Figure 1.-- Here we see Jem wearing the knickers he wore to school. Scout is wearing the overalls and flannel shirt she used for play. Girls were more likely at the time to wear dresses, but she was a tomboy. I don't recall now what they were doing.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" was beautifully casted. I believe that this is perhaps Gregory Peck's best performance. Peck's plays Atticus Fincha, a widower with two children--Scout and Jem. Peck reportedly had quite a winning way with the two children who played the roles. Within a few days, the little girl would crawl up on his lap like he was her father. That relationship showed through in the film. I recall in particular a scene on the porch where the camera shifts from Atticus to the bedroom window where Scout and Jem are taling to each other. The children were not well-known child actors. I don't have the details of their background, but this was certainly the first production of any significance. Despite their wonderful performances, I don't recall seeing them in many other films. A HBC reader points out that Phillip Alford (who played Jem) made a few more movies, most noteably Shennendoah with James Stewart. Mary Badham (Scout) was nominated for an Academy Award for the Best Suppporting Actress as a result of her performance in "Mockingbird" but I beleive she lost to Patty Duke, who won for "The Diary of Helen Keller". The other boy in the film who played Dill was John Megna. GHe did have some acting experience. He was in the Broadwat play "All the Way Home". His good reviews there landed him the part in "Mockingbied". His character was based on author Harper Lee's childhood friend, Truman Capote." Megna contracted AIDS and died in 1995.

Created: 11:39 PM 7/6/2005
Last updated: 5:30 AM 7/8/2005