Her Atticus

This is something I was glad to learn today.

Mary Badham, who played Scout in the movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird, got of out acting when she was 13.  She's 52 now and she's just gotten back in.  She has a character role in a movie called Our Very Own.  That's not what I was glad to hear, although I say, good for her, and the movie stars Keith Carradine, so maybe I'll see it.  It also stars Allison Janney, so maybe I won't.

For the last 40 years Badham has been living a fairly normal life and from what she says it's sounds as though it's been a pretty good one, except that her mother died just after she graduated from high school and she lost her father when she was 21.  What made me glad when I found it out was that whenever she was feeling sad or times were tough or whenever she just wanted to talk, she had an older friend she could call and he would be glad to hear her voice.

Sometimes the older friend called her, just to see how she was doing.

Her friend lived in California but they visited sometimes.  She was able to visit him one last time just before he died in 2003.

When she talked to him she called him Atticus.

When he talked to her he called her Scout.

Badham says that she just could never bring herself to call him "Greg," and "Mr Peck"... Well, that sounded too formal.

So he was always her Atticus.

I like that.  I like it that when he was close to 50 years old Gregory Peck made friends with a little 9 year old girl he met on a movie set and they stayed friends for 40 years until he died.

Comments

[Roxanne]

One of my childhood nicknames was Scout.

[Pepper]

After all the hurricane anger, it is nice to read something that gives me the warm fuzzies.

[Trix]

Indeed, it is very nice. And thats more the speed of celeb gossip I personally like.

[Claire]

What a nice post! Thanks for the story.

[stoic]

I stopped watching West Wing when they brought in the John Goodman character and plot line. It was so stupid my head was about to burst.

[Shakespeare's Sister]

Sometimes the most unlikeliest friendships are the most fulfilling. One of my greatest friends is a man closer in age to my mother than to me, lives 4,000 miles away, and came to know me because he had a chance meeting with one of my girlfriends in London, who decided we ought to be friends. Come to think of it, he has a degree in law, as well. Perhaps I'll start calling him Atticus.

[bitchphd]

That is a really awesome story, thanks.

[The Heretik]

. . . .so maybe I'll see it Maybe you will see movie? After you tell this most charming tale? . . . I must go back and read where you say . . . Maybe you will see this movie with Scout in it? Hmmmm. You are a tricky one, Mannion.

[joe]

Lawd, Mannion. Just thinking about "Miss Jean Louise, you stand up now. Your daddy's passing by" makes me tear up!

Thanks for the great story.

[carla]

This is one of my favorite films. This story makes this film even more meaningful to me.

I didn't see "To Kill A Mockingbird" for the first time until about four years ago. I still feel that twinge each time Sheriff Tate tells Atticus about Tom's suicide.

And the lump in my throat at the glorious and too brief performance of Robert Duvall..who's expressions in Jim's bedroom are some of the finest acting on celluloid, IMO.

[jahf]

They really don't make'm like that any more. Good one Lance.

[Lance]

stoic,

I stopped watching West Wing the year before when they got rid of Tim Matheson as the VP. His character was the only plausible and interesting way of continuing the show after Bartlett's term is up. I've heard from fans the show recovered, but I wouldn't know, since the blonde still refuses to let me watch it with her.

Pepper,

This wasn't supposed to give you the warm fuzzies. It was supposed to inspire you to write that screen play you promised last week. Valerie's waiting to make her big come back.

Carla,

Duvall. The best. Nuff said.

Rox,

Nicknames? Plural? You had more than one? Lucky duck. I didn't have any nicknames. Unless you count "Old Whatshisname."

Joe,

Don't quote that line at me. Chokes me up, every time. That one from Mockingbird and "Goodnight, Mr Roberts."

[Davis X. Machina]

I voted for "Stand up, Miss Jean Louise, your father's passin'" as the greatest single line in an American film when AFT or someone had a poll a few years ago.

Over and over again, I'm ashamed to admit...

[scout prime]

Wonderful story. I wasn't aware of this. Thanks