Editing Gregory Peck (section)

===1947–1949: Career setbacks===
In 1947, Peck co-founded [[The La Jolla Playhouse]] at his birthplace with [[Mel Ferrer]] and [[Dorothy McGuire]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lajollaplayhouse.org/about-the-playhouse/playhouse-highlights |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115204055/http://www.lajollaplayhouse.org/about-the-playhouse/playhouse-highlights |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 15, 2011 |title=Playhouse Highlights |publisher=La Jolla Playhouse |access-date=March 19, 2013 }}</ref> This summer stock company presented productions in the La Jolla High School Auditorium from 1947 until 1964. In 1983, the La Jolla Playhouse re-opened in a new home at the [[University of California, San Diego]], where it operates today. It has attracted [[Hollywood (film industry)|Hollywood]] film stars on hiatus, both as performers and enthusiastic supporters, since its inception.

Peck's next release was the modest-budget, serious adult drama, ''[[The Macomber Affair]]'' (1947), in which he portrays an African hunting guide assisting a tourist couple. During the trip, the wife, played by [[Joan Bennett]], becomes enamored with Peck, and the husband gets shot.<ref name="variety Macomber">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1946/film/reviews/the-macomber-affair-1117792833/|title=The Macomber Affair|date=January 1, 1947}}</ref> Peck was very active in the development of the film, including recommending director [[Zoltan Korda]].<ref name="auto15">{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/82250/the-macomber-affair#articles-reviews|title=The Macomber Affair (1947) – Articles – TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> The film received positive reviews{{efn|name=MacomberAffairReviews|Bosley Crowther wrote, "[The movie is] a tight and absorbing study of character," and "the hunting scenes, incidentally, are visual knockouts" but, it has a "contrived conclusion{{nbsp}}... (that is) completely stupid and false;"<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/04/21/archives/the-macomber-affair-a-film-with-joan-bennett-gregory-peck-and.html|title=' The Macomber Affair,' a Film With Joan Bennett, Gregory Peck and Robert Preston, Has Premiere at Globe Theatre|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=April 21, 1947|work=The New York Times}}</ref>}} but was mostly overlooked by the public upon its release, which Peck would later say disappointed him.<ref name="auto15"/>

[[File:Gentleman's Agreement Publicity Photo.jpg|thumb|Peck with actors [[Dorothy McGuire]] and [[Sam Jaffe]] in ''[[Gentleman's Agreement]]'' (1947)]]
In November 1947, Peck's next film, the landmark ''[[Gentleman's Agreement]]'', directed by [[Elia Kazan]], was released and was immediately proclaimed as "Hollywood's first major attack on anti-Semitism".<ref name="Fox, Ken 1998 pg. 241">Fox, Ken, Ed Grant, Jo Imeson, Andrew Joseph and Maitland McDonaugh, Eds. (New York, 1998) "The Movie Guide", Berkley Publishing Group. pg. 241.</ref><ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/gentlemans-agreement/review/124290|title=Gentleman's Agreement |website=TV Guide}}</ref> Based on a novel, the film has Peck portraying a New York magazine writer who pretends to be Jewish so he can experience personally the hostility of bigots.<ref name="Fox, Ken 1998">Fox, Ken, Ed Grant, Jo Imeson, Andrew Joseph and Maitland McDonaugh, Eds. (New York, 1998) "The Movie Guide", Berkley Publishing Group.</ref> It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Peck for Best Actor, winning in the Best Film and Best Director categories. It was the [[1948 in film|second-highest top-grossing film of 1948]].<ref name="EMAp127">Gebert, Michael (New York, 1996), "The Encyclopedia of Movie Awards", St. Martin's Press.</ref> Peck would indicate in his later years that the film was one of his proudest works.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/gregory-peck-conveyed-courage-of-his-convictions-as-he-bravely-tackled-challenging-roles|title=Gregory Peck conveyed courage of his convictions as he bravely tackled challenging roles &#124; Interviews &#124; Roger Ebert|first=Roger|last=Ebert|website=rogerebert.com|date=December 14, 2012 }}</ref> Upon release, ''[[Gentleman's Agreement]]'' was widely praised for both its courageousness and its quality,{{efn|name=Gentleman'sAgreementReviews| ''Variety'' wrote, the movie "provides an almost overwhelming emotional experience", is "memorable for numerous vivid impelling passages", has "great dramatic depth and force", "is a credit to the screen" and that the screenplay, direction and cinematography are all excellent, but acknowledged it has "some disappointing or confusing scenes".