Fleming Returns and Wood Carries On

To the surprise of cast and crew who were just getting used to director Sam Wood’s style, a recuperated Victor Fleming returned to the set in mid-May. Producer David O. Selznick decided to retain Wood to maintain the filming pace and to take some of the pressure...

Gone With the Wind on Two Screens? Selznick Considered It.

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;...

Vivien Leigh Fights for Scarlett

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...

Evening Sewing Circle Sequence Completed

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...

Selznick Concerned About Victor Fleming

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...