There was a land Of cavaliers and cotton fields, called the Old South.
Here in this pretty world, gallantry took its last bow.
Here was the last ever to be seen of knights and their ladies fair,
Of Master and of Slave.
Look for it only in books...for it is no more than a dream remembered...
A civilization...Gone With The Wind...
Perhaps the very first technicolor film, Gone with the Wind broke new technical
and artistic ground in 1939. Margaret Mitchell's novel of the Old South is the epic story
of a woman who can cope with everything from the horrors of the Civil War to delivering a baby.
The one thing she can't cope with is losing to another woman,the love of the man she so desperately wants.
David O. Selznick produced the movie starring the suave and debonaire Clark Gable,
who spoke the unthinkable,"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!"
The seductive Vivien Leigh, for her sassy role as Scarlett O'Hara,
"As God as my witness, they're not going to lick me! I'm going to live through this
and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal,
cheat or kill; as God as my witness, I'll never be hungry again!"
Heart wrenching characters were played by Olivia de Havilland (Melanie), British actor Leslie Howard,
Ashley Wilkes, "You mustn't say unkind things about Melly", and that wonderful African-American actress,
Butterfly McQueen who flawlessly played Scarlett's maid, Prissy, "Lawzy, we got's to have a doctor Ms. Scarlett!
I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies!".
The film was being premiered against a backdrop of Adolf Hitler beginning his conquest of Europe.
After acting in the movie, Leslie Howard returned to England to make movies
and radio broadcasts about World War II.
He was killed in 1943 when his British Overseas Airways plane was shot down by German fighters
over the Bay of Biscay.
This may have been one of the most Oscar awarded movies in history:
Best Actress - Vivien Leigh
Best Supporting Actress - Hattie McDaniel
Best Director - Victor Fleming
Best Art Direction - Best Cinematography - Best Film Editing
Best Writing & Screenplay - Sidney Howard
Best Film Editing and Best Art Direction
Also nominated for Best Actor (Gable), Best Supporting Actress (De Havilland)
Best Original Musical Score, Best Special Effects, and Best Sound.
Best Picture - David O. Selznick
Numerous Technical Achievement Awards
For pioneering the use of coordinated equipment throughout production.
For decades to follow, Gone with the Wind defined the standards for movie making throughout the world.
~The Players~
Clark Gable as Rhett Butler
Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara
Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes
Olivia de Havilland as Melanie Hamilton Wilkes
Hattie McDaniel as Mammy
Thomas Mitchell as Gerald O'Hara
Barbara O'Neil as Ellen O'Hara
Evelyn Keyes as Suellen O'Hara
Ann Rutherford as Carreen O'Hara
George Reeves as Stuart Tarleton
Fred Crane as Brent Tarleton
Oscar Polk as Pork
Butterfly McQueen as Prissy
Victor Jory as Jonas Wilkerson, the Overseer
Everett Brown as Big Sam, the Foreman of Tara
DIRECTORS:
Victor Fleming, George Cukor, and Sam Wood
WRITERS:
Based on Margaret Mitchell's Book, Gone With The Wind
Sidney Howard, Ben Hecht, David O. Selznick, Jo Swerling, and John Van Druten
PRODUCER: David O. Selznick
COMPANY: Selznick International Pictures
NOTES OF INTEREST:
This film had 3 different directors. George Cukor started the project, but was replaced
after shooting only 33 minutes of footage, (only 17 minutes made it into the final cut).
Victor Fleming took over upon completion of most of his WIZARD OF OZ responsibilities,
(King Vidor finished the black and white scenes). Fleming was relieved by Sam Wood for a
few weeks so he could recover from exhaustion.
Olivia de Havilland dubbed the vomiting sounds for Vivian Leigh in the scene where Scarlett
digs up a turnip and says, "As God is my witness, I'll never go hungry again!".
Leigh could not make an appropriate retch.
Clark Gable nearly walked off the picture when asked to cry during the scene after Scarlett's
miscarriage when he is being comforted by Melanie. Olivia de Havilland convinced him to stay.
Bette Davis was visualized as Scarlett, but turned down the role because she thought she would
have to play opposite Errol Flynn, which she refused to do.
1,400 actresses were interviewed and 400 read for the part. Filming had already begun without
Scarlett having been cast.The burning of Atlanta long shots were done first, using a Scarlett stand-in.
Vivian Leigh was introduced to David O. Selznick by his brother, Myron, who was impressed
by her confidence, poise, and the background research she had done on the Civil War.
He hired her for the part of Scarlett on Christmas Day, 1938.
There were seven Technicolor cameras in all of Hollywood in December of 1938. All of them were
used to film the Atlanta fire sequences. There were no special effects used for the scenes.
A 40-acre set was constructed from old, used sets, including the Great Gate
used in the KING KONG film of 1933.This was set afire. Flames shot 500 feet in the air
from the studio back lot.
One hundred thirteen minutes of simultaneous footage was shot at a cost of $25,000
and it took three 5,000 gallon tank trucks of water to extinguish the flames after the shoot.
Selznick paid a $5,000 fine to the Hollywood Production Code Commission, who dictated what could be
shown and said on film, so that he could leave in the Rhett Butler line,
"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."
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