Few films from Hollywood’s Golden Age were made on the scale of Gone with the Wind. The production involved an enormous casting search, multiple directors, constant script rewrites, expensive practical effects, and enough behind-the-scenes conflict to rival the drama happening onscreen. Its legacy is complicated as well, particularly because of its romanticized depiction of the Confederacy and stereotypical treatment of Black characters. These 30 facts cover both the extraordinary making of the 1939 epic and some of the controversies that have followed it.
More Than 1,400 Women Were Considered for Scarlett
Finding Scarlett O’Hara became one of the biggest casting searches Hollywood had ever attempted, with more than 1,400 women reportedly auditioning or being considered. Surviving screen tests show several actresses performing the same scenes and offering dramatically different interpretations of Scarlett.
Vivien Leigh Was Cast After Filming Had Already Started
Producer David O. Selznick began shooting before he had officially chosen his Scarlett, since the enormous burning-of-Atlanta sequence could be filmed with a stand-in. Vivien Leigh famously appeared on the set during that shoot, met Selznick, and soon became the actress who finally ended his search.
Leigh’s English Accent Nearly Cost Her the Role
Leigh was already an accomplished British stage actress, but her polished English delivery was initially a poor fit for Scarlett’s Southern voice. During an early reading, director George Cukor pushed her to abandon the formal style and find the sharper personality the character required.
Some Southerners Protested Casting a British Scarlett
A Florida chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy reportedly objected to an English actress playing one of literature’s most famous Southern heroines. According to the story, their opposition faded when they heard Katharine Hepburn, a New Englander, was another possible choice.
Margaret Mitchell Never Seriously Chose Groucho Marx for Rhett
Stories sometimes claim author Margaret Mitchell wanted Groucho Marx to play Rhett Butler, but her comments were apparently made out of frustration with endless questions about casting. She reportedly joked that Marx, or even Donald Duck, could play Rhett for all she cared.
The Burning of Atlanta Destroyed Old Hollywood Sets
The spectacular fire sequence was created by setting old studio structures ablaze while cameras captured the destruction. Among the scenery reportedly consumed was material from the giant wall set constructed for 1933’s King Kong.
Three Different Directors Worked on the Movie
George Cukor began directing but left only 18 days into principal photography, after which Victor Fleming became the primary director. When Fleming temporarily stepped away because of exhaustion, Sam Wood took over until Fleming returned.
Victor Fleming Shot Most of the Finished Film
Although three directors contributed footage, Fleming was responsible for the largest share of principal photography. Contemporary accounts credit Cukor with roughly 18 shooting days, Fleming with 93, and Wood with another 24.
Vivien Leigh Kept Bringing the Novel to the Set
Leigh reportedly preferred Cukor’s approach and frequently clashed with Fleming after the director change. She later recalled carrying Margaret Mitchell’s novel around the set and consulting it conspicuously, partly as a silent reminder that she preferred the source material.
As Many as 16 Writers Worked on the Screenplay
Turning Mitchell’s enormous novel into a manageable movie required repeated rewrites by a long succession of screenwriters. Sidney Howard received the official screenplay credit, but writers including Ben Hecht and F. Scott Fitzgerald also worked on versions of the script.
One Early Script Would Have Produced a Six-Hour Movie
Sidney Howard initially struggled to compress Mitchell’s sprawling story without losing major characters and events. One version reportedly would have resulted in a film lasting around six hours, forcing Selznick and other writers to keep cutting.
The Most Famous Rewrite Session Was Apparently Miserable
Selznick, Fleming, and Ben Hecht reportedly spent nearly a week shut away while frantically restructuring the screenplay. Stories from the session claim Selznick supplied little beyond bananas and peanuts, eventually collapsing from exhaustion while Fleming burst a blood vessel in his eye.
Leslie Howard Did Not Want to Play Ashley
Leslie Howard felt he was far too old to convincingly portray Ashley Wilkes, who is considerably younger at the beginning of Mitchell’s novel. In a letter to his daughter, he complained about the part and admitted that he disliked being made up to appear younger and more conventionally handsome.
Clark Gable Fought Against Crying on Camera
Gable reportedly worried that audiences would see Rhett Butler differently if the famously masculine character openly cried after learning about Scarlett’s miscarriage. Fleming filmed alternatives before persuading him that showing Rhett’s vulnerability would strengthen the scene rather than weaken his image.
