The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Encyclopedia
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind is a 1988
documentary
outlining the successes and challenges of the casting, filming, and legacy of the 1939 film
Gone with the Wind
, from concept to finished product. The documentary focuses on David O. Selznick
from the time of the book's publication to the Academy Awards ceremony of 1940. Included are interviews with many of the crew and office personnel involved in making the film. Producer David O. Selznick struggled to control his project, working with three directors along the way--George Cukor
, Victor Fleming
and Sam Wood
. Each had their own vision and the strong-willed men often clashed.
The Making of a Legend brings up many of the "what ifs?" that arose as different scenarios were discussed. Among these were the possibilities of Errol Flynn
and Gary Cooper
as Rhett Butler
.
1988 in television
The year 1988 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1988.For the American TV schedule, see: 1988-89 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
outlining the successes and challenges of the casting, filming, and legacy of the 1939 film
1939 in film
The year 1939 in motion pictures can be justified as being called the most outstanding one ever, when it comes to the high quality and high attendance at the large set of the best films that premiered in the year .- Events :Motion picture historians and film often rate...
Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
, from concept to finished product. The documentary focuses on David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick was an American film producer. He is best known for having produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca , both of which earned him an Oscar for Best Picture.-Early years:...
from the time of the book's publication to the Academy Awards ceremony of 1940. Included are interviews with many of the crew and office personnel involved in making the film. Producer David O. Selznick struggled to control his project, working with three directors along the way--George Cukor
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO and later MGM, where he directed What Price Hollywood? , A Bill of Divorcement , Dinner at Eight , Little Women , David Copperfield , Romeo and Juliet and...
, Victor Fleming
Victor Fleming
Victor Lonzo Fleming was an American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most popular films were The Wizard of Oz , and Gone with the Wind , for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director.-Life and career:Fleming was born in La Canada, California, the son of Elizabeth Evaleen ...
and Sam Wood
Sam Wood
Samuel Grosvenor "Sam" Wood was an American film director, and producer, who was best known for directing such Hollywood hits as A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, and The Pride of the Yankees...
. Each had their own vision and the strong-willed men often clashed.
The Making of a Legend brings up many of the "what ifs?" that arose as different scenarios were discussed. Among these were the possibilities of Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
and Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
as Rhett Butler
Rhett Butler
Rhett Butler is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.-Role:In the beginning of the novel, we first meet Rhett at the Twelve Oaks Plantation barbecue, the home of John Wilkes and his son Ashley and daughters Honey and India Wilkes...
.
Cast
- Christopher PlummerChristopher PlummerArthur Christopher Orne Plummer, CC is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1957's Stage Struck, and notable early film performances include Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Man Who Would Be King.In a career that spans over five...
... Narrator (voice) - L. Jeffrey Selznick ... David O. SelznickDavid O. SelznickDavid O. Selznick was an American film producer. He is best known for having produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca , both of which earned him an Oscar for Best Picture.-Early years:...
(voice) - Arthur E. ArlingArthur E. ArlingArthur E. Arling, A.S.C. was a Hollywood cameraman and cinematographer. His early work included 1939's Gone with the Wind and 1946's The Yearling, for which he won a joint Oscar which he shared with Charles Rosher and Leonard Smith...
... Himself - Camera Operator (as Arthur Arling) - Katherine BrownKay B. BarrettKay Brown Barrett was a Hollywood talent scout and agent beginning in the 1930s. She is most famous for bringing Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind to the attention of David O. Selznick, for whom she worked, in 1936...
... Herself - Eastern Story Editor for David O. Selznick (as Kay Brown Barrett) - Arthur Fellows ... Himself - Assistant to George Cukor
- Raymond A. Klune ... Himself - Production Manager in 'Gone with the Wind' (as Ray Klune)
- Silvia Shulman Lardner ... Herself - Secretary to David O. Selznick
- James E. Newcom ... Himself - Associate Film Editor in 'Gone with the Wind' (as James Newcom)
- Marcella RabwinMarcella RabwinMarcella Rabwin was a Hollywood figure and civic leader. She is most remembered as the executive assistant of David O...
... Herself - Executive Assistant to David O. Selznick - Harry L. Wolf ... Himself - Assistant Cameraman in 'Gone with the Wind' (as Harry Wolf)
- Evelyn KeyesEvelyn KeyesEvelyn Louise Keyes was an American film actress. She is best-known for her role as Suellen O'Hara in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind.-Early life:...
... Herself - Actress in 'Gone with the Wind' - Butterfly McQueenButterfly McQueenThelma "Butterfly" McQueen was an American actress. Originally a dancer, the 28-year-old McQueen first appeared as Prissy, Scarlett O'Hara's maid in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind, then continued as an actress in film in the 1940s, then moving to television acting in the 1950s .-Early life:Born...
... Herself - Actress in 'Gone with the Wind' - Ann RutherfordAnn RutherfordAnn Rutherford is a Canadian-American actress in film, radio, and television. She has had a long career starring and co-starring in films, playing Polly Benedict on the big screen of the 1930s and 1940s in the Andy Hardy series, and on The Bob Newhart Show as Newhart's character's...
... Herself - Actress in 'Gone with the Wind' - Sunny Lash ... Herself - Secretary and Friend to Vivien LeighVivien LeighVivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
- William Erickson ... Himself - Preview Audience Member
- Johnny Albright ... Himself - Extra in 'Gone with the Wind'
- Phillip Roth ... Himself
- Julie Landau ... Herself