Moby Dick (1956 film) actor Walter Huston as Ahab, but he had died in 1950. Peck went on to play the role of Father Mapple in the 1998 television miniseries adaptation of Melville's novel, with Patrick Stewart as Ahab. Welles later used the salary from his cameo to fund his own stage production of "Moby Dick", in which Rod Steiger played Captain Ahab. Gregory Peck, comparing his performances in this film and the 1998 "Moby Dick" miniseries, said he liked the miniseries better because it was more faithful to the novel. During a meeting to discuss the screenplay, Ray Bradbury informed John Huston that
Cetology of Moby-Dick which Melville generically calls porpoises. Melville also lists "a rabble of uncertain, fugitive half-fabulous whales" of which he knew only by name and not experience. These were the Bottlenose Whale, Junk Whale, Pudding-Headed Whale, Cape Whale, Leading Whale, Cannon Whale, Scragg Whale, Coppered Whale, Elephant Whale, Iceberg Whale, Quog Whale, and Blue Whale. Their lack of description makes it difficult to know exactly which taxonomically correct whales these names might refer, if any. He notes that should any of them be caught and classified they could be easily incorporated into his system. Cetology of Moby-Dick The cetology of Moby-Dick is