own. His portrait is a series of nuances that build up to a man - a widower who sits on the porch swing with his arm across the bench, seemingly embracing his late wife; a father who gently rocks his sleeping daughter as he carries her from their car; a now-nearsighted man who must toss his eyeglasses on the ground to accurately fire a rifle. According to Mr. Peck, he managed to win over Harper Lee. He recalled shooting a scene in which he noticed the author's "cheeks were glistening" Sure he had moved her with his acting, he asked her about the tears: "Oh Gregory, you got a little pot belly just like my daddy" (AFI interview). She would later say "when Gregory Peck played Atticus Finch, he played himself and touched the world" (TCM tribute by Mary Badham to Gregory Peck). For a substantial biography of Mr. Peck, see the chapter on the film in Why To Kill a Mockingbird Matters: What Harper Lee's Book and the Iconic American Film Mean to Us Today By Tom Santopietro.
Neither of Philip Alford nor Mary Badham had long film or television careers. They are both excellent as the Finch children; Ms. Badham was nominated for an Oscar, but lost to Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker. Mr. Alford would eventually become a businessman (he lives in Mississippi); Ms. Badham was an art restorer. Of late, she has become a spokesperson for the film and it's message of tolerance. She was close to her onscreen father until his death in 2003 (and always called him Atticus). Also remarkable is Robert Duvall as Arthur "Boo" Radley. Though only in the film for a few minutes, it is a characterization you will long remember. Kim Stanley as the adult voice of Scout is also excellent (TCM article).
The film was nominated for 8 Academy Awards (in a year that featured Laurence of Arabia, The Music Man, The Miracle Worker, and The Manchurian Candidate); it won three: Actor, Screenplay for Material from Another Source, and Black & White Art Direction (AFI catalog). Brock Peters was the first African American to receive the All-American Press Association of New York Award for Best Supporting Actor. Mr. Peters had spent the better part of his career up til this film playing villains; his trajectory changed after this - he would appear in several Star Trek movies and played Benjamin Sisko's father in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He died in 2005, two years after delivering the eulogy at the funeral of his friend and colleague, Gregory Peck.
TCM's Fathom Events series in November featured Audrey Hepburn's introduction to American audiences with Roman Holiday (1953). Ms. Hepburn plays the Princess Anya, a young woman born into royalty, but oh so tired, after a long world tour, of the protocols that come with being a representative of her country. After she has a stress reaction to her duties, her physician gives her a sedative, which only succeeds in making her, to all intents and purposes, drunk. With her inhibitions gone, Anya makes a break for it, sneaking out of her country's Embassy in Rome. She's found napping in the park by American correspondent Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), who winds up taking her to his apartment, and dumping her on his sofa. It is only the next morning that he realizes he has a princess - and a doozie of a story on his hands - as Anne Smith (Smitty) takes a day to explore the life of a commoner.
As is outlined in one of these TCM articles, Gregory Peck, whose contracted stipulated sole star billing, called the powers that be at the studio and insisted that Audrey Hepburn be given star billing with him. Ever the gentleman, Mr. Peck would later claim that it was merely enlightened self-interest - that he would look ridiculous being labeled as the only "star," when Ms. Hepburn so clearly dominated the film. But it is also a mark of his total professionalism and dedication to his craft that he so quickly recognized the birth of a new star.
For dominate she did - has any actress ever looked more radiant in her first starring role? Of course, she had the magnificent William Wyler as her director - Wyler guided her (along with Bette
Davis, Barbra Streisand (also in her first film role), Greer Garson,
Teresa Wright - a grand total of 14 actors) to an Oscar in the acting
category. Hepburn is glorious here - she conveys both the innocence and
strength of Anne. Especially effective is a scene at the end of the
film, which counterpoints a similar scene at the beginning. In both,
Anya meets with her courtiers, but the results of each scene
are quite different. Hepburn effectively grows the character before
your eyes, and you believe in Anya's development as a future monarch.
Hepburn was not the first choice for the part - it was considered as a role for Jean Simmons, Elizabeth Taylor (the first choice of the Frank Capra, who at one point was going to direct), and Suzanne Cloutier (who was screen tested by Wyler). Cary Grant (who declined the part) was the first choice for Joe Bradley (thankfully - he and Ms. Hepburn would work together FINALLY in Charade. They were a match made in heaven!). For more detail on the background of the film, see this extensive article in the AFI Catalog.
Eddie Albert plays photographer Irving Radovich, Joe's friend and conspirator in the quest to get a story about the runaway
princess. Mr. Albert gets to show off his acrobatic side - he was at
one point a trapeze performer - becoming the victim of a number of
"accidents," as Joe is continually trying to prevent him from spilling the
beans about one secret or another (and Joe has lots of them). Mr. Albert was working as a radio host when was offered a contract with Warner
Brothers. His first film role was Bing in Brother Rat, a role he had originated in the Broadway production. He, in fact, appeared in 9 Broadway productions, including The Music Man (as a replacement for Robert Preston), and The Seven Year Itch
(replacing Tom Ewell). With a film career that started in 1938 and
continued until 1994, he has a large body of work, including film such
as My Love Came Back (1940), The Sun Also Rises (1957), and Oklahoma
(1955). His career might have been even more substantial had he and
his wife, the actress Margo (they were married from 1945 until her death
in 1985), not been caught up the Hollywood Blacklist. Eventually,
Albert segued into television - most famously in the series Green Acres, but also in Switch and a daytime variety show called The Eddie Albert Show. He lived til age 99, dying in 2005 of Alzheimer's disease.
