Posted on 12/14/2012 3:43:54 PM PST by BigReb555
The clock was turned back for the premiere of Gone with the Wind at the Loews Grand Theater in Atlanta, Georgia? This beautiful theater was sadly destroyed by fire in 1978 but many folks still remember when Hollywood came to Atlanta to celebrate that wonderful movie and Atlantas own author Margaret Mitchell whose book about the Southern people and the War Between the States would be read by millions of people around the world and be made into an exciting motion picture that has become a classic.
Do you remember when a movie premiere was a red carpet affair of excitement and you could take your family to the movies without worrying about the language or sexual content of the film?
News that Ann Rutherford, who played Scarlett OHaras little sister, died Monday brought tears to the eyes of Connie Sutherland, director of Marietta Gone with the Wind MuseumJune 13, 2012 the Marietta Daily Journal, Marietta, Georgia.
Ann Rutherford, who died on Monday, June 11, 2012, was a friend of Marietta and was present for the 70th Anniversary re-premiere of Gone with the Wind at Marietta, Georgias beautifully restored Strand Theater. Atlanta loved Ann Rutherford!
Mrs. Rutherford was also present at the premiere of Gone with the Wind, arriving in Atlanta, Georgia at 10 AM on December 13, 1939 at the Terminal Railroad Station and stayed at the Georgina Terrace Hotel as most of the stars. The railroad station was torn down in 1972 but the building that was the hotel still remains.
Two years before the United States entered World War II; there was great jubilation throughout America, especially in the Southland, in anticipation of the world premiere of ..
Gone with the Wind during the Christmas Season of 1939, just 74 years after the end of the "War Between the States" and Saturday, December 15, 2012 marks the 73rd anniversary of that classic movie which opens with:
"There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the Old South. Here in this pretty world, Gallantry took its last bow. Here was the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair, of Master and of Slave. Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered, a Civilization gone with the wind."
Gone with the Wind won 8 Oscars for 1939, including Best Picture, and;
Hattie McDaniel, the first Black American to win an Academy Award, expressed her heart-felt pride with tears of joy, when she was presented the 1939 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her unforgettable role as "Mammy."
Victor Fleming won the Academy Award for Best Director and even though Max Steiner did not receive an award for his excellent music score, the "Gone with the Wind" theme song has become the most recognizable and played tune in the world.
Vivien Leigh, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a leading role, humbly and eloquently summed her appreciation by thanking Producer David O. Selznick. And, who can forget Olivia De Havilland as the pure-sweet Melanie Hamilton, Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes and Clark Gable as Rhett Butler.
Atlantas Mayor William B. Hartsfield proclaimed a three-day festival for this grand event and encouraged all women to wear hoop skirts and men to wear Old South attire.
Friday, December 15, 1939, has been described as an icy-cold day in Atlanta but folks warmed to the excitement of the premiere of "Gone with the Wind"--The Selznick International Pictures "Technicolor" Production of the Metro Goldwyn Mayer Release of Margaret Mitchells novel about the Old South at the Loews Grand Theater.
Do you remember Thomas Mitchell who played (Gerald OHara) telling daughter Scarlett:
"Do you mean to tell me, Katie Scarlett O'Hara, that Tara, that land doesn't mean anything to you? Why, land is the only thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for, because it's the only thing that lasts."
And, we all wept when Bonnie Blue Butler, the daughter of Rhett and Scarlettplayed by Cammie King, was killed in a pony accident.
Anne Rutherford, who played Scarletts sister Carreen, took time to visit the Confederate Veterans at the soldiers home and the stars toured the famous "Cyclorama" at nearby Grant Park.
The festivities surrounding the premiere of Gone with the Wind included a parade down Peachtree Street with over three-hundred thousand people cheering the playing of "Dixie," waving Confederate flags and shouting Rebel Yells.
Many people also witnessed the lighting of the "Eternal Flame of the Confederacy," an 1855 gas lamp that survived the 1864 Battle of Atlanta. The lamp remained for many years on the northeast corner of Whitehall and Alabama Streets. Mrs. Thomas J. Ripley, President of Atlanta Chapter No. 18 United Daughters of the Confederacy, re-lit the great light with Mr. T. Guy Woolford, Commandant of the Old Guard by her side.
April 2013 is Confederate History Month. Read more at: http://www.facebook.com/ConfederateHeritageMonth
great classic movie and not PC.