<ref name="ReferenceD">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1947/film/reviews/gentleman-s-agreement-2-1200415194/|title=Gentleman's Agreement|first1=Hobe|last1=Morrison|date=November 12, 1947}}</ref>}}<ref name="ReferenceC">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/11/12/archives/gentlemans-agreement-study-of-antisemitism-is-feature-at-mayfair.html|title=' Gentleman's Agreement,' Study of Anti-Semitism, Is Feature at Mayfair -- Gregory Peck Plays Writer Acting as Jew|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=November 12, 1947|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Peck's performance has been described as very convincing by many critics, both upon release and in recent years.{{efn|name=Gentleman'sAgreementPeck|Bosley Crowther wrote, "the role is crisply and agreeably played by Gregory Peck;"<ref name="ReferenceC"/> ''Variety'' said, Peck "is quiet, almost gentle, progressively intense and resolute, with just the right suggestion of inner vitality and turbulence."<ref name="ReferenceD"/> ''TV Guide'' says Peck gives "a convincing portrayal" and refers to "the excellence of Peck;"<ref name="ReferenceB"/> Richard Gilliam of ''AllMovie'' says, "the performances{{nbsp}}... are quite good, especially (that) of Peck;"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/gentlemans-agreement-v19402/review|title=Gentleman's Agreement (1947) - Elia Kazan &#124; Review|website=AllMovie}}</ref> Tom Hutchinson of ''Radio Times'' says "it's one of Peck's finest performances."<ref name="auto28">{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/rm94/gentlemans-agreement/|title=Gentleman's Agreement – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times|access-date=November 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622085131/https://www.radiotimes.com/film/rm94/gentlemans-agreement/|url-status=dead}}</ref>}} In recent decades, critics have expressed differing opinions regarding Peck's portrayal, the quality of the film by modern standard, and the film's effectiveness at addressing anti-semitism,{{efn|name=Gentleman'sAgreementReviewsNegative|Christopher Tookey says "Once considered courageous and powerful, now it looks terribly slow, preachy and melodramatic. More evidence{{nbsp}}... the socially important film of today is the deservedly forgotten film of tomorrow;"<ref name="Tookey, Christopher 1994">Tookey, Christopher (London, 1994), "The Film Critics' Film Guide", Boxtree Limited.</ref> Michael Gebert writes, "In retrospect, rarely has so much praise been lavished on such an inconsequential film{{nbsp}}... Coming on the heels of the Holocaust, it seems almost obscene to lavish so much attention on such a minor, upper-class aspect of anti-Semitism"<ref name="EMAp127"/> ''Time Out'' says "sentimental and muddled{{nbsp}}... it wears its heart on its sleeve rather than offers any analysis of the problem{{nbsp}}... looks remarkedly dated in places. Good performances, however, particularly from Garfield and Holm."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/gentlemans-agreement|title=Gentleman's Agreement|website=Time Out London|date=September 10, 2012 }}</ref>}} with film writer Matt Bailey writing "''[[Gentleman's Agreement]]'' may have been an important film at one time, but was never a good film."<ref name="notcoming.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.notcoming.com/reviews/gents_agreement/ |title=Gentlemen's Agreement |last=Walsh |first=Matt |website=notcoming.com |date=July 11, 2004 |access-date=July 29, 2021 |quote=Peck 'is a little too earnest{{nbsp}}...' and '...{{nbsp}}this film is interesting as a historical curiosity{{nbsp}}... but holds little appeal for most.'}}</ref>{{efn|name=Gentleman'sAgreementPeckNegative|George Aachen commented "Peck's amateurishly mannered performance with its wearisome trick of delivery and inflection, makes (the movie) seem even more unrealistic," and John Howard Reid wrote, "The glum humorless Peck is in every scene bar one-though he does not hold the monopoly on strained acting."