A couple of weeks ago Judith asked if I would help out at the church tonight. My task, and one of only two reasons I was looking forward to the occassion, was to pour the wine…my cup included.
The other motivation: Reed Polk, as captivating and motivational a speaker as you could ask for. I have had the pleasure of knowing Reed through Rotary over the last few years. But until tonight I had no idea he grew up with Harper Lee ("Nelle"), author of To Kill a Mockingbird, in Monroeville, Alabama. In answer to a question, Reed says that he saw nothing in Harper that would suggest she would write her masterpiece. She was 10 years his senior and attended his church, where his father was the minister.
Now this is no small coincidence for me as To Kill A Mockingbird is my all-time second favorite movie (North by Northwest is numero uno!). Les and I were studying for law school finals and we heard it was playing at the student center. So we took a break to watch it and WOW! Perhaps it is because I went to law school for idealistic reasons, but seeing this movie was a defining moment in my life.
Turns out that awesome actors aren’t just born—they WORK it. Reed told me that the few weeks prior to shooting Gregory Peck went to Monroeville “undercover” as a homeless man. He had a tattered shirt, torn pants and a fake beard, and showed up at Reed’s church. The deacons were wary, but Reed’s father waved this itinerant—and insistent—hobo in. When alone with Mr. Polk, senior, Peck stood tall, ripped off his beard, extended his hand and said, “I am Gregory Peck and I want you to tell me everything you can about Mr A.C. Lee,” who was Harper’s father and the inspiration for Atticus Finch (Harper was Scout, Atticus’ daughter). He was a lawyer in real life and also taught Reed to play golf.
Harper said of Mr. Peck, "Gregory Peck was a beautiful man. Atticus Finch gave him the opportunity to play himself." Peck had a grandson named Harper, for her.
Truman Capote was Dill, the boy in the novel who spent summers with the Finch’s neighbor and who in real life became best friends with Harper. In fact, Truman encouraged her during her writing of To Kill a Mockingbird, and later, she encouraged his writing of In Cold Blood.
Reed tells of meeting Truman on the golf course back in the late 60’s down in Ole Miss. He told Truman that he was a new minister and used In Cold Blood as an example in his sermon to which the high-pitched effeminate voiced Capote cried “Jesus Chri-i-i-s-t!” Reed explained that just as the two criminals went to that rural Kansan house with mistaken hopes of finding fortune, many come to various churches with promises left unfulfilled. Again Capote cried, “Jesus Chri-i-i-s-t!”
[GO SEE “Capote” if you have not done so. Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote is absolutely incredible!]
Afterwards, during the reception, as I am pouring—and drinking—the fruit of the vine, FERMENTED of course, this is an Episcopal church after all—Reverend Sally’s husband, Dick, tells me of his prior career as a high school music teacher. His stories reminded me of Mr. Holland’s Opus, with Richard Dreyfuss, and sure enough, when he retired the school had a huge party with a banner as in the movie. He was in actuality a true-life example of Dreyfuss' portrayal of Mr. Holland, tears and all.
Life does imitate art—wait a minute, that’s reversed. But maybe not. As Reed exhorted us, in order to reach our goals we need only DREAM our painting, then PAINT OUR DREAM!
Rfd 5/18/06
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