July 18, 1958: On The Set of Ben Hur - www.NBCUniversalArchives.com

This footage is part of one of the most extensive coverage that exists of the filming of "Ben Hur" in Italy. The quality of the material is exceptional as the NBC News crew had full access to the film set and we see aspects of the movie shoot never seen before.

Chet Huntley introduces and narrates this humorous look at an Italian youth and his two friends who find much-needed work as extras during the filming of MGM's " Ben Hur" at the Cinecitta Studios outside Rome. This episode from the Sunday magazine show "Outlook" mixes day-in-the-life elements from the Italian neorealist movies of the late 1940s, the traditional behind-the-scenes look at a large movie production, along with a heavy dose of slapstick comedy. We follow the scripted shenanigans of the three friends as they play pranks on their fellow extras, explore the largest movie set ever built during their lunch break, and hijack one of the chariots for a brief joyride. In all, "an extraordinary day for three ordinary Italian youths".

This story is an example of how modern movie publicity was born.

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