<ref>Tookey, Christopher (London, 1994), "The Film Critics' Film Guide", Boxtree Limited. pg. 294. quoting George Aachen and John Howard Reid.</ref><ref name="notcoming.com"/>}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/gentlemans-agreement-v19402/review |title=Gentleman's Agreement (1947) |last=Gilliam |first=Richard |website=Allmovie.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 |quote=most likely because it was breaking new ground with small and deliberate steps, ''Gentleman's Agreement'' does not play well today. The characters are one-dimensional and do the sorts of thing you could easily predict they would do.}}</ref>{{efn|name=Gentleman'sAgreementModernPro|Barry Monush observes it is "a film looked upon as very mild dramatic fare by modern audiences, but one that much good in its day."<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> ''TV Guide'' writes, "today it looks like heart on a sleeve, but the film is a landmark film" and "remains a classic crusading film".<ref name="ReferenceB"/> David Sterritt, of TCM, says the film "ranks with the best of the "problem pictures" made by Hollywood in the wake of WWII{{nbsp}}...it comes across as smart, incisive and engrossing drama, and although times have changed since 1947, the subject it so boldly tackles remains timely and relevant to this day."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/76108/gentlemans-agreement#articles-reviews|title=Gentleman's Agreement (1948) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> Tom Hutchinson of ''Radio Times'' asserts "An eye-opener in its day{{nbsp}}... (it) still has the power to compel{{nbsp}}... is successful in showing that subtle malaise is barely recognized as such by the people who sustain it{{nbsp}}... members of the cast produce work of{{nbsp}}... high quality."<ref name="auto28"/> In 2017, [[Peter Bradshaw]] of ''The Guardian'' wrote, "Gentleman's Agreement is still a riveting movie, intriguing, a little exasperating, alternately naive and very sharp."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/feb/15/best-picture-oscar-winners-gentlemans-agreement-1947|title=My favorite best picture Oscar winner: Gentleman's Agreement|first=Peter|last=Bradshaw|date=February 15, 2017|work=The Guardian}}</ref>}}

Peck's next three releases were commercial disappointments. ''[[The Paradine Case]]'' was his second and last film with Hitchcock. When producer [[David O. Selznick]] insisted on casting Peck for the movie, Hitchcock was apprehensive, questioning whether Peck could properly portray an English lawyer.{{sfn|McGilligan|2004|p=394}} In later years, Peck did not speak fondly of the making of the movie.{{sfn|McGilligan|2004|p=396}} Released in 1947,''The Paradine Case'' was a British-set courtroom drama about a defense lawyer in love with his client.<ref name="auto9"/> It had an international cast including [[Charles Laughton]], [[Ethel Barrymore]] and [[Alida Valli]] as the accused.<ref name="auto12">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1946/film/reviews/the-paradine-case-1200414964/|title=The Paradine Case|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1947}}</ref> The movie received positive reviews, with many complimenting Peck's performance,{{efn|name=ThePardineCaseReviews|Bosley Crowther wrote, the movie is "one fitfully intriguing tale, smoothly told through a cultivated camera. It isn't a too-well-written story{{nbsp}}... it goes into Old Bailey Courtroom and stays there for most of the film. Courtroom action tends to get weary{{nbsp}}... Hitchcock has made the most of a difficult script and has got as much tension in a courtroom as most directors could get in a frontier fort. Gregory Peck is impressively impassioned as the famous young London barrister who lets his heart, cruelly captured by his client, rule his head."<ref>Crowther, Bosley. ''The New York Times'' film review, "Selznick and Hitchcock Join Forces on Paradine Case", January 8, 1948.</ref> ''Variety'' wrote, "Peck's statue as a performer of ability stands him in good stead among extremely tough competition."<ref name="auto12"/>}} but it was panned by the public, only recouping half of the $4.2{{nbsp}}million production costs.