The first week is done and so much more to go! Head on over to the A to Z Challenge to see who else has posted and what they are talking about. It's always neat to find out something new.
GONE WITH THE WIND-1939
DIRECTOR: George Cukor, Victor Fleming
STARS: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia DeHavilland, Leslie Howard, Hattie McDaniel
OSCAR NOMS: Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress(Olivia), Best Sound, Original Score, Special Effects
OSCAR WINS:Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress(Hattie-1st African-American), Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography(Colour), Best Interior Design, Best Film Editing.
PLOT: A beautiful, intelligent, wanna slap her, wily vixen, who loves a man she can't have, marries to get ahead. Her charms are seen through by the dashing Rhett who comes to her aid off and on. She must deal with him, her nutty dad, the insipid, goody two shoes Melanie, the civil war and trying to keep her home-Tara.
LOVE: Rhett Takes her up those stairs. Scarlett must wear that Scarlett dress. Scarlet slaps Prissy
TRIVIA: Leigh did not like kissing Gable due to his bad breath(he wore dentures). Actually, when Gable was in the war, one morning, he took out his teeth and said to the other men, "Look at me, The King of Hollywood." :) (He was coined this term in the late 30's). George Cukor was known as a woman's director which made Gable uneasy, that and also Cukor was gay. To appease Gable, the studio fired Cukor and hired Fleming, Gable's rough and tough manly friend. On the sly, Leigh and DeHavilland still went to Cukor for direction.
CLARK GABLE-February 1, 1901-November 16, 1960
OCCUPATION: Actor
OSCAR NOMS: Gone With The Wind
OSCAR WINS: It Happened One Night
ANECDOTE: He fathered a child with the self-rightous Loretta Young. She, understandebly, could not have a child out of wedlock so she went away and came back with an girl she adopted. She made sure Gable was not seen near her daughter since they shared the same big ears. He only met her once. His son was born after he passed away.
Finally, a movie I've seen! :D Can't tell if you like it or not? It is certainly full of high drama and quite mesmerizing, although I'm not sure any of the main characters are actually likeable. lol!
ReplyDeleteIt's not one of my favourites because of the way it romanticizes the South and portrays the African Americans but it is a great film from all the standpoints of film making and acting. Melanie Wilkes is supposed to be a likeable character but I'm with Scarlett and I just want to trip her because she is too good. I love Hattie McDaniel who took a one dimensional role but made it much more
DeleteWow, lots of drama behind the scenes indeed. Never knew he had a daughter.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't know at first either. Loretta Young, being very catholic...and horny, had an affair with Gable on the set of CAll of the Wild and she became pregnant. Given the times and her image, she claimed she was ill and went to Mexico. A few months later she came back with an "adopted" girl. This girl had no idea who her father was until she was much, much older and her mother refused to admit to it until she was an old lady and Gable was long since dead
DeleteGreat movie! ☺ I remember that story about Loretta Young and Clark Gable. She was so pious and yet....
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend! I'm going to try to get offline for awhile...
I agree with the actress Louise Brooks...the best thing was when a director threw a chair at Loretta Young.
DeleteGreat movie, and much more watchable than the book was readable.
ReplyDeleteI never attempted the book...the movie was enough:)
DeleteBirgit, The first time I watched "Gone with the Wind" was at my in-laws on cable. The kids were small with no interest in watching the movie and DH didn't care to, either. So, I watched it alone. It's a good movie and worth seeing. Later on when it came out in digital format I got a copy for us. I can't remember if we have it on DVD or Blu-ray now but anyhow, on one of our family movie nights I convinced everyone to give it a try and by the time it was over DH was happy that he watched it. I don't know if I will get him to watch it again but at least he got to see it, so did the kids. :) Have a good weekend, my friend!
ReplyDeleteWhenever you have time this weekend, join Curious as a Cathy for today’s alpha prompt, “G”, Art Sketching Through the Alphabet with little GIRLS!
I do think this is a required movie worth seeing at least once. It is an acting tour de force by Vivian Leigh
DeleteI didn't realize Gable died on my fourth birthday.
ReplyDeleteI never cared for that part where Rhett takes Scarlet up the stairs. Hollywood's had too many movies where a man gives a woman a night of sex -- usually despite the fact that she doesn't want it -- and it "straightens out" whatever is wrong with her attitude. Rape as an attitude adjustment.
Oh my...that sucks that he died on your birthday...not that it hurts that much:) Yes I know about that negative talk with that scene..and others but I get it how a woman, who might be hard to deal with, would also always love a challenge. I look at it in that manner and you know she really enjoyed it so I take it like that
DeleteWhat a checkered mysterious history Clark Gable has and whatever happened to the teeth? He must have had a great sense of humor and a thick skin obviously because he made it in hollywood and still didn't give a curse who knew.
ReplyDeleteGable was a man's man and had issues with anything considered effeminate. There are rumours he did some...stuff with the same sex to get ahead but this is just rumours and there is nothing to substantiate this. He did marry 2 women when he was trying to get into movies and these women were helpful to his career.
DeleteI've lost count of how many times I have seen this movie. And I have a dvd too. When Gable died, I broke down and cried. Six weeks earlier my grandfather had died and I refused to cry. This sudden death just made it all come out.
ReplyDeleteWow! Amazing how a film actor can hit us so hard. His death seemed to have helped you actually.
DeleteUgh. Casablanca's so much better.
