‘Roman Holiday’ At 70: Fathom Events Celebrates The Classic Romantic Comedy

Actors Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn feature on a poster for the Paramount Pictures movie ‘Roman … [+] Holiday’, directed by William Wyler, 1953. (Photo by Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images)

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Given this fan’s appetite for excellence in classic cinema, I’ve lost count how many times I have seen the 1953 romantic comedy Roman Holiday. So, when the opportunity arose from Fathom Events to revisit the pairing of Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn (not to mention Eddie Albert pre-Green Acres) at a theater, there I was among other nostalgic movie enthusiasts enjoying this tale of a bored and sheltered princess named Ann (Hepburn) who escapes her guardians and falls in love with Joe Bradley (Peck), an American newsman in Rome.

Like other films presented by Fathom Events, I particularly enjoy the commentary before or after each film care of a film historian. This time, Leonard Maltin was on tap to discuss Roman Holiday.

In her first major film role, Audrey Hepburn, then just 24, won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. It was no surprise to Gregory Peck, however. He suggested to the producers to also put her name over the film’s title because he predicted she would win. In her star-making performance as Princess Ann, this was the first of a string of memorable roles for the beloved actress and humanitarian.

Audrey Hepburn holding the Academy Award for best actress in Roman Holiday, her first American film.

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Roman Holiday took home two additional Oscars: Best Writing, Motion Picture Story; and Best Costume Design, Black-and-White.

Initially, Roman Holiday director William Wyler had envisioned either Elizabeth Taylor or Jean Simmons in the role of the princess. Cary Grant, meanwhile, was the first choice to play Joe Bradley, but turned down the role because he felt he was too old. Now, of course, you could not imagine anyone else other than Gregory Peck, then 37, and Audrey Hepburn in this film.

In honor of seven decades of Roman Holiday, here are 10 additional factoids you may not know about this classic.

1) Roman Holiday was filmed entirely in Rome, becoming one of the first American films to be made in Italy.

Audrey Hepburn holds hands with Gregory Peck in a scene from the film ‘Roman Holiday’, 1953. (Photo … [+] by Paramount/Getty Images)

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2) Director William Wyler chose to shoot Roman Holiday in black and white so the story and the characters would get the focus, not the location. It was also a way to reduce the cost because it filmed on location.

1953: Director William Wyler directs Belgian-born actor Audrey Hepburn on the set of his film, … [+] ‘Roman Holiday’. (Photo by Paramount Pictures/Getty Images)

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3) The “mouth of truth” scene where Joe Bradley pretends his hand is bitten off, was suggested by Gregory Peck, who had seen comedian Red Skelton do a similar bit.

4) Eddie Albert as photographer Irving Radovich was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. It was one of the film’s 10 nominations. But the winner in the category that year was Frank Sinatra for From Here To Eternity.

American actor Gregory Peck (1916 – 2003) as Joe Bradley, British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929 – … [+] 1993) as Princess Ann, and American actor Eddie Albert (1906 – 2005) as Irving Radovich in American romantic comedy ‘Roman Holiday’, US, 1953. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)

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5) From Here to Eternity also won the Oscar for Best Film over Roman Holiday (and the other nominees Julius Caesar, The Robe and Shane).

Burt Lancaster (1913 – 1994) and Deborah Kerr(1921 – 2007) in a scene from ‘From Here to Eternity’, … [+] Halona Cove, Oahu, Hawaii, 1953. The film was directed by Fred Zinnemann, for Columbia Pictures. (Photo by Columbia Pictures/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

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6) In the UK, Roman Holiday benefited from the then romance between Princess Margaret and commoner Peter Townsend. Ultimately, Princess Margaret was forced to renounce Townsend because he was divorced.

13th June 1951: Princess Margaret (1930 – 2002), Princess Elizabeth and Group Captain Peter … [+] Townsend in the Royal Box at Ascot. In 1955 Princess Margaret was refused permission to marry Townsend, a divorced Royal Air Force captain. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

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7) Although aforementioned Cary Grant passed on Roman Holiday because he was 25-years older than Audrey Hepburn, the pair did star together in the suspense drama Charade in 1963.

An Italian poster for Stanley Donen’s 1963 romantic comedy-thriller ‘Charade’ (aka ‘Sciarada’), … [+] starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

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8) Audrey Hepburn’s Oscar win was the same year William Holden won for Best Lead Actor as Sgt. J.J. Sefton in drama Stalag 17. The two appeared together in another romantic-themed film, Sabrina, in 1954.

(Original Caption) 5/3/54-New York, NY- Stage and screen actress Audrey Hepburn, who won Hollywood’s … [+] Academy Award weeks ago for her performance in the film “Roman Holiday,” is ecstatic with delight after finally receiving the “Oscar” with her name on it, 5/3, at a special ceremony in Manhattan’s Hotel Pierre. Sharing her enthusiasm is fellow “Oscar” winner William Holden, who picked up a gold statuette for his performance in “Stalag 17.” The two are co-starring in the forthcoming cinema, “Sabrina,” a Paramount picture.

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9) Due to Roman Holiday’s popularity, both Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn were approached about filming a sequel, but the proposed project never got off the ground.

1953: Gregory Peck (1916 – 2003) and Audrey Hepburn (1929 – 1993) embrace in a still from director … [+] William Wyler’s film, ‘Roman Holiday’. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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10) In 1987, Roman Holiday was remade as a TV movie with Catherine Oxenberg as Princess Elysa and Tom Conti in the role of Joe Bradley. Ed Begley, Jr. provided the comedic support as Leonard Lupo. Naturally, this paled in comparison to the original. “It is one of the more embarrassing duds of a decade,” said The New York Times in a review.

Now, 70 years later, you can discover (or revisit) the original Roman Holiday courtesy of Fathom Events.

“Celebrating the anniversary of Roman Holiday is a fantastic way to kick of our first-ever Fathom’s Big Screen Classics Series,” said Tom Lucas, Vice President of Studio Relations for Fathom Events. “Audrey Hepburn’s Oscar-winning performance is one that everyone should see in the theater, and on the big screen.”

The latest classic theatrical film presented by Fathom Events is “Roman Holiday,” starring Gregory … [+] Peck and Audrey Hepburn, from 1953.

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No stranger myself to these Fathom movie events, I have experienced the magic of also revisiting classics like All About Eve, Gone With the Wind, musical Meet Me in St. Louis, and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. Needless to say, I am looking forward to the next title…and beyond!