Gregory Peck, all 6'3" of him, was not only a giant among movie actors but, in case you aren't aware of it, he could be the poster boy for the theory that the most essential asset one can have in the search for success, especially in the motion picture arena, is timing. (Some have another word for it: luck.)

In Peck's case, of course, it did him no harm at all that he had a handsome pan, a mellow voice, lanky physique and a magnificent talent. However, plenty of other fellows with similar qualities have come and gone through the years without any ripple whatsoever in the film business. That's where the timing/luck figure in. Consider the bare bones of our Star of the Month's success story: at a time when his name meant nothing on a theater marquee, Peck was given the starring role in his very first movie (1944's Days of Glory), that same year his second film (The Keys of the Kingdom) was released and brought him an Academy Award® nomination. Two more Best Actor nominations came from Oscar® in quick order. In his third and fourth films, he costarred opposite the two most popular actresses on the screen (Greer Garson and Ingrid Bergman) while numerous other Hollywood ladies were salivating to grab him for their upcoming films. Luck? Undoubtedly. Timing? Positively, although the greatest factor for Peck's long-term success is how he handled himself after he was handed that initial gift from Lady Luck.

Why was he able to start so auspiciously? World War II had everything to do with it. At the time Peck arrived in Hollywood (he'd created a minor buzz in a 1942 play called The Morning Star that had eked out only a three-week Broadway run) the film town was woefully short on suitable leading men to woo, worry and win leading ladies in the new films being made. A major portion of the movie industry's male talent pool had been drafted or voluntarily had joined the military, forcing producers to cast many less-than-stellar fellows in parts which cried out for a Fonda, Holden, Gable, Stewart or any of the 101 other actors then gone from town. (For the record, Peck was exempt from the military because of a back injury.) At that point, here was Peck and, voila! A void was, suddenly, perhaps not filled but at least temporarily replenished.

Thus, at age 28, the G.P. legend began-but then never ended. When the war was over, most of the other new male stars who had been discovered during that time saw their careers deflate as soon as the former kings, princes and lords of the screen began resuming their careers. But not Greg. Through it all, he remained a genuine, bankable star and even grew to loftier heights starring in films which ran the gamut from Roman Holiday and The Big Country in the 1950s ('53 and '58, respectively) to The Guns of Navarone and To Kill a Mockingbird in the 1960s ('61, '62), on to the 1970s, '80s and '90s.

We'll be showing all of the aforementioned movies on TCM this month-23 in all - filling you in with Peck stories before and after the prime-time screenings. I'll also be talking about Peck, the gentleman; Peck, the actor; Peck, the humanitarian. Do plan to join us Mondays as often as your time allows. You couldn't spend them with a finer fellow.

by Robert Osborne