Can you believe I’ve never seen Gone With the Wind? I know, I’m probably the only person in America! I always want to watch it, but somehow seem overwhelmed by the length. I found some great trivia to get me interested so here goes:
–When Gary Cooper turned down the role for Rhett Butler, he was passionately against it. He is quoted saying both, “Gone with the Wind (1939) is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history,” and, “I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face and not Gary Cooper.”
–The movie’s line “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” was voted as the #1 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).
–First color film to win the Best Picture Oscar.
–Of all the many actresses who tested for the part of Scarlett, only Paulette Goddard and Vivien Leigh were filmed in color.
–Although he was dismissed from the production, George Cukor continued to privately coach both Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Havilland at their request on weekends.
–The estimated production costs were $3.9 million. At the time, only Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) and Hell’s Angels (1930) had cost more.
–The film had its first preview on 9 September 1939 at the Fox Theatre in Riverside, California. In attendance were David O. Selznick, his wife Irene Mayer Selznick, investor John Hay Whitney and editor Hal C. Kern. Kern called for the manager and explained that his theater had been chosen for the first public screening of Gone with the Wind (1939) though the identity of the film was to remain undisclosed to the audience until the very moment it began. People were permitted to leave only if they didn’t want to hang around for a film that they didn’t know the name of, but after they’d gone, the theater was to be sealed with no re-admissions and no phone calls. The manager was reluctant but eventually agreed. His one request was to call his wife to come to the theater immediately, although he was forbidden to tell her what film she was about to see. Indeed, Kern stood by him while he made his phone call to ensure he maintained the secret. When the film began, the audience started yelling with excitement. They had been reading about this film for nearly 2 years, so were naturally thrilled to see it for themselves.
–The Ku Klux Klan was written out of the screenplay as the organization to which Frank Kennedy turns after Scarlett is attacked in Shantytown. Producer David O. Selznick said that he had no desire to remake The Birth of a Nation (1915), telling screenwriter Sidney Howard in 1937, “I do hope you will agree with me on this omission of what might come out as an unintentional advertisement for intolerant societies in these fascist-ridden times. . . .”
–Olivia de Havilland was a contract player at Warner Brothers when MGM made the call to her for the part of Melanie. De Havilland was very keen to take the part and managed to convince her boss Jack L. Warner to let her out of her contract, mainly by getting his wife to exert her influence.
–Leslie Howard privately felt that he was much too old to play Ashley Wilkes (the character was supposed to be about 21 at the start of the film). He wore extra make-up and a hairpiece to make him appear younger. Selznick was only able to persuade him to take the part by offering him a producer credit on Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939).
–The only four actors David O. Selznick ever seriously considered for the role Rhett Butler were Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn and Ronald Colman. The chief impediment to Gable’s casting was his MGM contract. Gable was not drawn to the material; he didn’t see himself in a period production, and didn’t believe that he could live up to the public’s anticipation of the character. Eventually, he was persuaded by a $50,000 bonus which would enable him to divorce his second wife Maria (“Ria”) and marry Carole Lombard.
–All four principal characters appear together in the same scene only once, after the raid on Shantytown, when Rhett tells the anxious group of the fate of Scarlett’s second husband, Frank Kennedy.
–To portray Melanie, Olivia de Havilland spent most of the film in drab, dowdy costumes. She wore 2 elaborate dresses in the film: one when Melanie and Ashley announce their engagement, and a striking blue taffeta dress that Melanie wears to Scarlett’s first wedding. Unfortunately, due to film aspect ratio at the time (long before the advent of widescreen), the screen could not accommodate two dresses built up with hoop skirts, so they had to be removed. Thus, de Havilland’s rare appearance in a beautiful dress was shot from the waist up, with the skirt hanging limp.
–1,400 actresses were interviewed for the part of Scarlett O’Hara. 400 were asked to do readings.
–Among the many famous actress considered for the part of Scarlett were Jean Arthur, Lucille Ball, Tallulah Bankhead, Bette Davis, Claudette Colbert, Joan Crawford, Paulette Goddard, Katharine Hepburn, Olivia de Havilland, Carole Lombard, Norma Shearer, Barbara Stanwyck, and Margaret Sullavan. Bankhead (an authentic “Southern Belle” from Alabama) was the clear front-runner, but her unsavory personal life made producers reluctant to hire her.
–There is historical dispute and ambiguity over exactly when Vivien Leigh was contracted to play Scarlett O’Hara. One theory holds that David O. Selznick had already secretly signed her for the role as early as February 1938, and that the nationwide “Search For Scarlett O’Hara”, during which thousands of dollars were spent “testing” aspiring actresses for the part, was actually a well orchestrated publicity stunt on the part of David O. Selznick to keep alive interest in a very expensive film for which he did not yet have the money to produce. The other, more dramatic and interesting story is that Selznick’s brother Myron Selznick, an agent, introduced Vivien Leigh to David O. Selznick during the filming of the Atlanta fire and said “David, meet your Scarlett O’Hara”. The truth of the matter is unknown, and may never be resolved.
