Used to fly the 744, now fly the Classic and I love flying with FEs again. Not only is he a flying tech manual, he's also an extra pair of eyes on the flight deck. I quite often get picked up on things I've missed by the man who has the best view of the flight deck. Make me wonder how much I missed on the 744 without realising.
I think (but am prepared to be corrected) that Air France fly their 744s with an FE. Also Ansett had an FEs staion on their 767s which consisted of a repeater of the lower EICAS screen. Although the job must have been a bit quiet for them.