Where to watch To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Trivia & production notes

• James Stewart turned down the role of Atticus Finch because he felt the story's subject matter was too politically sensitive.
• Rock Hudson was offered the part of Atticus Finch during early development, but producer Alan J. Pakula pushed for a more prominent star and eventually cast Gregory Peck instead.
• Gregory Peck accepted the role of Atticus Finch immediately upon being approached, with no hesitation or conditions.
• The filmmakers originally wanted to shoot in Monroeville, Alabama, Harper Lee's hometown and the basis for Maycomb, but reconstructed the town on a Hollywood backlot because Monroeville had changed too much since the 1920s-1930s setting of the story.
• The Old Monroe County Courthouse in Monroeville served as the model for the film's courthouse set because the actual building had poor acoustics for filming.
• The accuracy of the recreated courthouse set was so convincing that many Alabama residents believed the film had actually been shot in Monroeville.
• Elmer Bernstein's score for the film is considered one of the greatest movie soundtracks ever composed and has been recorded three separate times—in 1963, the 1970s, and 1996.
• Walt Disney privately screened the film at his home and told the filmmakers afterward, "That was one hell of a picture. That's the kind of film I wish I could make."
• Gregory Peck's Academy Award win for Best Actor generated some criticism from film critics who felt the award honored the character and message rather than the performance itself.
• Brock Peters, who played Tom Robinson, remained lifelong friends with Gregory Peck and Mary Badham after the film's production.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article To Kill a Mockingbird (film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.