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Gone with the Wednesday: An English Girl as Scarlett?
From Hollywood magazine, April 1939: The two-year search for Gone with the Wind’s “Scarlett” is ended. You would think that all of the excitement would be over. You would think that those people who have debated passionately the relative merits of nearly every Hollywood actress for the part during these two years would welcome any decision. You would think that the hurricane of speculation and argument would due away to an exhausted sigh of relief. But arguing over Scarlett has become a habit, perhaps, because discussion still rages. “Vivien Leigh is absolutely unknown in this country!” protest those who had chosen, in their own minds, Bette Davis or Miriam Hopkins…
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Introducing…Gone with the Wednesdays!
Happy New Year! 2014 is a special year for classic film fans, as it marks the 75th anniversary of what is considered the greatest year in film: 1939. And of course that means that we will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of Gone with the Wind this year! To commemerate, every Wednesday there will be a GWTW item here on the blog–pictures, articles, audio, etc. Everything GWTW related that I have will be shared! Enjoy!
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CMBA Film Passion 101 Blogathon: Gone with the Wind (1939)
When I saw what theme had been chosen for the Classic Movie Blog Association’s latest blogathon—what movie inspired your love of classic film, there was not even a second’s pause as to what my choice would be: Gone with the Wind. This will sound corny and somewhat cliché, but… Gone with the Wind changed my life. I was not born in the south, but I consider myself a southerner as I have lived in Georgia for 24 years. My mother was born and raised in Arkansas and her grandmother was a true Southern belle from Savannah, Georgia. It wasn’t too long after we moved to Georgia that a fateful trip to…
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Happy 100th Birthday to Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh was heralded as one of the great beauties of her time, won two Best Actress Oscars (especially impressive since she starred in only 19 films), and was the wife of one of the most celebrated actors of the century, Sir Laurence Olivier. Despite all of the above, to most she was simply Scarlett O’Hara. When she died at only 54 years old, many of the world’s headlines proclaimed “SCARLETT O’HARA DEAD!” I’m sure she would have cringed at that headline. Not that she wasn’t proud of hving played Scarlett, but the role became suffocating in a way that she couldn’t escape. Vivien was always Scarlett and sometimes she…
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Gossip Friday: In Defense of Clark Gable
From June 1940, letter to editor: Never having complained before, I feel I am entitled to do so now. I sat through Gone with the Wind twice, thanks to Clark Gable’s excellence performance (and he is not my favorite actor.) Everyone I have seen since the picture was shown here was highly enthusiastic over his marvelous portrayal of Rhett Butler. Now it seems he has been completely ignored, and consideration give to a silly and boring performance by James Stewart in “Mr. Smith, etc.” Finally the Academy Award was given to Robert Donat. Nice going! It’s a wonder to us that Gable’s name was even recalled in connection with the…
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Gossip Friday: Rhett Refuses to Twang
From June 1939: Clark Gable, even, is taking his role of Rhett Butler very, very seriously. More seriously than any he’s every played before, his pals tell us. But he’s not going to try to talk with a Southern accent. So different from Vivien Liegh, the English gal who got the Scarlett O’Hara role. Vivien IS developing a Southern drawl for the film. Even to the extent of snooting her English pals, these nights. She turns down their dinner and party invitatons with this classic–“So soddy, my deahs–but I just cahn’t afford to be exposed to your broad A’s. I’ve got to talk Southern, honey!”
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A New Ending for Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind had its world premiere in Atlanta 73 years ago today and ever since, people have pondered if Scarlett would ever get Rhett back. Margaret Mitchell refused to ever answer the question, so everyone was left to their own imaginations. Screen Guide magazine held a contest for their readers to come up with the best new ending for GWTW and published the winner in its September 1940 issue: ___ The fadeout of “Gone with the Wind” whets the curiousity of millions of moviegoers. They watch Scarlett return to Tara alone, deserted by Rhett, and they argue hotly among themselves about what happened afterward. “He’d never go back…
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Prepare for Turkey Day with Lots of Rhett and Scarlett
American Movie Classics, or AMC, used to be a top contender with TCM as the place on the tube to view classic films. As the years have worn on, commericals have entered their fold, their classic film expert commentators disappeared, and the movies became more recent and more undesirable. Now, the channel is more known for its award winning television programs, such as “Breaking Bad” and (my personal favorite) “Mad Men”. Not tomorrow! Because frankly my dear, AMC is going back to its classic roots and showing Gone with the Wind for 24 hours tomorrow! With commericals (ugh), it’s five hours long! They are showing it at 8:00am, 3:00pm, 8:00pm…
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Gossip Friday: Gone with the Wind Chatter
From May 1937: You wouldn’t think that Willie Powell’s walking out on a production called “The Emperor’s Candlesticks” would have an influence on Clark Gable’s playing the role of Rhett Butler in “Gone with the Wind” now, would you? But that’s Hollywood for you. It did have–for Willie has a mind of his own, and one of the very best in the acting profession it is too, and he realized that another not-so-hot to follow “Mrs. Cheyney” would endanger all that terrific advance his career has made since his lucky accident of being cast in the original “Thin Man.” Hence he went on his own sit-down strike in the desert…
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{New Article} 1940: I Was Afraid of Rhett Butler
It’s no secret that Clark didn’t want the role of Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind. Nowadays, if people do know his name, it is for that role alone–unless they are TCM fans. This article is one of many that appeared around the time GWTW was released, in which Clark tells why he didn’t want the role–too much pressure–and tries to dispel the rumor that Margaret Mitchell wrote the character of Rhett specifically with him in mind. This one’s short, so here it is in its entirety: I Was Afraid of Rhett Butler By Clark Gable Liberty magazine, February 1940 Rhett Butler really put me on a spot, a…