The Story of Gone With The Wind (2024)

When I read my Mum's copy of Margaret Mitchell's 'Gone With The Wind' as a teenager, I was enthralled and had to see the film. I did so and was equally thrilled with that, although I thought the book better in that I had to use my imagination to picture much of what I saw in the movie. This MGM book was produced in 1967 when the film was being re-released on a wider screen for a modern audience.

And for a lover of the story and the movie, it is a must for any collection of American Civil War/movie history as it tells of how Margaret Mitchell initially wrote the novel and its subsequent history, how David O. Selznick came to make the movie, the search for the stars to play the relevant parts, particularly that of Scarlett O'Hara - a search that captivated almost the whole American nation - a look at each of those stars in detail and the various difficulties that were encountered when filming actually began.

Margaret Mitchell initially named her heroine Pansy O'Hara but, not surprisingly, others felt that the name was not right (thank goodness!) so, after considering Storm, Robin, Angel and a few other names, Scarlett was decided on. When published, 'Gone With The Wind' was a sensation. Fifty thousand copies were sold on the first day and within three weeks of publication 176,000 copies had been sold, a figure that increased to half a million within six months. The 'New York Times' correspondent called it 'The best Civil War novel that has yet been written' while some critics declared it to be the American 'War and Peace'. Up to the time of this film re-release, 1967, 11 million copies had been sold around the world.

Although she was thought to have written a novel, 'The Big Four' about a girls' boarding school, in her teenage years it was never published and was thought to have been lost but she destroyed many of her manuscripts so it could have been one of those. So, 'Gone With The Wind' turned out to be her only book published in her lifetime and asked if she would ever write another, she replied, 'Lawzy, no. Look at all the misery this one has caused me.' However in 1994 a novella 'Lost Laysen' was discovered and was published in 1996, 80 years after it had been written.

As for making a movie of the book, David O. Selznick read the synopsis but was unconvinced. However, when Selznick International Pictures board chairman 'Jock' Whitney threatened to make the purchase himself, Selznick bit the bullet and paid out $50,000 for the movie rights. Later he voluntarily paid Margaret Mitchell another $50,000.

As for the stars of the movie, the biggest sensation that caught the public eye was the search for Scarlet O'Hara. Some of the stars mentioned for the role were Joan Crawford, Miriam Hopkins, Bette Davis, Talullah Bankhead, Claudette Colbert and Katherine Hepburn while Paulette Goddard made such an excellent test that she almost won the role. But in the end, David O. Selznick's brother Myron produced Vivian Leigh and announced to his brother, 'Dave, I want you to meet Scarlett O'Hara'! What an inspired choice.

Clark Gable was always the public's favourite to play Rhett Butler and the actor was alarmed at the unanimity of opinion, so much so that he later declared, 'I was scared when I discovered that I had been cast by the public.' But it was another inspired signing.

Initially Leslie Howard was not too keen on playing Ashley Wilkes and he said, 'Ashley Wilkes is too weak a character' but Selznick was a persuasive man and he joined the cast. Indeed, he was the only star who did not attend the Atlanta premiere. Olivia De Havilland was borrowed from Jack L Warner to play the part of Melanie while Thomas Mitchell was a certain casting for Gerald O'Hara from the very beginning; ironically Mitchell won an Oscar for best supporting actor in 1939, the year of the original film version of 'Gone With The Wind', but it was not for this film, it was for his role as the bibulous doctor in John Ford's 'Stagecoach'.

However, Hattie McDaniel as Scarlett O'Hara's Mammy did win a best supporting actress Oscar for her role in 'Gone With The Wind' and, being the first of her kind to win such an award, her achievement brought praise from the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.

Sidney Howard wrote the screen play and at first it amounted to 400 pages but, in association with Selznick and the first director George Cukor it was trimmed down. As for Cukor, he began filming on 26 January 1939 but it was soon apparent that filming was not going well. Gable, who apparently lacked confidence in his own ability as an actor, felt that he was being overlooked in the direction and he was instrumental in Cukor resigning. Gable was then consulted on Cukor's replacement and he suggested, and then chose, his close friend Victor Fleming. From then on filming went swimmingly ahead.

The premiere of the film was held on 15 December 1939 and some exuberant Atlantans said that it was the most important event since William Tec*mseh Sherman had marched through in 1864! And after the showing was over the petite novelist accompanied Gable onto the stage, from where she viewed the audience nervously. After thanking all those who had contributed to the success of the premiere festivities, she said, 'It's not up to me to speak of the grand things these actors have done, for they've spoken so much more eloquently than I could ever do.' And Gable, who was accompanied by his bride Carole Lombard to the premiere, said of her, 'She's the most fascinating woman I've ever met.'

Subsequently, 'Gone With The Wind's' accolade as being the top moneymaker of all movies stood until the advent of 'The Sound of Music' (1965) but, sadly, Margaret Mitchell, married name Margaret Marsh, would have been unaware of that distinction. She and her husband were crossing a downtown street on their way to a movie on 11 August 1949 when a car sped toward them. She was struck down and died in hospital five days later.

This story of the movie and all its ramifications is an excellent read with plenty of illustrations of the stars and the sets and it has made me (a) want to read the book again - and I do have a copy, somewhere(!) - and (b) see the film again.