He immortalized the "smell of napalm in the morning" in "Apocalypse Now," but Robert Duvall’s first meeting with director Francis Ford Coppola was no indication of the fruitful relationship to come. It was 1969 and Coppola had parted ways with a lead character in indie film “The Rain People.” He was stuck and 38-year-old Duvall was drafted in at the last minute on the suggestion of a friend.
