Lunch With Gregory Peck, Scout's Father

Harper Lee's book, To Kill a Mockingbird, was published in 1960 and it did not take long for this wonderful story to be made into a movie by the same name.  The movie, To Kill a Mockingbird, was not released until 1962.  Harper Lee's story takes place in a fictitious town much like Ms. Lee's hometown Monroeville Alabama.

It was in the early 60's that I lived in Montgomery Alabama with my mom. I had a sister and brothers too, and a father, but all of my family had left my life, excepting for my mom. My mom had not left my life - yet. As for my father I had no clue where he was living. All I knew about my father was my brothers were living with him because "boys" should be with their father; that is what I was told. My sister who was 15ish married her one and only love of her freshman year in high school. My sister, all grown up at 15, no longer needed to be at home and attend silly high school. My sister moved to Mobile Alabama with her good looking husband to start a life together. That left me and my mom together, alone, in Montgomery.

My mother had a knack for attracting the most interesting people into her life. While living in Montgomery, my mom being newly divorced, began dating. Mom was having a great time feeling alive again after feeling for years like she had died and no one buried her; my mom's words. My mom married my dad when she was 16 before she ever really had a life of her own. Once my mom left my father she had a blast, I know, I was there. My mother met Bob the newspaper reporter while having her fun and they began to date. One day, shortly after mom and Bob began dating, he told her he had arranged a meeting with Gregory Peck and wanted to take us along with him.

(Photo owned exclusively by Maryanne Mesple do not copy and use in anyway)

Gregory Peck was in Alabama to get a feel for his role as Atticus Finch so he visited Monroeville, where Harper Lee grew up. Harper Lee said her book was fictional except for the flavor of life the characters in her story led which reflected her young life in her hometown. Bob, being a reporter for one of the local Montgomery newspapers, was given the assignment to interview Mr. Peck. I guess that interview was about filming the movie and what it was like to be Atticus Finch and I really don't know the questions Bob asked of Mr. Peck.
Bob brought mom and I along for one of his meetings with Gregory Peck and my mom says she was awestruck. Mom says Gregory Peck was so laid back and spoke with such gentleness that she could not believe he was an actor. My mother told me recently she was expecting to meet a man who was arrogant and snippy based on her experience from when she had met several famous Country Western Stars. My mother said that some Country Western Music stars had their noses in the air so high it was a wonder they did not pass out from lack of oxygen. Gregory Peck was a normal person and not self absorbed at all. Mom said he even spoke with her like she was his life long friend and that she felt like she was somebody too.
In the photo above, and yes it is my personal photo of Gregory Peck, you see Bob and Mr. Peck walking and if you look closely next to Bob's right, you can barely see the tip of my mom's coat ... my mom was notorious for cutting herself out of pictures! My mother never liked how she looked (sound familiar anyone?) and I am grateful she did not use pinking sheers on this photo! Mom loved her pinking sheers and most of her photos that she chopped herself out of were altered with those sheers!  I am thrilled the photo survived my mom's moods and that she has given it to me.

(Gregory Peck with Mary Badham a.k.a. Atticus Finch and Scout)

I was so young that I did not appreciate who I was meeting. All I knew was I was meeting someone who was going to be in a movie about the story To Kill a Mockingbird. My mother shared part of the storyline with me so I could better appreciate the big deal that was happening in our lives. From what I was told by mom I fall in love with Scout Finch and I soon began to pretend I was her. Mr. Peck, in my world at the time, was second to the little girl Scout whom I immediately felt a connection with because of my own life experiences while living in Alabama. My mom was a good story re-teller because for years I truly believed Scout was a real little girl like me and my mom is also a good keeper of memories. 


(All stories blogged by me are my property and protected under copyright laws. No part may be used or reproduced in anyway without my permission ~ Maryanne Mesplé)