Literature
choir, dressed in slave clothes and
singing spirituals during the threeday premiere celebrations.
In the front row is a 10-year-old boy
in a white hat. It is Martin Luther
King, Jr.
Wow, I thought, wow, so much history
and so many personalities woven into
the story of this movie and the novel
from which it was created.
It’s a story that seems to go on and
on. In 1991, writer Alexandra Ripley
penned Scarlett, a sequel authorized
by the Mitchell estate – and earned
scathing reviews (plus plenty of
money) for her efforts.
In 2007, Donald McCaig turned out
Rhett Butler’s People (also
authorized); while light years better
than Scarlett, it isn’t nearly as
engaging as Mitchell’s work.
This past fall, Turner Classic Movies
sponsored 75th anniversary
screenings of GWTW in more than
650 theaters nationwide, released a
special anniversary Blu-Ray/DVD
edition of the movie and offered a
special televised presentation
hosted by film historian Robert
Osborne.
But wait, there’s more. Coming soon,
this time a prequel to GWTW: Donald
McCaig’s version of Mammy’s life,
entitled Ruth’s Journey.
No doubt there will be even more. At
this very moment, Peter Bonner is
working to restore the iconic façade
of the Tara movie set, which he
acquired from the son of the late
Betty Talmadge (it’s a long story).
He hopes to make the set part of his
GWTW tours and believes that if he
builds it, the tourists will come.
Stay tuned.
On the set of Gone with
the Wind
Clark Gable (left)
on the set of Gone
with the Wind
Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable on
the set of Gone with the Wind
another $50,000 after the film’s
spectacular success.
The museum houses Mitchell’s family
photographs and correspondence.
They illuminate a woman who was
the daughter of a suffragette, the
first woman to cover hard news for
the Atlanta Journal and a tireless
volunteer.
Mitchell funded black and white
emergency clinics at Grady Hospital,
sponsored the medical school
education of some 50 black
Morehouse College graduates and
gave money to many other causes. It’s
possible that Mitchell herself, along
with her Fitzgerald grandmother, was
the model for Scarlett.
The museum also has a collection of
movie memorabilia, newsreels and
photos surrounding the movie’s
opening at the Loew’s Grand Theatre
on Atlanta’s Peachtree Street. I was
drawn to a small historic photograph
of the Ebenezer Baptist Church
147