story that Gregory Peck told about Mitchum.....

They both appeared in the remake of this film. Other, than that they never appeared together in any other picture.

Slight hijack: Peck's one-man show was wonderful! I saw it in 1995 in Winston-Salem, NC. It started with a clip reel highlighting just about every one of Peck's great performances. The last clip shown was the speech to the jury from To Kill A Mockingbird. That really primed the audience for the main event.

Gregory Peck, then 79, strode out from the wings with the gait of a man half his age. He waded through oceans of applause and cheers towards a high stool on an empty stage, looking relaxed and comfortable in a blazer and slacks.

Once the electricity dimmed a bit, he said, "I guess the first thing you want to know about is Nelle Harper Lee." So he told about meeting the reclusive author of To Kill A Mockingbird, her appreciation of the film version, and her gift to Peck of her father's pocket watch for Peck to wear as Atticus. He was wearing it that night and proudly held it up for all to see. They did not stay in close touch over the years, but he clearly had respect and fondness for her.

Peck did not appear to be working from notes, but he recounted dozens of wonderful stories about the movies and about his own life, which was never dull, even though it was free of scandal. He was never mean-spirited, always complementary to his fellow actors and in general just a warm, friendly man with a gentle sense of humor.

I think Gregory Peck chose some stories to tell based on the location of the theater where he was performing. Since he was in North Carolina, he told us about our own Ava Gardner -- and even got her hometown right! (She was born in Grabtown, NC, a suburb of Smithfield, which is usually credited as her birthplace.) Oh, how he swooned over her! They made three movies together, including Snows of Kilimanjaro and On The Beach. Eyes like emeralds and a husky voice men found irresistible.

Near the end of the evening, Peck stood up and said, "We have a surprise for you." The stage went dark, a screen came down and a clip from To Kill A Mockingbird began to roll. It showed a little girl swinging around on a bedpost to see a pale man standing in the shadows behind the bedroom door. "Hey, Boo!," she says. The audience erupted, and Mary Badham came up on stage to join Peck. Scout and Atticus reunited. Then there was some Q&A. Mary Badham quit acting while still a teenager, and at the time was living in Richmond, VA where she owned a children's consignment clothing shop. She said Philip Alford, who played Jem, owned a men's clothing store in Birmingham, AL.

Atticus, Jem and Scout, along with Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) were reunited for a photo in Vanity Fair the following year.

Great birthday present for a my Mom, a night to remember -- one of the most enjoyable of our lives. Gregory Peck was a true giant of American movies and a class act, the likes of which we don't see much of these days, IMHO.