Gossip Friday: Rhett Can Ride

From March 1940:

Clark Gable proved that if he ever gets tired of romantic leads he can sign up as a hard-riding western star.

Assigned to “sit out” a scene on a spirited black horse, Gable found the animal feeling too good to stand still. So, before the next take was ready, Gable galloped his steed up the road and gave it such a workout that it was glad to take a rest while the picture was being shot.

The riding part was that of Rhett Butler in “Gone with the Wind,” David O. Selznick’s Technicolor production starring Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland and currently showing at the Paramount Theatre. 

The horse is a registered thoroughbred, formerly exhibited in mid-western horse shows under the name of Alexander Twigg. Since Alexander was sold to B.B. Tucker, at Fort Worth and Los Angeles, the animal was given a screen name–Black Chief, under which it has appeared in several motion pictures.

Black Chief, or Alexander Twigg, was formerly the property of R.G. Adams of Odebolt, Iowa.

Another famous horse used in “Gone with the Wind” was “Hi-Yo” Silver, ridden by a prominent Western star.