<ref name="auto7">{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/86212/the-paradine-case#articles-reviews|title=The Paradine Case (1947) – Articles – TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> In recent decades, the film was criticized by most prominent writers, although critic's praised Peck's acting.{{efn|name=TheParadineCaseModernReviews|Patrick Legare of ''AllMovie'' commented, it is "talky, slow-moving{{nbsp}}... with a lack of any sustained action" and "Peck gives respectable performance;"<ref name="ReferenceF">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-paradine-case-v37223/review|title=The Paradine Case (1947) - Alfred Hitchcock &#124; Review|website=AllMovie}}</ref> Jay S. Steinberg of TCM, laments it has "a rather verbose narrative that never quite builds dramatically{{nbsp}}... but with instances that reveal the director's visual flair" and as featuring "earnest and engaging performances".<ref name="auto7"/> ''TV Guide'' says "Hitchcock tried mightily but didn't quite overcome the rambling, overlong script."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-paradine-case/review/108797|title=The Paradine Case |website=TV Guide}}</ref>}} Writers Paul Condon and Jim Sangster stated that "Peck is vulnerable yet believable in a role that requires significant delicacy of touch to maintain viewer's loyalty and interest."<ref name="auto13">Condon, Paul, and Jim Sangster (London, 1999), "The Complete Hitchcock", Virgin Publishing Ltd. Pg.136.</ref>

[[File:Peck Yellow Sky Still Photo 1948.jpg|upright|left|thumb|Peck in the film ''[[Yellow Sky]]'' (1949)]]
Peck shared top billing with [[Anne Baxter]] in the Western ''[[Yellow Sky]]'' (1948), named for the [[ghost town]] where Peck's group of bank robbers seek refuge and encounters the spunky tomboy Baxter, her grandfather, and their gold.<ref name="ReferenceG">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/yellow-sky/110024|title=Yellow Sky |website=TV Guide}}</ref> Peck gradually develops an interest in Baxter's character, who in turn seems to rediscover her femininity and develops an interest in him.<ref name="auto59">{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/yellow-sky|title=Yellow Sky|website=Time Out London|date=May 4, 2016 }}</ref>{{efn|name=YellowSkyReviewsModern| Craig Butler of ''AllMovie'' writes, "crackling good screenplay{{nbsp}}... with memorable dialogue and clearly drawn characters...beautifully detailed direction that doesn't skimp on suspense or action and that even makes the love angle work{{nbsp}}... aided by stark, almost expressionistic cinematography, a feast of black-and-white images that carry on their own considerable emotional weight" and "a marvelous cast".<ref name="auto42">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/yellow-sky-v117905/review|title=Yellow Sky (1948) - John Schlesinger, William A. Wellman &#124; Review|website=AllMovie}}</ref> ''Time Out'' says, "A fine Western, harshly shot{{nbsp}}... (the) screenplay develops WR Burnett's source story with the ''Tempest'' in mind, the subtler analogies serving to provide resonances{{nbsp}}... the conflict similarly resolves strangely, at its violent climax, into a sense of conciliation. Beautifully cast and characterized."<ref name="auto59"/> Leonard Maltin states, "Exciting western{{nbsp}}... Similar in atmosphere to Wellman's classic ''The Ox-Bow Incident''."<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/>}} Critics who commented on Peck's performance felt it to be solid,{{efn|name=yellowSkyPeck|''TV Guide'' writes, "Peck is thoroughly believable in a part which contrasts greatly with many of his others."<ref name="ReferenceG"/><ref name="auto42"/>}}<ref>Tookey, Christopher (London, 1994), "The Film Critics' Film Guide", Boxtree Limited. quoting A.E. Wilson</ref> but said the plot was slightly unbelievable.{{efn|name=YellowSkyReviewsEnding|''TV Guide'' refers to "the unlikely ending".<ref name="ReferenceG"/> ''Time Out'' says "the conflict similarly resolves strangely{{nbsp}}... into a sense of conciliation."<ref name="auto59"/> Christopher Tookey says "The film is better at the beginning than later on{{nbsp}}... when Peck becomes too much of a goodie-goodie to be credible."<ref name="Tookey, Christopher 1994"/>}}<ref name="auto42"/> The film was only moderately commercially successful.