ReplyDeleteOf course it is
DeleteI loved Gone With the Wind and Clark Gable, was my first Hollywood crush. Of course, the first time I saw GWTW I was 10 years old- it was in 1963. I had never seen such a man...He was already dead and when my mom told me, I cried. Oh man, I had it bad for Clark Gable.
ReplyDeleteI used that crush, to learn all that I could about him. And yes, the whole affair with Loretta Young and withholding their daughter was horrible. I still see red.
He died so young and sad to hear how you were upset by his death. Loretta Young is someone I always want to slap
DeleteMy mother absolutely loved this film. I took her to see it again when I was in my twenties and we both really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteSusan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
I saw it once on the big screen. It's not one of my favs but it's worth seeing at least once.
DeleteI like the movie. Seeing it once was enough for me. Although Scarlett deserved it, I was hoping Rhett didn't walk out on her.
ReplyDeleteI've seen it more than once but it's not one of my favs. I didn't want him to walk out on her either
DeleteThis is one of my favorite movies! I didn't know this about Clark and Loretta. Ridiculous he was kept from his daughter but maybe there was more to the story. Didn't they have breath mints back then?
ReplyDelete"Female Scientists Before Our Time"
Shells–Tales–Sails
I don't think mints worked for Gable. Given the times...and Young's image issues, if it became public knowledge, her career would have been ruined and possibly Gable's as well. Her daughter wrote a book which is quite good since it shows from her viewpoint what was going on and she doesn't hate her mother so oats not a mean telling of the situation.
DeleteOMG. Dentures and bad breath. Another fantasy shattered.
ReplyDeleteYes...well, his teeth were bad due to poverty and bad teeth.
DeleteLoved Gone With the Wind. Could never get through the book though. So different. Did you ever see the movie, the Scarlett O'Hara Wars? It was a really entertaining look at the process to cast the character. Don't know how much of it was true, but Lucille Ball was one of the many vying for the role.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I saw that movie and it is pretty much true. It was 2 years of searching and they even looked at Katherine Hepburn and Bette Davis which...I can't see as Scarlett. I have seen a good documentary on the making of this film also
DeleteI loved the book but wasn't too impressed with the movie.
ReplyDeleteI've never read the book but most seem to be saying the opposite here:)
DeleteYou really should read the book Birgit. It is a great story and the film doesn't do it justice.
DeleteI've seen this movie three or four times and I think it holds up quite well over the years.
ReplyDeleteIt actually does hold up well despite the icky plot of the golden South which is anything but
DeleteDid you know Olivia De Havilland is still alive? She's 100. (And has email.) Floored me when I learned that.
ReplyDeleteI saw this for the first time in high school. Two different teachers showed it. I'm glad they did.
(I agree with Silver Fox's assessment of the staircase scene. When I was younger it didn't bother me, but as I got older and got the connotation... Yeah, that scene troubles me.)
Oh yes, I know she is 100 and will be 101 this summer! She seems to have all her faculties as well.i lreallymlike this actress but hated the Melanie character. I still love that scene
DeleteLoved Gone with the Wind. Loved the book before I saw it as a movie. Loved Rhett Butler and Clark Gable, but now with that trivia of his bad breath, he went down a bit in my notch.
ReplyDeletebetty
It's not one of my favourite movies but it's still excellent. Poor Gable probably couldn't help the bad breath as some people have this chronically.
DeleteWow, I've seen Gone with the Wind AND It Happened One Night! I'm doing well on this one. As always, it's the trivia and anecdotes that make this. What sh*ts they all were.
ReplyDeleteYes...they were! There was much shenanigans going on
DeleteHere's one where I've read the book but had no patience with the movie!
ReplyDeleteI've never read the book but you are the 2nd who preferred the book
DeleteI saw the movie a long time ago. Definitely should rewatch it, as it has been a long time. Interesting trivia and information about Gable. I had no idea about his daughter nor the bad breath. :)
ReplyDelete~Jess
Yes, I feel bad for Gable never being able to see his daughter except once and that he passed away before his son was born.
DeleteLoretta Young's "incident' reminds me of ol' Bristol Palin. Do as I say, not as I do.
ReplyDeleteLoretta Young is not one of my favourites because she seems very hypocritical to me.
DeleteGreat film--one of my wife's favorites. We have a few "collectible" DVD versions of this that have been given to us as gifts and one that I bought before we got the gifts.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
I own the film as well and have seen it more than once...I once saw it on the big screen which I'm glad about but I don't like the portrayal of the South as being wonderful and that some of the slaves were happy to remain this way.
DeleteI've enjoyed both the book and the movie. There's something wonderful about seeing the scenes come to life! What a classic!
ReplyDeletea classic Southern film (and book)
ReplyDeleteI don't believe this. I've actually seen this movie. I saw it in the theater when they brought it in for a nostalgic type weekend one of the theaters in town does at least six times a year. About all I remember is, it was four hours long, and I was unimpressed by the time they had intermission.
ReplyDeleteLater, I went to our African/Am. Museum when they were showcasing Hattie McDaniel. She was born in Wichita, KS (USA, where I live) and was so glad you pointed out she was the first Af/Am to win an Academy Award. She was also in a movie with Bela Lugosi, as you talked about from yesterday's pick.
One of the things I didn't care for in the film was the racial overtones, which were indicative of the South at that time. I know it was part of the movie that was important, but it still hurts to see things like that still exist to this day.
That would be really cool to go to a museum about Hattie. I agree with you about the film and the treatment of the African Americans
Delete