On Wednesday, May 10, 1939, Sam Wood directed Vivien Leigh and Paul Hurst in the scene of “Scarlett Killing the Yankee Deserter.” Scarlett spots the Yankee cavalryman trespassing at Tara and then dashes upstairs to retrieve the pistol Rhett had given her...
On Saturday, May 6, 1939, Sam Wood directed Vivien Leigh in “Scarlett’s Return to Tara.” Realizing that her mother is dead, Scarlett screams her shock and grief and collapses at Ellen O’Hara’s bier. A parallel to this heartbreaking scene...
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;...
To replace director Victor Fleming, producer David O. Selznick chose Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer director Sam Wood, who had just finished filming Goodbye, Mr. Chips. On Monday, May 1, 1939, Wood started his directorial duties with scenes of Scarlett and Ashley embracing at...
Gone With the Wind’s set was a pressure cooker during the week of Monday, April 24, 1939. Working under intense pressure made the exhausted Victor Fleming even more explosive as he directed scenes of: Scarlett’s bereavement and brandy Rhett’s...
During Gone With the Wind’s filming, Vivien Leigh complained constantly about the script’s unplayable dialogue and kept a copy of Margaret Mitchell’s novel with her to bolster her arguments. David O. Selznick frequently yelled at her to “please...
On Friday, April 21, 1939, Victor Fleming completed filming the evening sewing circle sequence, during which Rhett convinces Melanie to tell him where the Southern vigilantes are meeting, Scarlett learns about the raid on Shantytown and Rhett brings home a wounded...
If, like me, you are a vinyl record enthusiast, today is our day to celebrate the 7th anniversary of National Record Store Day (http://www.recordstoreday.com). The official commemoration began in 2007 as a way to acknowledge the unique culture of independently owned...
In April 1939, producer David O. Selznick recognized that the grueling pace of filming Gone With the Wind was taking a toll on his cast and crew, especially director Victor Fleming. On April 14, Selznick confided in a memo to executive staff that Fleming “is so...
Last night as I watched the broadcast of Gone With the Wind in honor of the 20th anniversary of Turner Classic Movies (www.TurnerClassicMovies.com), I was struck by the number of times Scarlett resorts to slapping others across the face. After proclaiming her love to...