The best more recent movies about the war was Gods and Gods and generals.\I spoke with the wroter of those movies and he wanted to make a third which would show mostly how reconstruction hurt families but can;t get the funding which is a shame.
There has never been a movie which has focused on the disgusting acts of how the south was treated, the land taken and women raped.
If I had the money I would have given it to the writer and have him make the movie.
As for April
We always have functions in April, Lees dinner etc
There was a land of that was a land of the free and home of the brave ,a land where people came and sought the American dream.
Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered, a Civilization gone with the wind.”
Too bad we can hardly even sing “dixie” anymore without the blacks calling racism.
I remember when my Mom took me to the theater to watch it. It was her favorite film. I just loved it. A neighbor gave me some black and white photos of Gone From The Wind from the actual movie. they used to hang up phtos from a film in front of the theater back in the day. I still have those.
I’m at the point where I don’t give a crap what they call me.
Though “Citizen Kane” is the greatest film ever made, GWTW is the greatest movie ever made....by far.
Today we have a society where 'racism' has been much reversed, with many blacks hating 'whitey' and committing crimes to demonstrate it.
Gone with the wind? I think not anymore...
Ha! Me too.
The Godfather is my #1. Citizen Cane isn't in my top 200.
My grandfather worked for the “Tucson Citizen” newspaper in 1939 and one of the reporters typed (or linotyped) up this review of the movie. He apparently didn’t think much of it:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BJxEgeueXp6zWR—aKBrBtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
***I’ve watched the movie many times -****
Do you remember the 1969 release when it was recut for WIDE SCREEN!
I saw it when it was supposed to be wide screen, but it was not.
A few months later I saw it in Little Rock AR, and it WAS in wide screen.
There was a problem. In one scene Scarlet goes to see Rhett in jail, an orderly walks up to a sitting Ward Bond, and tells him she is there to see Rhett.
OK, normal scene.
When I caught it in Wide Screen the soldier has NO HEAD!
They cut it off when they trimmed the 35 mm to wide screen by removing a strip at the top and bottom of the frame.
For years, I had heard that Citizen Kane was the greatest film of all time, so I had high expectations when I entered the theater, bought some popcorn and took my seat. I left the theater quite disappointed--in my opinion, even the original Star Wars was better.
That's when I saw it for the first time--and I didn't like it. At the time, I preferred action/adventure films to serious drama. But when I saw it again on TV in 1987, I fully appreciated it.
I bought the CK DVD and watched it for the first time with my 5 kids. They didn't make it 30 minutes. I finished it but would never watch it again.
Great movie, great book, but I can’t call any “civilization” which enslaves men like brute beasts “civilized.”
Unfortunately, whenever I see Gone With the Wind, I think of the Carol Burnett parody, Went With the Wind, and I start laughing.
Found out last year that Burnett’’s drapery dress, complete with drapery rod, are in the Smithsonian.
same here and I fly the flag and coudln’t careless.
My 15 year old is honor roll A’s all the schoool life, top classes, GPA 3.9.
He’s very respected amongst the kids
He has a confederate battle flag sticker in his locker on the inside of his door.
A girl he gets along with came over and said why do you have that you;re not a redneck.
He pointed out to her about the flag and where it was flown, how many died etc
She admitted that she never knew any of that and went off telling the other kids about the flag.
Later that week the class was told to give a lesson and he decided to give a lesson to the class about the war and all the kdis were amazed, many came up after asking questions after the class .
He;s just changed what people thought about the flag, they had thought it was black teeth, dumb poor folk.
he told me that he wants to get the message out to as many as he can and stop this nonsense about how some view the flag.
Like I and he states, if they can give their lives for that flag then he can speak up.
As for me having a sticker on my vehicle and some tourists do not liek it when they pass tough then tough
got that right, the racism by blacks today has got much worse in the last 4 years.
I knew it would back in 2008 when I heard some of them saying this is pay back, how you going to liek a brother and us running things, we get you back and a wholse host of other comments.
Since then racism has got much worse nad in mnay black communities they know how to play it and wear it with pride.
Do an experiment next time in the store.
There are two cashiers, one white one black.
Look where the black customers go.
I was at an event earlier this year and they had food wagons, burgers an all.
All the blacks were going to the black wagons whilst whites were going to whites and blacks.
They have been racist for so long they don;t even realize it and if they do then they do not care.
We can thank the left and the obama like fools for this.Oh and the media but then again the media is the left now.
I LOVE the movie, but the book is even better.
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