Harper Lee’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, reached the big screen on this day in 1962. In both forms, the classic story remains a touching tale of a Depression-era Alabamian lawyer who fights to defend a poor black man accused of rape. The movie stars Gregory Peck, who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of lawyer Atticus Finch, and also featured Robert Duvall in his first movie role as the misunderstood “Boo†Radley. Recently the American Film Institute named Atticus Finch the number one screen hero of the last 100 years while the movie made it to number two on the Institute’s 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time.
Film Quotable: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in It.†—Gregory Peck, as Atticus Finch.