{Event Report} Marietta Celebrates the 75th Anniversary of the novel Gone with the Wind

The great thing about Gone with the Wind events is that you get to see your old friends, the same friendly “Windy” faces you have seen at previous events. And, not only that, but you get to meet new fans as well! Also, I tend to enjoy events that take place in Atlanta–my hometown–less travel time for me!

This event (June 10 & 11) was designed to focus more on the book than the film, it seems, but still included two of the “Beaus”: Patrick Curtis and Mickey Kuhn, Scarlett’s little sister “Carreen O’Hara”: Ann Rutherford,  Zuzu (“Every time a bell rings…”) from It’s a Wonderful Life: Karolyn Grimes, and Morgan Brittany, who played Vivien Leigh in both the TV movie The Scarlett O’Hara War and the (god awful) feature film Gable and Lombard. Also attending were authors John Wiley (“Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind: A Bestseller’s Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood”), Marianne Walker (“Margaret Mitchell and John Marsh: The Love Story Behind Gone with the Wind”),Susan Lindsley (“Susan Myrick of Gone with the Wind: An Autobiographical Biography”) and Anne Edwards (“Viven Leigh: A Biography” and “Road to Tara: The Life of Margaret Mitchell”).

The events kicked off Friday morning at the Marietta Country Club, where we all enjoyed breakfast and mingling with the stars and authors. After the breakfast, Morgan Brittany judged the Scarlett Lookalike Contest. No, I was not one of the ones in hoopskirts; I was a mere spectator! The costumes were beautiful. Ann Rutherford slept in and missed the breakfast, but just as the room was clearing out and we were about to leave, she arrived! She is such a sweetheart; she chitchatted with everyone and took photos.

Next we headed to the Marietta Hilton’s ballroom for a panel entitled “Who’s Lookin’ at You Kid”, with Morgan Brittany, Patrick Curtis, Mickey Kuhn and Karolyn Grimes. Being not only a “Windy” but a classic Hollywood fan, I was a bit afraid that all of the questions would be the same-old Gone with the Wind questions. But no, it was a lively two hour discussion of their time being a kid in the golden age of Hollywood, with stories about John Wayne, Alfred Hitchcock, Jimmy Stewart, Rosalind Russell, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood and many more. We were all clamoring to ask questions and there wasn’t a moment of silence! I think it could have gone on for another two hours!

During the panel, the amazingly talented Joe Yakovetic (a Warner Brothers painter who paints beautiful GWTW paintings) stood near the front and painted a gorgeous painting of Scarlett and Rhett–in under two hours! It was auctioned off later that evening for $1,300!

After the panel there was a dinner and ball, but my companion and I did not attend. There was a Q & A session with Anne Edwards during it that I wish I could have seen, but motherhood ushered me home….

The next morning we were up early and thought we were smart for arriving early for the 10:00 autograph session at the Marietta Gone with the Wind Museum. Boy, were we wrong. Despite our 9:30 arrival time, we stood in line for about an hour and a half! When we finally got near the stars, it became evident what the hold-up was: Ann Rutherford! She would talk to everyone who came by and sign anything they wanted, take as many pictures as they wanted. She is such a doll.

 I had found a beautiful (and rather racy!) picture of her in a 1940 Photoplay magazine that I had her sign. Her face lit up when she saw it! “I don’t remember that dress…” she said, “Where was my mother when this was taken? Goodness gracious! Where did this come from?” I told her and she stared at it for a bit and smiled. Then she took her pen to sign and said, “I’m going to sign over here; I don’t want to sign over my own cleavage!” She’s too cute

I also got a signed copy of Susan Lindsley’s book and a signed copy of a short book by Anne Edwards that was published exclusively for the event titled “Scarlett and Me.” It details Anne’s work on Vivien and Margaret Mitchell, and reveals information on the sequel to GWTW that Ann wrote that was never published! Can’t wait to read it.

After that it was lunchtime. Luckily we barely made it into the restaurant before it started pouring down rain. One of those delightful summer rainstorms here in Atlanta that last fifteen minutes but the humidity that ensues makes you feel like you are walking through pea soup. Then went back to the museum, where, to our surprise, they were STILL signing autographs! It was only supposed to be for two hours but it turned out it was for four!

The best part of the weekend, for me, was getting to chat with this lovely group of celebrities and hearing their tales of golden Hollywood. I chatted with Morgan Brittany a bit about Gable and Lombard. She agreed with me that the film wasn’t that good. She said the director was always screaming and the set was an unhappy one. She also agreed with me that Clark and Carole’s love story would make a good movie if they stuck to the facts. Both Patrick and Mickey expressed adoration for Clark and Mickey has fond memories of Vivien, having worked with her in GWTW and breifly in A Streetcar Named Desire (he was the young soldier who helps her at the beginning).

All in all a fun weekend. I did not attend the last two events–the authors’ panel and a Q&A with Ann Rutherford, unfortunately. You can see the entire itinerary here.