Gone With the Wind (MGM) (1967)

SCARLETT O'HARA RETURNS TO SCREEN Vivien Leigh in her never-to-be-forgotten role as Scarlett O’Hara opposite Clark Gable in David O. Selznick’s production of Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind.” The all-time-great picture, winner of ten Academy Awards including the Best Actress award to Miss Leigh, is now presented by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in new Wide-Screen and Metrocolor splendor, giving even greater power to the memorable love story set against a spectacular background of the Civil War. Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland also star in a brilliant cast of thousands of players. Still SIP-108-261 Gone With the Wind Mat 2-H “GONE WITH THE WIND” A PHENOMENON EVEN BEFORE BECOMING A GREAT MOVIE Even before it was made into the all-time-great motion picture, ‘Gone With the Wind,” written by Margaret Mitchell, was a publishing phenomenon. Not within memory had an American novel been so long (1,037 pages, a half-million words) or weighed so much (3% pounds). Macmillan published “Gone With the Wind” at a time when the book industry, like all others in the United States, was still suffering from the results of the Depression. At least one person was concerned about the enterprise — Miss Mitchell. “I do hope they sell 5,000 copies,” she remarked, “so they won't lose money.” In one day, “Gone With the Wind” sold 50,000 copies ! The triumphant reception of the novel was repeated when producer David O. Selznick made the screen version, with Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland in the starring roles. It turned out to be the greatest picture Hollywood had ever known and garnered a then unprecedented ten Academy Awards. Now this imperishable love story, set against a spectacular backdrop of the Civil War, is being presented by MetroGoldwyn-Mayer in new Wide-Screen and Metrocolor splendor, adding infinitely greater impact to such of the sequences as’ Sherman’s march to the sea and the flight of the populace from Atlanta, the burning of the munitions warehouses, the magnificent ball at Tara and other scenes populated by thousands of extras. The novel was published on June 30, 1936, Contrary to popular legend, it did not burst unheralded on the literary scene. “Gone With the Wind” already had been made a selection of the Book-. of-the-Month Club, and advance sales were remarkable for a first novel by an unknown author, particularly for a book of such length, No one was prepared for what followed. Within three weeks, 176,000 copies had been sold at three-dollars per copy. In half a year, a million copies were sold. One of the early readers of the book was Kay Brown, eastern story editor for producer Selznick. She air mailed a copy and a synopsis to her boss and fired off a telegram which ended: “T beg, urge, coax and plead with you to read this at once. I know that after you read the book, you will drop everything and buy it.” Selznick read the synopsis but was unconvinced. “Gone With the Wind” was so long and sprawling as to seem impossible to film. But he was persuaded to buy the novel when the board chairman of Selznick International Pictures, John Hay Whitney, threatened to make the purchase himself. The price: $50,000. In later years that seemed to be a bargain for the most popular novel of American history, especially when a “My Fair Lady” could bring a price of $5,500,000, But in 1936, $50,000 was a respectable sum to pay for a novel by a previously unpublished author. After the movie had been released, Selznick voluntarily sent Miss Mitchell an additional check for $50,000. a a iz _ Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara and Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes in David O. Selznick’s production of Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind.” The all-time-great picture, winner of ten Academy Awards, is now presented by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in new Wide-Screen and Metrocolor splendor, adding immeasurable impact to the memorable love story set against a spectacular backdrop of the Civil War. .Clark Gable and Olivia de Havilland are also starred in a cast of thousands. Gone With the Wind Still SIP-108-154 Mat 1-F “GONE WITH THE WIND,” THE MOST MAGNIFICENT PICTURE EVER MADE, NOW SHOWN IN WIDE-SCREEN AND METROCOLOR SPLENDOR’ (Announcement Story ) “Gone With the Wind,” acclaimed worldwide as one of the great motion picture entertainments of all time, is now presented by Metro-GoldwynMayer in new Wide-Screen and Metrocolor splendor, giving even greater power to the unforgettable love story. This marks the sixth re-release since David O. Selznick’s production of “Gone With the Wind” made motion picture history with its world premiere in Atlanta, Georgia, in December of 1939. The picture was last released during the Civil War Centennial year, 1961. The current presentation brings the epic drama to a younger as well as older generation of motion picturegoers as a colorful and exciting new experience in sight and sound. Starring Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland, WON TEN OSCARS BEST PICTURE BEST ACTRESS Vivien Leigh BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Hattie McDaniel BEST DIRECTION Victor Fleming BEST SCREEN PLAY Sidney Howard BEST ART DIRECTION Lyle Wheeler BEST FILM EDITING Hal Kern, James Newcom BEST COLOR CINEMATOGRAPHY Ernest Haller, Ray Rennahan IRVING THALBERG AWARD David O. Selznick SPECIAL PRODUCTION DESIGNER AWARD William Cameron Menzies Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara, one of the screen’s most memorable love teams, as they appear in David O. Selznick’s production of Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind.” The all-time-great picture, winner of ten Academy Awards, is now presented by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in new Wide-Screen and Metrocolor splendor, adding immeasurably to the film’s spectacle and dramatic impact. Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland are also starred in a giant cast. Gone With the Wind Still SIP-108-145 Mat 1-D winner of ten Academy Awards, and seen to date by a combined international audience of 295,000,000 persons, “Gone With the Wind” is now being shown as a roadshow attraction. The history of “Gone With the Wind” is one of the most fascinating in the annals of movie-making. Margaret Mitchell’s romantic novel of the South during Civil War days has remained a best-seller over the years in every language. It was purchased by Selznick for a then record sum of $50,000. The motion picture public unanimously selected Clark Gable for the role of Rhett Butler. The demand for Gable as the dashing Southerner was so great that no other actor was ever considered. The selection of Vivien Leigh for Scarlett O’Hara came after an exhaustive two-year search and tests of wellknown stage and screen feminine stars and unknowns alike. A total of 1,400 actresses were interviewed, with 90 actually tested. It is an interesting side note that “Gone With the Wind” brought fame to many. Among those tested was a young New York model. She didn’t get the role but was to become famous later as Susan Hayward. The massive picture has 59 major speaking roles. Thousands of extras were used in spectacle scenes. The most elaborate and still acclaimed as a classic of filmmaking was the burning of Atlanta. The city as it was in 1864 was authentically created on 40 acres at the Selznick Studios in Culver City, Cali fornia. Of the picture’s 90 sets, 50 buildings alone were designed and erected in recreating Atlanta. No Second Chance The scene had to be filmed in a single “take” without mishap. There would be no second chance. No available camera crane was large enough to cover the scene, in which 1,200 extras appeared. A shipbuilding crane was delivered to the studio from Seattle to serve as a towering camera platform. Residents of Culver City, attracted by the thousands, still recall the mounting excitement of the spectacle. Flames roared and shot 200 feet into the air as Atlanta burned with a realism rarely equalled on the screen. This is only one of literally hundreds of memorable scenes in the three-hour, 40-minute epic motion picture. More than 3,000 sketches alone were made for the sets and wardrobe. A total of 449,512 feet of film was exposed, with 160,000 feet printed. At the Academy Award ceremony in 1940, “Gone With the Wind” received a then record ten Oscars and ‘Special awards, not exceeded until MGM’s “Ben-Hur” won eleven awards in 1959, The awards for “Gone With the Wind” were for best picture, Vivien Leigh as best actress, Hattie McDaniel as best supporting actress, Victor Fleming as best director, plus best screen play, best art direction, best editing, best color photography, a special award for production design and the Irving C. Thalberg Award to Selznick for outstanding production achievement. “Gone With the Wind” has been rereleased by MGM over the years to new generations and growing audiences. Millions have again thrilled to the picture each time it has been presented. Today, it is an acknowledged classic of motion picture making. THE MOST MAGNIFICENT PICTURE EVER MADE! ... Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara created one of the most memorable romantic teams in film history in David O. Selznick’s production of Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind.” The all-time-great picture, winner of ten Academy Awards, is now presented by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in new WideScreen and Metrocolor splendor, giving even greater power to the unforgettable love story set against a background of the Civil War. Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland also star. Still SIP-108-328 Gone With the Wind Mat 3-C