December 15: Gone With the Wind

On this date in History ..... 1939:

The movie “Gone With the Wind” premiers in Atlanta Georgia.  There is too much trivia to list all of them, but some interesting pieces of info are:

·         Tickets for the premiere were 40 times the normal price.

·         The movie never mentions the death of Abraham Lincoln after the end of the Civil War.

·         It was the first color film to win “Best Picture”.  It was also the longest film (4 hrs) to win the award.

·         It won 10 awards, a record held for 20 yrs until “Ben Hur” surpassed it.

Clark Gable as "Rhett Butler"

·         Clark Gable lost “Best Actor” to Robert Donat of “Goodbye Mr. Chips”.





 

Vivian Leigh as "Scarlett O'Hara"

 

·         1400 actresses were interviewed for the role of Scarlett. The public was asked to vote on their choice on who should get the role.  Vivian Leigh got one vote.

·         Clark Gable almost quit when he found he would have to cry (after Scarlett’s miscarriage). de Haviland convinced him to stay.

Hattie McDaniel as "Mammy"

·         Gable also threatened to boycott the premiere when he found that Hattie McDaniel would be unable to attend due to racial segregation laws. She convinced him to go.

·         Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American performer to win an Academy Award (for Best Supporting Actress) for her performance, and the first African-American to attend the Academy Awards as a guest and not a servant.

·         When Gary Cooper turned down the role for Rhett Butler, he was passionately against it. He is quoted saying both, "Gone with the Wind 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."

·         Rhett’s closing line has been voted the #1 movie line of all time.


.