A book to celebrate GWTW’s 75th Anniversary!
On Monday, June 26, 1939, Victor Fleming directed Vivien Leigh, Fred Crane and George Reeves in the fourth version of the porch scene.
Leigh, dressed in white, listened as the Tarletons told her that Ashley was engaged to marry his cousin Melanie. But Leigh’s face reflected more than distress at this news. She looked pale, haggard and worn from five months of grueling work.
After producer David O. Selznick viewed the footage, he was unhappy with the results. Later, when Selznick saw Leigh on the set, he took a close look at her face.
“My God, you look old!” he exclaimed.
“You’d look old, too,” she snapped, “if you’d been working 18 hours a day for weeks on end.”
Selznick couldn’t argue with that. He ordered a re-shoot of the porch scene and probably wondered if he would ever finish filming Gone With the Wind.
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) 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).