–In the scene where Scarlett searches for Dr. Meade, making her way among 1,600 suffering and dying Confederate soldiers, to cut costs and still comply with a union rule that dictated the use of a certain percentage of extras in the cast, 800 dummies were scattered among 800 extras.
–Vivien Leigh worked for 125 days and received about $25,000. Clark Gable worked for 71 days and received over $120,000.
–The horse that Thomas Mitchell rode was later Silver of “The Lone Ranger” (1949) fame.
–Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to be nominated for, and win, an Academy Award.
–The Tara plantation façade was located at the NW corner of the Forty Acres backlot in Culver City, CA and was dismantled in 1959. The location was later used for the Stalag 13 outdoor set of “Hogan’s Heroes” (1965).
–Olivia de Havilland who has been the lone survivor of the four principal leads since the death of Vivien Leigh in 1967, was the only major cast member to live to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the picture’s premiere on December 15 2009.
What do you think? Should I watch it?
I didn’t know about Leslie Howard’s age! How did Rhett Butler die? No one’s written it, until NOW! http://www.deathofrhett.blogspot.com
omg you HAVE to watch it!!! Scarlette is my hero 🙂
Hi Kori!
Ok, you know how I feel about this book and the movie! It’s my all time fave book and the movie is ah~mazing!!! The length doesn’t even phase you when you are watching it, it’s that good! It is split into two parts so you don’t have to watch it all at once. Vivien Leigh is remarkable (and so beautiful) in the movie as are Hattie, Clark, Olivia, and Leslie Howard. It’s like nothing ever made before or since.
The greatest love story of all time is a must! I have the ultra lux DVD set if you want to borrow it <3
xoxo
Judy
So, here’s the deal. If you don’t watch this movie STAT we can no longer be friends. Sorry!
Seriously though, I’ve been obsessed with this movie/the old South since childhood. LOVE IT! I spent way too much time in Charleston, SC in college. A lot of the plantations around Chas. were used in the movie. Such a fun city. Watch the movie, and then take a trip to Chas. 🙂
You must see it immediately! Clark Gable is so dreamy!
Have you read the book? It’s my all-time favorite book, and even the movie is good, I think it pales by comparison to the book. So many important details and characters omitted; but to have included them, the movie would have to have been 20 hours long!
The costumes are not to be missed, the oppulance if the Old South, then the devastation the war brings – such a stark contrast – the color is different from today’s films: richer, drenched in color. Hattie McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen (Prissy) were FABULOUS, as were Laura Hope Crews (Aunt Pittypat) and Harry Davenport (Dr. Meade.) And don’t miss the opening scene, with Scarlett and the Tarleton twins on the front porch – Stuart Tarleton (George Reeves) later went on to play tv’s Superman!
Amazing trivia as always. I can’t imagine Lucille Ball as Scarlett. The pay difference between Vivien and Clark was scandalous! I loved Hattie in the role too, she definitley deserved her award.
Please do watch it. The film is long, however, you may find as you start watching that you want it to be! It is one of the best made films of all time.
I’ve also wanted to watch this movie… I’ve been looking for a DVD copy here in KL.
I love you new blog layout by the way… and the pictures you’ve posted for the movie. =)
Have a great week!! xoxo
…wow, just think of how much stuff you could come up with if you ever actually WATCH it! 🙂 Great stuff, Kori! And, yes, without a doubt, GWTW IS the greatest one ever…period. For Christmas I bought my wife (who is a GWTW nut) the 70th anniversary ‘UBER’ box edition with the remaster, and like, 5 or 6 DVDs worth of extras, interviews, etc…big book of info, etc… and she hasn’t watched it yet! Of course, we DO have a 6-month old boy now, so a fair excuse…
It takes awhile to watch, but believe me, it rolls thru at a pretty nice pace…
And, since I am sitting in ‘Bama as I write this, it would have been kinda cool to see Tallulah as Scarlett…but dang, she not only had issues, she had the whole subscription! Anyway, Vivian was BORN to play Scarlett, obviously.
And by the way…I’ll take ‘corny and campy’ from the 30’s-40’s over the current ‘crass and sophomoric’ stuff ANYDAY!!!
Oh Kori you should definitely set aside some time (it is a long one, that’s for sure!) and watch it. Some love it, some don’t care for all the hub-bub but I definitely loved it!
I’ve seen bits and pieces of it, but never the entire movie. It’s interesting to see actors turn down parts that they think are a waste, and then it becomes a huge success.
You are not the only one! I too have never seen it. My friend loves it and said I need to watch it! Maybe one of these days!
