In a May 2, 1939 letter to Howard Dietz, MGM Director of Advertising and Publicity, producer David O. Selznick shared his thoughts about ways to present in theaters “the longest picture ever made.”
His ideas included “showings with two intermissions; and perhaps even experiments with the picture running in two theaters simultaneously — the first half in one theater and the second half in another theater, with one admission ticket sold for both theaters.”
Eventually, as fans know, Selznick decided to show Gone With the Wind on one screen in its full Technicolor glory, along with an overture, intermission, entre-acte and exit music.
Happy 75th Anniversary, Gone With the Wind!
Blog Bio: Pauline Bartel is the author of The Complete GONE WITH THE WIND Trivia Book (2nd edition), which will be published in spring 2014, and an expert on the film and its history. Visit the website (www.paulinebartel.com/resources/books/books-available) for further information. Follow her on Twitter @PaulineBartel and “like” her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/TheCompleteGWTWTriviaBook).