"Roman Holiday"'s 15 Journalists: The Faces and Stories Behind the Final Scene in William Wylers Film
Mario Tedeschini-Lalli
Abstract
What a lot of viewers may not realize is that the 1953 William Wyler film "Roman Holiday" is full of bona fide journalists. The light-hearted comedy features Audrey Hepburn as a young princess roaming the city in search of escape from her tedious schedule alongside Gregory Peck as a penniless American journalist stuck in Rome. In helping Hepburn (Princess Anne), Peck (Joe Bradley) forgoes his greatest scoop for love and honor. The final scene shows Princess Anne back in her official capacity, knowing that her crazy day with Joe will be their private memory. After the Q&A and a photo op, the journalists are asked to leave, but the princess breaches protocol and personally greets each correspondent. They introduce themselves by name and news organization. The journalists were actual Rome correspondents for various international news organizations and used their real names. They were not credited in the film, but this feature article puts some professional flesh on what otherwise would remain little more than cardboard cutouts in a popular movie.
Full Text: Tedeschini-Lalli