FILM 2155: GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)

TRIVIA: The fact that Hattie McDaniel would be unable to attend the premiere in racially segregated Atlanta outraged Clark Gable so much that he threatened to boycott the premiere unless she could attend. He later relented when she convinced him to go.

Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to be nominated for, and win, an Academy Award.

At nearly four hours long, this is the longest running of all motion pictures to win the prestigious Academy Award for Best Picture.

First color film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Ranks fourth (as of 2017) in the Academy Award most nominated films list with 13 nominations.

If box-office receipts were adjusted for inflation, it would be the top-grossing movie of all time; Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) would only be the second most successful movie of all time. According to the Guinness World Records homepage, the total gross in 2012 figures for "GWTW" would be $4,401,358,554.94 in 2012.

To add to the publicity, fans were asked to vote for the actress they think should play Scarlett. Out of hundreds of ballots cast, Vivien Leigh got only one vote.

Reportedly, one of the reasons stated by David O. Selznick as to why he fired George Cukor as director was that Cukor, a homosexual, would be unable to properly direct the love scenes between Rhett and Scarlett; hence he was replaced by macho director Victor Fleming. Although he was dismissed from the production, Cukor continued to privately coach both Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Havilland at their request on weekends, unbeknownst to both Selznick and Fleming.

Hattie McDaniel was criticized by some African-Americans for playing in a supposedly racist film. She responded that she would "rather make seven hundred dollars a week playing a maid than seven dollars being one".

Michael Jackson reportedly paid over $1,500,000 in 1999 to purchase David O. Selznick's Best Picture Oscar for Gone with the Wind.

In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #6 Greatest Movie of All Time.

The reminiscent wounded soldier in the makeshift Atlanta hospital talking to nurses Scarlett and Melanie about his "brother Jeff" was played by Cliff Edwards. Edwards later provided the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney's timeless classic Pinocchio (1940) and introduced the Academy Award-winning song "When You Wish Upon a Star". Edwards is only heard, not seen, as the reminiscent solder in this film.

When Alicia Rhett, who played India--the daughter of John Wilkes-died less than one month before her 99th birthday on January 3, 2014, Olivia de Havilland became the last surviving cast member of this movie. This is quite an accomplishment considering the film had over 50 speaking parts. On July 1, 2015, when she turned 99, she also became the cast member with the greatest longevity.

At one point before shooting began, novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald was brought in to assist in rewriting some of the script, though he was quickly fired.

Vivien Leigh famously tightened her corset to 18". Many actresses who attempted this in later films, most notably Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge! (2001), injured themselves severely (eg: cracked ribs).

The first film to earn two Best Supporting Actress nominations. Hattie McDaniel won for her performance, while Olivia de Havilland was nominated as well.

The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.

This movie does pass the Bechdel test.

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

I’m making my way through the book "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider. See my blog post about my copy of the book here…

You can buy an updated version (which I will get after I’ve made my way through this edition) here…

I really hope you can come on this journey with me – if you do I’d love to know which films you’ve enjoyed the most!

Watch this here…