On Wednesday, December 13, 1939, the governor of Georgia and the mayor of Atlanta welcomed David O. Selznick’s entourage to Margaret Mitchell’s hometown. Selznick was accompanied by his wife Irene, his brother Myron, Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Olivia de...
On Tuesday, December 12, 1939, the Four Star Theatre in Los Angeles welcomed 750 members of the media for an exclusive first look at Gone With the Wind. This 2 p.m. press preview had been a nail biter for producer David O. Selznick. He knew that the technicians at...
Producer David O. Selznick worked around the clock to complete Gone With the Wind. At the same time, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which would release the film, put the finishing touches to plans for the movie’s Atlanta premiere scheduled for Friday, December 15, 1939. On the...
For Gone With the Wind’s 75th anniversary, I’m offering personally inscribed and autographed bookplates for readers of The Complete GONE WITH THE WIND Trivia Book (2nd edition). Here’s how to receive your free bookplate: Type or print clearly the desired inscription...
Soon after producer David O. Selznick discreetly talked to Herbert Stothart, MGM’s musical director and composer, about taking over Gone With the Wind’s score from Max Steiner, all hell broke loose. Stothart blabbed that he was being hired to fix Steiner’s work. This...
Producer David O. Selznick reviewed Gone With the Wind’s footage and realized he needed one last scene for the “Casualty List” sequence. He trimmed the existing footage to accommodate the new scene that was filmed on Saturday, November 11, 1939. Assistant director...
On Thursday, November 9, 1939, producer David O. Selznick wrote to John Hay Whitney, chairman of the board of Selznick International Pictures, about the situation with Gone With the Wind’s composer. Max Steiner had issued yet another warning that he would not be able...
Will H. Hays, president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America and the enforcer of the Motion Picture Production Code, issued a stern warning to his board of directors at its meeting in late October 1939. Waiving the profanity rule and...
When David O. Selznick received the letter from the Hays office, outlining the strongest reasons for its refusal to permit the use of “damn” in Rhett’s exit line, the producer decided to appeal the decision to the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association...
On October 20, 1939, producer David O. Selznick penned a letter to Will H. Hays, president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America, and the enforcer of the Motion Picture Production Code. The Code barred from the screen, among other...
