Tall Man Acting

TALL MAN ACTING

Gregory Peck is a living treasure for all of us that cherish great acting. Some fans want to collect all his films that they can, and get books, tearsheets, photographs, magazine covers, and articles on the great movie star. One place to start is with a good biography of this gentleman. I would recommend the one by Gary Fishgall; this a serious look at the life of the actor. Add to this the wonderful video,The Hollywood Collection - Gregory Peck: His Own Man, a magnificently produced biography done for PBS. Add to that the classical score,Copland: Orchestral Works, where Peck did the narration, and you have the basic groundwork and foundation for your Gregory Peck collection.

Then begin to sort out the Peck films that you want to collect, and make a section for each type of film it was.

WESTERNS: He appeared in a dozen westerns. My personal favorite was,Stalking Moon,as the cavalry scout, Sam Varner. Next up might be, The Big Country, where he did his Ahab on the prairie, James McKay. Another terrific film for him was, Gunfighter, as Jimmy Ringo, the anti-hero aged gunfighter. And we must not forget, Duel in the Sun, as the "bad" brother, Lewt McCanles. I liked his work, as well, in, Billy Two Hats, as the old outlaw Deans. Or how great he was in, Bravados (1958), as Jim Douglass. One great film, not readily available in VHS or DVD, is YELLOW SKY (1948) as Stretch; but one can check on the Amazon Auctions regularly, and sometimes a copy is available. A more recent role was done in, Old Gringo, as the charismatic Ambrose Bierce. There are three other titles that Amazon does carry in VHS.

WAR: Peck was superb in uniform too, the equal to John Wayne any day of the week. He appeared in 14 war movies. His best war film was, Twelve O'Clock High, as General Frank Savage. For me, the next best performance was in, The Guns of Navarone (Special Edition), as Captain Keith Mallory. He was rugged and brave in , Pork Chop Hill, as Lt. Joe Clemens. He really stood out in, MacARTHUR, as the General of generals. The second film in his career,Days of Glory, as Vladimir, was a strong indication of greatness to come. He was, also, very effective in,Captain Newman MD, as Captain Josiah Newman, and in, Behold a Pale Horse, as Manuel Artiguez, and in, On the Beach, as Cmdr. Dwight Towers. There are four other titles available through Amazon, and you have to hunt for THE PURPLE PLAIN, & NIGHT PEOPLE.

HISTORICAL: Top of the list would be, Captain Horatio Hornblower, as Horatio Hornblower himself. Followed by his sensitive performance in, The Yearling, as the father,Penny Baxter. Next up would be his towering role in, Moby Dick, as Capt. Ahab; followed by his cameo in the remake,Moby Dick, as Father Mapple, done by Orson Welles in the '56 version. He was pretty good in, David & Bathsheba, as King David. And his touching performance in his film debut, Keys of the Kingdom, as Father Francis Chisholm. There are three other titles carried by Amazon.

DRAMA: Top of this list, and the finest acting he ever did, was in,To Kill a Mockingbird (Collector's Edition), as the incredible portrayel of Atticus Finch. Next up, I would get a copy of, Gentleman's Agreement, as Philip Schuyler "Green"; a controversial film for the '40's. In his ode to Hemingway, he did, Snows of Kilimanjaro, as Harry Street. You have to hunt for THE MACOMBER AFFAIR (1947). He did a touching TV movie, with his daughter, in, Portrait, as Gardner Church; reteaming him up with Lauren Bacall. There are two other titles carried in the Amazon video lexicon.

COMEDY: His best comedy was his first, Roman Holiday (1953), as Joe Bradley. He, also, had great fun appearing in, Designing Woman, as Mike Hagen, with Lauren Bacall. One other title is available through Amazon.

SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR: His best film in this genre was OMEN, as Robert Thorn; still a chilling film. A lightweight entry was, Marooned, as Charles Keith.

MYSTERY/CRIME: Tops for me in this list was, Cape Fear, as Sam Bowden, and for fun his cameo in the remake, Cape Fear (Widescreen Edition). He was young, but good, in Hitchcocks', Spellbound, as John Ballantine. One of his best roles, but it is hard to find, was in MIRAGE (1965). There are two other titles available through Amazon VHS. Go to the IMDb, or Internet Movie Data Base, connected to Amazon links, and get a complete list of Gregory Pecks' films, and good luck to you !

Glenn Buttkus 2002