The Pigeon That Took Rome

Imagine Heston in role with elaborate costuming and playing second fiddle to one of the greatest upstagers of all time! The amazing thing is old Charlton even looks like he's having a good time. So, who's the guy continually pushing Moses Ben Hur out every scene they share? None other than the great basso from the Met, Salvatore Baccaloni. Now, you should know that Sal had a bad rep at the Met for being a bit of a joker and hard to work with, but the crew loved him. In this film, where Heston and Harry Guardino in his pre-TV days play two GIs in WW2 spying on the Germans, they have to inform the allies as to the morale and preparedness of the Germans. So, how are these two intrepids getting the word back to the Allies? Homing pigeons. No sweat...but, a problemo. The pigeons get eaten by Baccaloni's family for a festa and Sal, not wanting to get into trouble steals some pigeons from...the Germans to replace the ones his family ate. So, when the Germans start reading the messages, they suspect that ... well, it goes on from there. This film is an enjoyable comedy and gave Heston a relief from all those costume roles. Sadly, it was Baccaloni's last film, although he died 7 years later. No video, no DVD. Watch for it on the late show.