This is my all time favorite move!! And the book, even thought it took me approx 6 months to read, is also one of my most favorite. My daughter, who is now 7, has been watching our Gone with the Wind DVD for the last year and loves it! I know when she puts this movie on I will have three and a half hours of peace, but I usually end up sitting next to her and watching it for the gazillionth time 😀
Kori,
Gone with the wind must be seen. It’s a true classic with great performances by Leigh and Gable. And it crosses over so that everyone can watch it. Me and my friends from work watched it when it came on TCM last month and we came in the next morning to discuss it. And what was funny was that the women walked by and wondered what we were talking about and realized it was GWTW, which they missed. You had to be there to picture 3 guys in the kitchen area discussing Gone with the Wind.
Watch it! And then please, please, please tell us how it is! I have been meaning to read the book and see the movie for ages, but I never get around to actually doing so – crazy! 🙂
naha u gotta be kididng uve never watched it… i bought like a month ago and its great very great movie…
-cris
To be fair to yourself, you should watch it and go to the south to actually see a plantation house. It would just fill out so much of your vision of this time period that set the ‘stages’ for many of the wonderful actress’ that you write about. You do such a great job now!
GWTW is one of my favourite books, and the film is a classic! The story is really about the prevailing attitudes towards women in the 1930s, issues that are still relevant today. Gorgeous film. The colours are amazing. Big thumbs up from me.
Can you believe it…my husband and I are watching it now for the first time! We have 40 minutes left to watch! We’ll watch what’s left this weekend!
🙂
You definitely should see it at least once. Vivian Leigh is magical in it. According to a bio I read of her life, she was a fan of the book and one day declared to her friends, “I will play Scarlett O’Hara one day” and at that point the movie hadn’t even been started to be talked about yet.
Bonjour Kori,
Oh my you simply must take time to see this movie. It is a true classic. Scarlett was such a beauty, I never thought Clark was handsome but he does have that certain something that made him the perfect Rhett.
You and Jerry should plan a movie night! Hope all is going well for you my friend. Love the clip from The 7 Year Itch – another favorite.
Enjoyed this post,
Mimi
You definitely should watch it! I’m always amazed at what little things I notice when I watch it, even after seeing it hundreds of times over the years. It truly was ahead of its time in special effects, film processing, pacing, controversial scenes…compare it to any other film made at that time and it truly is spectacular, and not only because its in color. One thing my husband and I like to do from time to time is turn on the subtitles…it’s amazing at what little bits of dialogue you pick up on that is either said offscreen, or too quiet/fast to catch. Be sure to rent the most recent restored version – the difference between that and older versions really stands out in clarity and sharpness.
Being the GWTW fanatic that I am (hehe) I’d highly recommend reading the book too…as long as the movie is it barely dips a toe into the different plot lines and details.
Happy viewing!
OMG, you MUST watch it!!!
I have to disagree with the person above who says it was only okay….I would hardly call many of today’s films “sophisticated” either!
There are some great performances in it, particularly the women….Vivien Leigh looks exquisite in it and plays Scarlett perfectly (can’t believe she got paid so much less than Clark Gable!) and Olivia de Havilland is wonderful as Melanie. Clark Gable is SO handsome too.
It is a real epic and very moving at times….it’s a wonderful film and still totally watchable today….so much better than many of today’s movies – and I say that as someone who goes to the cinema every week!!
Great post Kori!
🙂
Oh,my dear Kori!-)*
These film is one of my faiv.!!!
I saw him many times and I love him again and again…
Thank you,My sweet friend for share SO veel intresting iinformation about these movie!
I didn’t knows yet all very intresting things about actors…
And the costumes are indeed are gorgeous!!!
Have a beautiful springs feelings,my dear Kori,
Much love,
***Violetta***
It is an o.k. movie….. You just have to remember when watching it not to compare it to today’s sophisticated films.
I personally think it is corny & campy but hey, I loved North & South & Beulah Land.
The absolute best thing that ever happened because of GWTW is this…
((Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to be nominated for, and win, an Academy Award))
That in itself is worth the watch!!
Love,
Marilyn
xxoo
I havent seen this film either. I want to, but I have to wait until the timing is right i suppose haha
It’s a really good movie! The costumes are phenomenal, and Clark Gable is so handsome 😉 I saw it at a special screening on the big screen a few years ago, and definately understand why it’s considered such a great movie. Definately defines “sweeping epic.”
pixiedrivein.blogspot.com
It is one of my favorite vintage movies…and I am amazed at the trivia..I thought only I was crazy about gone with the wind Trivia 🙂
lovely post 🙂
I haven’t watched it either. I will. Eventually.
I hadn’t watched it until a few weeks ago, and now it’s my favorite movie! I’m obsessed! It definitely lives up to all of the hype… you have to watch it !