Gone With the Wind (1939)
Seeing Gone With the Wind today isn’t the same as seeing it in 1939, and there’s nothing we can do about it. In 1939, you got Margaret Mitchell’s novel hot off the presses and read about the snotty heroine with arched eyebrows, green eyes, and an impossibly tiny waist. You read about her love for her frail, fair-haired neighbor who was too intellectual for his own good; and about the dark, swarthy visitor from Charleston with large dark eyes and a cocky smile. Then, lo and behold, Hollywood bought the rights to the film and generated more publicity than humanly possible about their search for the perfect Scarlett O’Hara. When you saw the film for the first time, you saw the characters from the book come to life in Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, and the brand-new face of Vivien Leigh.
You didn’t have the resources of the internet and video rentals, to go back and watch Fire Over England, to find out that Vivien Leigh was Scarlett O’Hara in all her movies and that her arched eyebrow never un-arched itself. If you missed The Prisoner of Zenda in 1937, you couldn’t go back and watch it, to find out that Victor Fleming’s claims of boasting the first crane shot were false. You weren’t desensitized by all the foul language in modern movies to appreciate the curse word that was made an exception by the strict Production Code. And you wouldn’t dream of coming up with an alternate cast that would have been even better.
The problem, therefore, lies in the casting. There’s a book I own devoted solely to the casting process, production, and publicity of this epic movie. Hollywood went through thousands of Scarlett O’Haras, choosing an unknown for her new appeal. The undiscovereds Susan Hayward, Maureen O’Hara, Greer Garson, or the relatively small star Maureen O’Sullivan would have been just as effective and believable as Miss Leigh. However, if given a different publicity tactic, a known star would have been just as effective: namely Miriam Hopkins, a native from Georgia who, understandably, wanted the part very badly. Joan Bennett, who looked like Vivien Leigh when she dyed her hair, could have easily been Scarlett.
As for the two Southern gentlemen, the loves of Scarlett’s lives, why wouldn’t they choose an actual Southerner for at least one of them? Could you imagine the publicity of pitting “Hollywood’s finest and truest Southern actors in the greatest Southern literature of our time”? Randolph Scott, the most famous Southern actor who literally never made a movie without his accent, was passed over. He could have played either Rhett or Ashley, depending on what dynamic they wanted – and the following year, he, Errol Flynn (who could have easily been Rhett), and Miriam Hopkins all did a movie together to show the public what they could have had: Virginia City.
Ronald Colman, a frontrunner on the short list, would have excelled in either role as well. Laurence Olivier, who won an Oscar for playing a blond brooder, could have easily acted opposite his wife. Before watching the screen tests that are now available on special featured DVDs and YouTube, my favorite choice for Ashley would have been Franchot Tone, whose understanding and sensitivity seemed to be born for the part. Once I watched Melvyn Douglas’s screen test, I was shocked. He was fantastic! I never knew he had such tenderness in him, and he would have been a wonderful choice.
Olivia de Havilland was cast to play the simpering, unbelievably kind Melanie – but that’s just what she was: unbelievable. I didn’t believe for a second that she was kind and loved everyone, merely that she was upset she hadn’t been cast in the lead instead. She was also supposed to come across as weak and frail, but her sister Joan Fontaine, who always came across as sickly and frail, would have been a better choice. Margaret Sullavan, Jane Wyman, or Norma Shearer each would have seemed kinder and frailer.
You didn’t have the resources of the internet and video rentals, to go back and watch Fire Over England, to find out that Vivien Leigh was Scarlett O’Hara in all her movies and that her arched eyebrow never un-arched itself. If you missed The Prisoner of Zenda in 1937, you couldn’t go back and watch it, to find out that Victor Fleming’s claims of boasting the first crane shot were false. You weren’t desensitized by all the foul language in modern movies to appreciate the curse word that was made an exception by the strict Production Code. And you wouldn’t dream of coming up with an alternate cast that would have been even better.
The problem, therefore, lies in the casting. There’s a book I own devoted solely to the casting process, production, and publicity of this epic movie. Hollywood went through thousands of Scarlett O’Haras, choosing an unknown for her new appeal. The undiscovereds Susan Hayward, Maureen O’Hara, Greer Garson, or the relatively small star Maureen O’Sullivan would have been just as effective and believable as Miss Leigh. However, if given a different publicity tactic, a known star would have been just as effective: namely Miriam Hopkins, a native from Georgia who, understandably, wanted the part very badly. Joan Bennett, who looked like Vivien Leigh when she dyed her hair, could have easily been Scarlett.