Eddie Albert wasn't the only person on this film touched by the Blacklist. In 1992, AMPAS finally awarded to Dalton Trumbo his Oscar for Best Motion Picture Story, which had previously been credited to Ian McClellan Hunter (who himself was later blacklisted) as sole author. Having just seen Roman Holiday, it was interesting to also see Trumbo, which goes into some detail about the help Hunter provided in getting Trumbo's screenplay to film.
Roman Holiday has been included in the Library of Congress's National Registry of Historic Films as well as being number 4 on the AFI's 100 Years, 100 Passions list. It's a lovely film, with a visualization of true emotions and adult responsibilities. I'm going to close with perhaps the most famous scene in the film, the Mouth of Truth. Allegedly, Mr. Hepburn didn't know that Gregory Peck was going to pretend his hand had been bitten off, and her quite convincing scream was real. Regardless, it's a joy to watch, and expertly done. Enjoy!
The theme of marrying in haste and repenting at leisure is again explored, this time in Designing Woman (1957), a romantic comedy starring Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall. Peck is Mike Hagen, a sportswriter who is on assignment in California. He's been out drinking, and awakens hung over and unable to recall whether he filed an important story. Later that day, he re-meets Marilla Brown (Bacall), with whom he spent his night of drinking. She, however, stayed sober, helped him to write his story (and filed it), AND has been carefully holding the $700 he gave her in his stupor. They spend a romantic two weeks together, and end their vacation by marrying. Mike is blissfully unaware of pretty much anything about Marilla, but on the plane ride home, after she excuses herself and returns in a high-fashion dress, he begins a learning experience. Marilla is a highly respected, and highly paid, fashion designer. Mike's shabby apartment would fit into Marilla's bedroom, and Marilla's friends are NOT the kind of people with whom Mike associates. Thus, their newlywed bliss begins to deteriorate as each is forced to inhabit the world of the other.
Some interesting background information on Designing Woman is available from this TCM article.
Originally, Grace Kelly and James Stewart were slated for the leads, but then Grace got married, and Jimmy opted out (He had really wanted to work with Kelly; after the film's release, he said he was sorry he had turned down the role). Bacall consented to do the role, despite that fact that her husband, Humphrey Bogart, was dying. Bogart encouraged her take it; he died four months before the film's release. Gregory Peck commented on her professionalism during this trying period in his tribute to Ms. Bacall. The story for the film came from Helen Rose, the costumer for the production. The wardrobe here is outstanding. Bacall's quick change in the plane from tourist to professional is one noteworthy example of Ms. Rose's talent. The costume defines the character for the audience - Marilla's flair skirt and casual blouse change to a tailored dress and matching hat. Another example is her costume for the scene in which she meets Mike at the fights. Her professional outfit immediately places her as a fish out of water in this extremely funny episode. One of my group recalls seeing pieces of Ms. Rose's personal wardrobe, which were donated to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Another thing to notice in the film is the amazing set decoration; the contrast between Mike and Marilla's apartments quickly establish the conflict that is to come. And Marilla's apartment is a showpiece - down to exquisite door knobs (with star decorations on them).
A few words on the always fantastic Gregory Peck. In Gregory Peck: A Biography, by Gary Fishgall, the author relates that after seeing Peck's reaction to having a plate
of ravioli dumped in his lap, George Burns - no slouch when it came to reacting to the ridiculous - was "in stitches". Peck's responsed that it was "worth as much as the Academy Award" to have made Burns laugh. Besides Peck and Lauren Bacall, the film has an excellent supporting cast. Dolores Gray
(Lori Shannon) was familiar to some of us from her appearance as the television personality Madeline Bradville in It's Always Fair Weather. But Ms. Grey had a very limited film and television career - only 10 credits appear in IMDB, but two of her films are noteworthy: Sylvia (the Rosalind Russell role) in The Opposite Sex and Lalume in the 1955 version of Kismet. However, Ms. Grey had an exceptional career on Broadway, winning the Tony for her appearance in Carnival in Flanders (she also has the record for winning a Tony a play with the shortest run - 6 performances!). She gives us a memorable character in Lori, one that can stand toe-to-toe with actors of the caliber of Bacall and Peck.
Jack Cole, who plays choreographer Randy Owens was perfect. Without giving too much away (slight spoiler here), the image of Randy taking down a cadre of villains, including Chuck Connors (as gangster Johnny O), who is twice his size, is an absolutely perfect touch. It was one of my favorite scenes in the film.
Many TV favorites are featured in the film, including the aforementioned Connors, Edward Platt, the Chief of CONTROL from Get Smart as gangster Martin J. Daylor, Richard Deacon (Mel Cooley from The Dick Van Dyke Show) as a newspaper reporter, and Dean Jones in a small role as an assistant stage manager.
The film employs narration from Mike and Marilla to tell much of the story. It's a interesting technique, and works well. We leave you with this clip from the film, in which Bacall and Peck have a row:
