Gone With the Wind (MGM) (1967)

“GONE WITH THE WIND” BROUGHT HATTIE McDANIEL UNPRECEDENTED MOVIE HONOR When David O. Selznick’s motion picture version of Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind” surged onto the world’s screen, a fat, stern-faced member of the supporting cast came close to stealing the honors from the film’s stars, Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland. She was Hattie McDaniel, who brought both strength and humor to her role as Scarlett O’Hara’s Mammy. Time Magazine declared Miss McDaniel turned in “the most finished acting job in the picture as the sly, leather-lunged, devoted Emily Post of the O’Haras.” Now this memorable portrayal may be seen once again in Metro-GoldwynMayer’s new release of “Gone With the Wind,” presented in Wide-Screen and Metrocolor splendor, giving immeasurably increased impact to its spectacle and drama. Hattie McDaniel came from a “prayin’ family” of Wichita, Kansas, and she was the thirteenth child, Her father was a Baptist preacher from Richmond, Virginia; her mother came from Nashville, Tenn. At the age of eighteen, Hattie began her show business career by winning a medal from the Women’s Christian Temperance Union of Denver for her recitation of “Conwict foe.” EVERYONE FELT THE FAMED GABLE APPEAL Beloved of millions of movie fans, the memory of the late Clark Gable will live on for years, no little abetted by his outstanding portrayal as Rhett Butler in ‘Gone With the Wind,” now presented by MGM in New WideScreen and Metrocolor splendor. The extent of his appeal to the opposite sex is exemplified by an incident which occured when “Gone With the Wind” had its premiere in Atlanta, Georgia, attended by Gable. When the Hollywood contingent had left Atlanta, a little old lady approached the front desk of the hotel at which Gable had stayed and asked if she could have his room. “Yes, madam,” replied the room clerk, “If you'll wait a few minutes, I’ll have it made up.” “No, I don’t want the linen changed,” she asserted. “I want to sleep in the same sheets.” Her life thereafter consisted of singing in vaudeville and with traveling bands, with occasional stretches of cooking short orders and washing dishes in diners. By 1931 she had made her debut in films and was much in demand as the jolly, fat-cheeked domestic. A highlight was her singing of “Ah Suits Me” in the 1936 screen version of “Show Boats In “I’m No Angel,” she was the recipient of one of Mae West’s most famous lines: “Beulah, peel me a grape.” Miss McDaniel continued her portrayals in such films as “The Little Colonel” with Shirley Temple, “Judge Priest,” “Alice Adams,” “Saratoga,” “Nothing Sacred,” “Shopworn Angel” and “The Shining Hour.” Her great moment of fame came with “Gone With the Wind,” for which she had abandoned her Kansas accent for a genuine Southern drawl. The portrayal won her one of the picture’s ten Academy Awards. Miss McDaniel’s Oscar as_ best supporting actress of 1939 was a milestone for the Academy. It marked the first time a Negro had been so honored. Her achievement brought praise from the National Association for the Advancement of the Colored People. Her later career never achieved the brilliance she had known as Mammy in “Gone With the Wind,” but she did star on radio and television as “Beulah.” THE MOST MAGNIFICENT PICTURE EVER MADE! ... Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Vivien Leigh in her famous portrayal of Scarlett O’Hara dance at the charity ball in one of the eye-filling scenes in David O. Selznick’s production of Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind,” now presented by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in new Wide-Screen and Metrocolor splendor. The all-time-great picture, winner of ten Academy Awards, also stars Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland in a cast of thousands. It is an entertainment to be seen again and again. Still SIP-108-18 Gone With the Wind Mat 3-A SOUTHERNERS BECAME RECONCILED TO AN ENGLISH ACTRESS AS SCARLETT; AT LEAST SHE WOULDN'T BE PLAYED BY A YANKEE! Not everyone was happy with the choice of Vivien Leigh for the role of Scarlett O’ Hara in David O. Selznick’s production of “Gone With the Wind,” now being presented by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in new Wide-Screen and Metrocolor splendor, adding infinitely greater impact to the all-time-great screen version of Margaret Mitchell’s famous novel. Although Miss Leigh had appeared on the English stage and screen, to most Americans she was an entirely new name and some of them, especially Southerners, resented the fact that a Britisher would be playing the heroine of the Confederacy in the love story set against a spectacular backdrop of