As for the two Southern gentlemen, the loves of Scarlett’s lives, why wouldn’t they choose an actual Southerner for at least one of them? Could you imagine the publicity of pitting “Hollywood’s finest and truest Southern actors in the greatest Southern literature of our time”? Randolph Scott, the most famous Southern actor who literally never made a movie without his accent, was passed over. He could have played either Rhett or Ashley, depending on what dynamic they wanted – and the following year, he, Errol Flynn (who could have easily been Rhett), and Miriam Hopkins all did a movie together to show the public what they could have had: Virginia City.
Ronald Colman, a frontrunner on the short list, would have excelled in either role as well. Laurence Olivier, who won an Oscar for playing a blond brooder, could have easily acted opposite his wife. Before watching the screen tests that are now available on special featured DVDs and YouTube, my favorite choice for Ashley would have been Franchot Tone, whose understanding and sensitivity seemed to be born for the part. Once I watched Melvyn Douglas’s screen test, I was shocked. He was fantastic! I never knew he had such tenderness in him, and he would have been a wonderful choice.
Olivia de Havilland was cast to play the simpering, unbelievably kind Melanie – but that’s just what she was: unbelievable. I didn’t believe for a second that she was kind and loved everyone, merely that she was upset she hadn’t been cast in the lead instead. She was also supposed to come across as weak and frail, but her sister Joan Fontaine, who always came across as sickly and frail, would have been a better choice. Margaret Sullavan, Jane Wyman, or Norma Shearer each would have seemed kinder and frailer.
Thomas Mitchell’s performance can only be appreciated after you’ve read the novel and learned he was supposed to have extremely high energy. But, he wasn’t the only actor who could have tackled the role. Charles Winninger always took on high energy, Irish father roles. If Hollywood wanted a calmer paternal role model, they could have chosen Donald Crisp, Charles Laughton (who could have received a proper ‘and’ in the credits), or Claude Rains.
Given the fact that both male leads didn’t want to be in the movie, the female lead would have had a happier marriage if she’d filmed Wuthering Heights with her husband instead – in which case, the second lead would have gladly stepped up and filled her place – Leslie Howard complained about being carried by his costar, and Clark Gable not only refused to put on a Southern accent (which pretty much ruins the point of the story) but got the first director fired, doesn’t it make sense to recast it?
There are three aspects of Gone With the Wind that I will never criticize: Walter Plunkett’s costumes, Sidney Howard’s screenplay adaptation, and Max Steiner’s music. Although Max Steiner’s music revolutionized film scores forever, by giving each character and place in the film its own theme, and although the film swept up eight Academy Awards, he was passed over for the blatantly unoriginal The Wizard of Oz, which should have been placed in the Music Adaptation category. At the Rag Awards, we righted the wrong. Gone With the Wind may not have come away with any of the awards given at the Oscars, but the one award we bestowed was to Max Steiner. Congratulations.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Cima4U HD" for posting!
More Ward Bond movies here!
More Clark Gable movies here!
More Vivien Leigh movies here!
More Hattie McDaniel movies here!
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Margaret Mitchell's novel here!
Given the fact that both male leads didn’t want to be in the movie, the female lead would have had a happier marriage if she’d filmed Wuthering Heights with her husband instead – in which case, the second lead would have gladly stepped up and filled her place – Leslie Howard complained about being carried by his costar, and Clark Gable not only refused to put on a Southern accent (which pretty much ruins the point of the story) but got the first director fired, doesn’t it make sense to recast it?
There are three aspects of Gone With the Wind that I will never criticize: Walter Plunkett’s costumes, Sidney Howard’s screenplay adaptation, and Max Steiner’s music. Although Max Steiner’s music revolutionized film scores forever, by giving each character and place in the film its own theme, and although the film swept up eight Academy Awards, he was passed over for the blatantly unoriginal The Wizard of Oz, which should have been placed in the Music Adaptation category. At the Rag Awards, we righted the wrong. Gone With the Wind may not have come away with any of the awards given at the Oscars, but the one award we bestowed was to Max Steiner. Congratulations.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Cima4U HD" for posting!
More Ward Bond movies here!
More Clark Gable movies here!
More Vivien Leigh movies here!
More Hattie McDaniel movies here!
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Margaret Mitchell's novel here!
Hot Toasty Rag Awards:
Best Musical Score of 1939: Max Steiner
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director: Victor Fleming and George Cukor
Best Actor: Clark Gable
Best Actress: Vivien Leigh
Best Screenplay
Best Musical Score of 1939: Max Steiner
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director: Victor Fleming and George Cukor
Best Actor: Clark Gable
Best Actress: Vivien Leigh
Best Screenplay