Pivotal Paddock Scene

On Wednesday, May 24, 1939, Victor Fleming directed Vivien Leigh and Leslie Howard in the pivotal paddock scene also known as the “Orchard Love Scene.” To recap: Needing $300 to pay the taxes on Tara, Scarlett seeks advice from Ashley, whom she finds splitting rails...

Sam Wood to the Rescue

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...

GWTW’s Script Saga

To replace George Cukor, Selznick approached Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) contract director Victor Fleming. Fleming was not interested in taking over the directorial reins of the troubled Gone With the Wind. At the time, he was manic with Munchkins on the set of The...

76th Anniversary of Gone With the Wind’s Oscar Wins

On February 29, 1940, Hollywood was abuzz and aglitter with Oscar fever. As was the custom, the names of the Oscar winners were revealed in advance to the press, with newspapers making a solemn promise not to break the news before the ceremonies. But one newspaper...

And the Winners Were…

With an unprecedented 13 nominations in 12 categories (double nomination for Best Supporting Actress), Gone With the Wind won a record-breaking 8 competitive Academy Awards: Best Picture – Gone With the Wind Best Actress – Vivien Leigh Best Supporting Actress – Hattie...