the Civil War. The Ocala, Florida, chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy protested. Other Southerners, however, pointed out that many of the better families of Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara orders a reluctant Hattie MceDaniel to tighten the laces of her corset in this scene from 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 memorable love story set against a spectacular background of the Civil War. Clark Gable, Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havil land also star in a cast of thousands. Still SIP-108-203 Gone With the Wind Mat 2-E the Old South were only a generation or two removed from England. And at least Scarlett wouldn’t be played by a Yankee ! “I wanted to play Scarlett from the first time I read the book,” Miss Leigh recalled in later years. ‘““That was in London when I was appearing in a flop play. I fell in love with the novel and I gave the rest of the cast copies of the book as opening night presents. “I told them, ‘If I ever go to Hollywood it will be to play ‘Gone With the Wind.’ They all laughed and said I was Ghagyer Streak of Obstinacy Miss Leigh went to Hollywood in 1938, but actually she had little hope of winning the role when Myron Selznick suggested her to his producer-brother for Scarlett. Still, underneath the uncertainty was an almost passionate resolve to obtain the part and a streak of obstinacy which told her that she would have her wish. “This despite the fact that so many girls were being tested for Scarlett and popping in and out of the costume that it was quite warm when I put it on,” she commented later. She tested first with Leslie Howard who had a starring role in “Gone With the Wind” along with Clark Gable and Olivia de Havilland. For this initial test she spoke in an unaccented English. Then she made two more tests in a Southern accent. She lacked one qualification for Scarlett: her eyes were blue. But Ernest Haller, who photographed the tests, solved that with a yellow spotlight under the camera that gave her eyes a green cast. The first time Miss Leigh knew that she had won the role came at a small party when she saw George Cukor, who had directed her tests. “Well, I guess we’re stuck with you,” he told her. Although overjoyed, the actress signed the contract with some trepidation. The date was Friday the 13th. She needn’t have worried. The portrayal of Scarlett won Miss Leigh one of the film’s ten Academy Awards as “Best Actress.” “Nevertheless, I experienced some agony in making ‘Gone With the Wind,’ ” she recalled. “Every day a new version of the script would appear and I cried nearly every night. The physical labor involved alone was enough to turn an actress into a nervous wreck.” For five months she worked 16-hour days, six days a week. The scenes were highly emotional and often involved strenuous action. Then 26, Miss Leigh stood five feet, three inches and weighed 103 pounds. Toward the end of the filming her energies were exhausted. Nevertheless, she emerged triumphantly. Once she was asked what she believed would have happened to Scarlett after Rhett walked out on her. Miss Leigh’s reply : “I think she probably became a much better woman. But I don’t think she ever got Rhett back.” UNFORGETTABLE Vivien Leigh in her role as Scarlett O'Hara in David O. Selznick’s production of Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind,” for which she won one of the film’s ten Academy Awards. The all-time-great picture is now presented by MetroGo!ldwyn-Mayer in new WideScreen and Metrocolor splendor, adding immeasurable impact to the memorable love story set against a spectacular backdrop of the Civil War. Clark Gable as Rhett Butler, Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland also star in a cast of thousands. Gone With the Wind Still SIP-108-176 Mat 1-E SEEN AS MELANIE Olivia de Havilland in her role as Melanie Hamilton 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, Vivien Leigh and Leslie Howard are also starred. Gone With the Wind Stll SIP-108-368 Mat 1-G GABLE COULDN'T CRY Among the many reminiscences of “Gone With the Wind,” not generally known is the fact that Clark Gable came close to giving up his role in the film because of what he considered to be an insurmountable obstacle. Gable was supposed to cry in the scene after the death of his daughter and it worried him for days before the sequence was to be shot. He had never cried on the screen before and he didn’t think it was masculine for a man to cry. He made co-star Olivia de Havilland his confidant, telling her that he couldn’t cry and would just have to quit the picture. Miss de Havilland recalls, “I convinced Clark that the tears denoted strength of character, not weakness.”