Gone With the Wind’s 75th Anniversary: The Script Saga, Part 3

David O. Selznick and Victor Fleming arrived at Ben Hecht’s house early one morning. They spirited Hecht away in Selznick’s car, and on the way to the studio they came to terms: Selznick would pay Hecht $15,000 for one week’s work. At the studio,...

Gone With the Wind’s 75th Anniversary: The Script Saga, Part 2

Since screen writer and playwright Sidney Howard’s original effort, Gone With the Wind’s script had been changed by numerous pens. David O. Selznick had resorted to printing revised pages on different shades of colored paper in an effort to keep track of...

Gone With the Wind’s 75th Anniversary: Ashley’s Farewell

Following the February 13, 1939 joint statement that George Cukor was leaving the production and that David O. Selznick was seeking a new director for Gone With the Wind, some on-set loose ends remained. Three scenes were in the midst of production: Rhett’s...

Gone With the Wind’s 75th Anniversary: The Paris Hat Sequence

On February 6, 1939, George Cukor directed Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable in the “Paris Hat” sequence. This scene mirrored the novel’s action with: Scarlett proposing to cover the hat with crepe and dyeing the feather black so she can wear the bonnet...