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/variety177-1950-01#page/n58/mode/1up |title=Top-Grossers of 1949 |work=Variety |date=January 1950 |access-date=July 29, 2021 |via=Webarchive.org}}</ref> A year later, Peck was paired with [[Ava Gardner]] for their first of three films together in ''[[The Great Sinner]]'' (1949), a period drama-romance where a Russian writer, Peck, becomes addicted to gambling while helping Gardner and her father pay back their debts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/v93810|title=The Great Sinner (1949) - Robert Siodmak &#124; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}}</ref> Peck ended up becoming great friends with Gardner, and would later declare her his favorite co-star.<ref name="Monush, Barry"/> Their friendship lasted the rest of Gardner's life, and upon her death in 1990, Peck took in both her housekeeper and her dog.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2003/12/26/farewell-we-pay-tribute-gregory-peck/|title=Farewell: We pay tribute to Gregory Peck|magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> The film received unfavorable reviews usually describing it as dull,{{efn|name=TheGreatSinnerReviews|Bosley Crowther labeled it "as a dreary picture" with "the actors entrapped by a weak script and fustian direction".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/06/30/archives/the-screen-in-review-the-great-sinner-metro-film-with-gregory-peck.html|title=The Screen in Review; 'The Great Sinner,' Metro Film With Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner, at Loew's State|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=June 30, 1949|work=The New York Times}}</ref>}} and the public was not interested, rendering it a commercial disappointment.<ref name="ReferenceK">{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3465/the-great-sinner#articles-reviews|title=The Great Sinner (1949) - Articles - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> In modern times, the film has received mixed reviews{{efn|name=TheGreatSinnerModernReviews|Margarita Landazuri of TCM says "''The Great Sinner"'' may not be faithful to Dostoevsky (the author of the sourcebook), but it is high-gloss MGM, with some excellent performances that make it well worth watching."<ref name="ReferenceK"/>}}<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005">Maltin, Leonard. ''Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide'', 2005.</ref> but ''TV Guide'' says "this often gripping film" has strong performances, that "Peck is powerful" in his portrayal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-great-sinner/review/125127|title=The Great Sinner |website=TV Guide}}</ref> Peck initially rejected the film, his last movie under his [[MGM]] contract, eventually agreeing to do it as a favor to the studio's production head.<ref name="ReferenceJ">{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3465/the-great-sinner#notes|title=The Great Sinner (1949) - Notes - TCM.com|website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref>

His second 1949 release, ''[[Twelve O'Clock High]]'' (1949), was the first of many films in which Peck embodies the brave, effective, yet human, "fighting man". Based on true events, Peck portrays the new commander of a "hard luck" U.S. World War II bomber group tasked with instilling discipline and pride into the pilots and crews.  He believes the former commander failed because he identified too closely with the men and his overly protective attitude caused the squadron to fail in its mission.  Peck succeeds in whipping the command into shape, but finds himself caring deeply for his men and finally breaks down after losing his adjutant on a particularly rough mission over Schweinfurt.<ref name="Fox, Ken 1998"/> The [[National Board of Review]] ranked it in their top ten films of the year<ref name="autogenerated143"/> and it received four [[Academy Awards]] nominations, Best Actor for Peck.<ref name="Kinn, Gail 2000 pg. 92"/> Peck was later recognized in the [[New York Film Critics Circle]] for the role.<ref name="EMAp143"/> ''Twelve O'Clock High'' was a commercial success, finishing tenth in the 1950 box office rankings.<ref name="Kay, Eddie Dorman 1990.">Kay, Eddie Dorman (New York, 1990), "Box Office Champs: The Most Popular Movies from the Last 50 Years", M & M Books.</ref> The film received strong reviews upon release.