Leigh and Howard Clash in Paddock Scene

On Wednesday, May 24, 1939, Victor Fleming directed Vivien Leigh and Leslie Howard in the pivotal paddock scene. Needing $300 to pay the taxes on Tara, Scarlett seeks advice from Ashley, whom she finds splitting rails in the paddock area. He has no help to give and...

Care for Another Radish, Miss Leigh?

At 2 a.m. on Tuesday, May 23, 1939, Victor Fleming, Vivien Leigh and crew traveled from the Selznick studio to the Lasky Mesa in the San Fernando Valley to film the stirring scene of Scarlett vowing to “never be hungry again.” According to the script, an...

Fleming Finishes the Crane Shot

On May 22, 1939, director Victor Fleming completed filming “Scarlett Searches for Dr. Meade,” one of Gone With the Wind’s most memorable scenes. Known as the crane shot, the sequence begins with Scarlett’s arrival at the Atlanta depot. She...

Selznick Worries About Time and Money

On May 19, 1939, producer David O. Selznick wrote a memo to Henry Ginsberg, vice president and general manager of Selznick International Pictures, informing him about a conversation with director Victor Fleming about “speeding up on the rest of the...

Gable Kicks in Doors and Turns the Tables

On Thursday, May 18, 1939, Victor Fleming directed Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable in the “No More Babies” sequence. In her bedroom, Scarlett gazes longingly at a daguerreotype of Ashley and is surprised when Rhett touches her shoulders tenderly. She...