On Thursday, January 26, 1939, director George Cukor yelled “Action,” and Gone With the Wind‘s principal photography began. The opening scene he shot that day turned out to be one of Gone With the Wind‘s jinxed scenes. Vivien Leigh in her green sprig silk muslin dress...
Friday the 13th in January 1939 was lucky for Vivien Leigh: It was the day that David O. Selznick announced her selection as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind. Leigh signed her contract in Selznick’s office at 5:50 p.m. After the signing, Selznick formally...
Pauline Bartel’s ninth book, Gone With the Wind: 1939 Day by Day, was published in July 2022 by Lyons Press. The book chronicles the production, premieres, and reception of the iconic film from January 1, 1939 to December 31, 1939. Engaging, daily, behind-the-scenes...
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...
I first saw Gone With the Wind in 1968, when my mother insisted that I must see this film. I knew nothing about the plot or the players and felt that spending nearly four hours in a theater was a colossal waste of time. As the title swept across the screen, I sat...