{{efn|name=TwelveO'ClochHighReviews|Bob Thomas of the Associated Press wrote, "It is one of the best treatments of WWII but not without its defects. These include its length and some old war picture cliches. But the acting (especially Peck) and direction approach greatness."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SPNP19491227.2.24&srpos=3&e=------194-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22capsule+review%22----1949---1|title=San Pedro News Pilot 27 December 1949 — California Digital Newspaper Collection|website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>}}<ref name="ReferenceL">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/01/28/archives/the-screen-in-review-twelve-oclock-high-realistic-saga-of-the.html |title=The "Screen in Review; 'Twelve O'Clock High,' Realistic Saga of the Eighth Air Force, Arrives at Roxy Theatre |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |work=The New York Times |date=January 28, 1950 |quote=Also lauded it for its "rugged realism and punch"}}</ref><ref name="Twelve O'Clock High">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1948/film/reviews/twelve-o-clock-high-1200416085/|title=Twelve O'Clock High|work=Variety|date=January 1, 1949}}</ref> Recent critics maintain positive opinions.{{efn|name=TwelveO'ClochHighModernReviews|Aubry D. Arminio of ''AllMovie'' says, "The story of Peck's General Savage remains one of the most fair and celebrated accounts of leadership{{nbsp}}... ''Twelve O'Clock High'' is a sincere and realistic war film."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/twelve-oclock-high-v51292/ |title=Twelve O'Clock High (1949) |first=Aubry Anne |last=D'Arminio |website=Allmovie.com |access-date=July 29, 2021 }}</ref> ''TV Guide'' says "Firm film, peak Peck{{nbsp}}... in addition to fine acting, ''Twelve O'Clock High'' features some gorgeous camerawork and one of the most horrifying aerial attack sequences ever put on film{{nbsp}}... the subsequent devaluation of King's work is a gross injustice."<ref name="auto25">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/twelve-oclock-high/review/121383|title=Twelve O'Clock High |website=TV Guide}}</ref> Leonard Maltin says "Taut story{{nbsp}}... Peck has never been better."<ref name="Maltin, Leonard 2005"/> Tom Hutchinson of ''Radio Times'' says "To watch Gregory Peck crack under the strain of high command{{nbsp}}... is as alarming as the collapse of the Statue of Liberty: he's such a monument to liberal integrity{{nbsp}}... It's all a wonderful example of ensemble acting."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/nbv8h/twelve-oclock-high/|title=Twelve o'Clock High – review &#124; cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online|website=Radio Times|access-date=November 22, 2019|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801080605/https://www.radiotimes.com/film/nbv8h/twelve-oclock-high/|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/madrid/film/twelve-oclock-high|title=Twelve O'Clock High|website=Time Out Madrid|date=September 10, 2012 }}</ref> Evaluations of Peck's performance were positive,{{efn|name=TwelveO'ClochHighPeckReviews|see also modern reviews; ''Variety'' wrote, "Peck gives the character much credence as he suffers and sweats with his men."<ref name="Twelve O'Clock High"/> David Thomson says Peck is "quite riveting".<ref name="auto9"/> ''TV Guide'' says "Peck gives a flawless performance."<ref name="auto25"/> Barry Monush says "Peck does his best work yet to date."<ref name="Monush, Barry"/>}} with ''The New York Times'' describing "High and particular praise for Gregory Peck{{nbsp}}... Peck does an extraordinarily able job in revealing the hardness and the softness of a general exposed to peril."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/01/28/archives/the-screen-in-review-twelve-oclock-high-realistic-saga-of-the.html|title=The "Screen in Review"; 'Twelve O'Clock High,' Realistic Saga of the Eighth Air Force, Arrives at Roxy Theatre|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|date=January 28, 1950|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Film historian [[Peter von Bagh]] considers Peck's performance "as Brigadier General Frank Savage to be the most enduring of his life".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/henry-king-beyond-the-american-dream|title=Henry King: Beyond the American Dream|website=MUBI|date=June 17, 2019 }}</ref>