Filming Takes an Emotional Toll on Gable

Loss and grief were center stage for Gone With the Wind’s filming during the week of Monday, May 29, 1939. After Scarlett’s miscarriage, a distraught, unshaven Rhett sits alone in his room, blaming himself for what has happened. But Melanie soon brings news that...

What Shall We Name the Baby?

On Wednesday, May 17, 1939, Sam Wood directed “The Naming of Bonnie” scene with Vivian Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland and the infant playing Scarlett and Rhett’s week-old daughter. In Scarlett’s bedroom, Rhett conveys via baby talk his...

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...

Disposing of the Dead Yankee

On Thursday, May 11, 1939, Sam Wood directed Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Havilland in the aftermath of “Scarlett Killing the Yankee Deserter.” This sequence included Scarlett and Melanie deciding what to do with the body, searching the cavalryman’s...

Sam Wood Directs “Scarlett’s Return to Tara”

On Saturday, May 6, 1939, Sam Wood directed Vivien Leigh in “Scarlett’s Return to Tara.” Realizing that her mother is dead, Scarlett screams her shock and grief and collapses at Ellen O’Hara’s bier. A parallel to this heartbreaking scene...