Moby Dick (1956 film) eyes. The head apparatus which could move like a rocking horse was employed when actors were in the water with the whale. Gregory Peck's last speech is delivered in the studio while riding the white whale's hump (a hole was drilled in the side of the whale so Peck could conceal his real leg). The "Pequod" was portrayed by, appropriately, the "Moby Dick". Built in England in 1887 as the "Ryelands", the ship came into the hands of the film industry in the 50s, and was also used in "Treasure Island". It was destroyed by fire in Morecambe, England in
Moby Dick—Rehearsed members generally fool around and complain about their boss and their forthcoming production of "King Lear". Then, making a big dramatic entrance and smoking a cigar, the actor manager of the time comes on stage and tells them they are going to rehearse a version of "Moby Dick" that he has been adapting for the stage. The cast grudgingly performs the play, improvising scenery from items lying around, and gradually get more into character as the play develops. Directed by Orson Welles, the original production of "Moby Dick—Rehearsed" ran June 16–July 9, 1955, at the Duke of York's Theatre, London.