About 1,000 Wounded Soldiers Were Actually Dummies
Selznick wanted thousands of bodies visible when Scarlett walks among Confederate casualties, but there were not enough available extras to fill the enormous set. The production therefore mixed hundreds of performers with roughly 1,000 dummies, some of which were manipulated to create movement.
Mathematicians Helped Create One of the Movie’s Most Famous Shots
The shot of Scarlett and her father overlooking Tara against a glowing sunset required several visual elements to be combined with the technology available in 1939. According to accounts of the production, technicians consulted mathematicians at UCLA to help calculate how the separate images could be aligned successfully.
Twelve Oaks Was Largely a Visual Illusion
The grand Wilkes plantation seen in the film was not a complete functioning estate waiting at the end of the driveway. Matte-painting techniques created much of Twelve Oaks, which is why careful viewers may notice approaching carriages seeming to disappear into the image.
A Man Reportedly Doubled for Scarlett During a Dangerous Scene
Professional stuntwomen were far less common in Hollywood during the 1930s, creating a problem when Scarlett needed to be attacked while riding in a carriage. A male stunt performer reportedly put on Scarlett’s costume and substituted for Leigh during the rougher parts of the sequence.
It Was One of the Most Expensive Movies Ever Made
With a reported cost of around $3.5 million, Gone with the Wind ranked among Hollywood’s most expensive productions at the time. Its huge sets, lengthy shoot, enormous cast, elaborate costumes, and nearly four-hour running time all contributed to the price.
Rare Behind-the-Scenes Footage Was Rediscovered Decades Later
Film enthusiast Howard Hall was allowed to shoot home-movie footage around the production, including material filmed during the barbecue sequence. The reels remained at his Brucemore estate in Iowa for decades before being rediscovered among other home movies in the 2000s.
“Frankly, My Dear” Nearly Ended Very Differently
Rhett’s famous final declaration created a problem because Hollywood’s Production Code heavily restricted language considered profane. Selznick fought to preserve the iconic quote rather than replacing it with the far less memorable suggestion “My dear, frankly I don’t care.”
Atlanta Turned the Premiere Into a Massive Celebration
The December 1939 Atlanta premiere became a citywide event involving parades, parties, elaborate costumes, and enormous crowds. Georgia’s governor declared a holiday surrounding the occasion, while Atlanta officials encouraged residents to join several days of festivities.
The Black Cast Members Were Excluded From the Atlanta Premiere
The celebration exposed one of the ugliest realities surrounding the film when Black cast members were prevented from attending the segregated Atlanta premiere. Hattie McDaniel, Butterfly McQueen, Oscar Polk, and other Black performers therefore could not participate alongside their white co-stars.
Hattie McDaniel Made Oscar History
McDaniel’s performance as Mammy earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first Black performer to win an Oscar. The milestone occurred within an industry and country still governed by segregation, making the circumstances surrounding her victory painfully contradictory.
McDaniel Had to Sit at a Segregated Table
Even on the night she made Academy Awards history, McDaniel was not permitted to sit alongside the film’s white cast members. She was placed at a separate table at the Ambassador Hotel, where racial restrictions normally would not even have allowed her inside.
Selznick Removed Material After Pressure Over the Film’s Racism
Civil rights organizations objected to elements from Mitchell’s novel that glorified the Ku Klux Klan and presented racist violence sympathetically. Selznick met with Black journalists and removed or altered some of the most inflammatory material, although the finished film still contains stereotypes and a deeply romanticized vision of the Confederacy.
Clark Gable Got Married During Production
Gable’s relationship with actress Carole Lombard was already a major Hollywood story while Gone with the Wind was being filmed. After his divorce was finalized, the couple traveled to Arizona during a brief break in production and married in March 1939.
George Reeves Later Became Television’s Superman
One of Scarlett’s red-haired admirers, Stuart Tarleton, was played by a young George Reeves in a small early role. Reeves later became famous to an entire generation as Superman in the 1950s television series Adventures of Superman.
Gable Earned Far More Than Vivien Leigh
Despite Scarlett being the central character, Leigh reportedly earned about $25,000 for roughly 125 days of work on the film. Gable received more than $120,000 despite working substantially fewer days, illustrating the enormous salary differences between major male and female stars of the era.
Tara Almost Became Part of an Amusement Park
The Tara plantation façade survived long after filming and was eventually purchased by investors hoping to rebuild it in Georgia as the centerpiece of a tourist attraction. The amusement-park plan never materialized, and pieces of the dismantled set passed through private ownership instead.
