MARVELOUS MOCKINGBIRD!

GREGORY PECK, playing upstanding small-town Southern lawyer and devoted dad Atticus Finch, creates one of the most beloved characters in movie history in 1962’s To Kill a Mockingbird. But he almost didn’t get the chance to take the Oscar-winning role that addressed race relations in the U.S. James Stewart turned it down first, fearing the story was too controversial. Producers even offered the role to romantic comedy heartthrob Rock Hudson before they picked Peck — who was perfect!