5 Fun Facts About Gone With the Wind (The Movie)
1. There were pranksters on set.
Clark Gable was one of them. He reportedly ate garlic before filming kissing scenes with Vivien Leigh. Another one of his pranks was to pour actual alcohol into a decanter instead of the tea that they normally used. The victim was Hattie McDaniel, who found out about the prank only after she took a swig. Gable payed for his crimes though. Another prankster (Olivia de Havilland) had her herself fastened to the set for one of the scenes where Gable was supposed to pick her up. He almost threw his back out.
2. The movie resulted in a lot of award firsts.
Hattie McDaniel, who played Mammy, was the first African-American to be nominated for an Oscar, and by winning it became the first African-American to win an Oscar. Gone with the Wind was the first technicolor movie to win an Oscar in the best picture category. And Vivien Leigh's performance in the movie was the longest to ever win an Academy Award, she appeared in 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 32 seconds of the film.
3. They used the burning of the Atlanta Depot scene to get rid of some clutter.
The fiery scene was filmed on 30-acre back lot, and they used it as an opportunity to get rid of old sets such as: The Garden of Allah sets, and the "great wall" set from King Kong. The fire cost over $25,000, which is approximately what Vivien Leigh was payed for her work on the movie.
4. Clark Gable didn't really like the movie.
He thought it was quote "a woman's picture". In fact, he almost quit because he didn't want to cry on film, which was required for the scene where Melanie is comforting Rhett after Scarlett's miscarriage. He was convinced to stay by his co-star de Havilland, and the director of the film, Victor Fleming.
5. Tara was not supposed to be a pretty building.
In the novel, the main house was luxurious, but ugly. It started out as a four-room wooden home, but was added onto over the years with no "architectural plan whatever". But in the film, Tara was shown as a large beautiful home, complete with columns that the author of the book, Margaret Mitchell, commented on in a letter to a friend "I grieve to hear that Tara has columns... When I think of the healthy, hardy, country and somewhat crude civilization that I depicted and then of the elegance that is to be presented, I cannot help yelping with laughter."
Clark Gable was one of them. He reportedly ate garlic before filming kissing scenes with Vivien Leigh. Another one of his pranks was to pour actual alcohol into a decanter instead of the tea that they normally used. The victim was Hattie McDaniel, who found out about the prank only after she took a swig. Gable payed for his crimes though. Another prankster (Olivia de Havilland) had her herself fastened to the set for one of the scenes where Gable was supposed to pick her up. He almost threw his back out.2. The movie resulted in a lot of award firsts.
Hattie McDaniel, who played Mammy, was the first African-American to be nominated for an Oscar, and by winning it became the first African-American to win an Oscar. Gone with the Wind was the first technicolor movie to win an Oscar in the best picture category. And Vivien Leigh's performance in the movie was the longest to ever win an Academy Award, she appeared in 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 32 seconds of the film.
3. They used the burning of the Atlanta Depot scene to get rid of some clutter.
The fiery scene was filmed on 30-acre back lot, and they used it as an opportunity to get rid of old sets such as: The Garden of Allah sets, and the "great wall" set from King Kong. The fire cost over $25,000, which is approximately what Vivien Leigh was payed for her work on the movie.
4. Clark Gable didn't really like the movie.
He thought it was quote "a woman's picture". In fact, he almost quit because he didn't want to cry on film, which was required for the scene where Melanie is comforting Rhett after Scarlett's miscarriage. He was convinced to stay by his co-star de Havilland, and the director of the film, Victor Fleming.
5. Tara was not supposed to be a pretty building.
In the novel, the main house was luxurious, but ugly. It started out as a four-room wooden home, but was added onto over the years with no "architectural plan whatever". But in the film, Tara was shown as a large beautiful home, complete with columns that the author of the book, Margaret Mitchell, commented on in a letter to a friend "I grieve to hear that Tara has columns... When I think of the healthy, hardy, country and somewhat crude civilization that I depicted and then of the elegance that is to be presented, I cannot help yelping with laughter."
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