TIL that actor Gary Cooper turned down the role of Rhett Butler in the 1939 film “Gone with the Wind,” and said that the film "is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history".

Who turned down the role in Gone With the Wind?

When Gary Cooper turned down the role of Rhett Butler, he was passionately against it. He was quoted saying, "Gone With The Wind is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history. I'm glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling flat on his nose, not Gary Cooper".

Who tried out for the role of Scarlett O Hara?

Goddard made more screentests for the role than any other established actress and eventually signed an option agreement with Selznick in anticipation of getting the part. The four finalists for the role of Scarlett were Goddard, Jean Arthur, Joan Bennett, and Leigh.

Who banned Gone With the Wind?

In the wake of the George Floyd protests in 2020, HBO briefly removed Gone with the Wind from streaming, and eventually returned it to their platform with a trigger warning and material providing historical context. This move was nearly as controversial as the film, and Black Hollywood was divided on the matter.

How did Clark Gable feel about Gone With the Wind?

Apparently, Gable was very much opposed to the idea of starring in what he regarded as “a woman's picture”. Indeed, he was pretty resistant to the idea of playing a character like Rhett at all, though later gave in to public opinion and accepted the part.

The Dark Secrets Behind Gone with the Wind

What is the controversy of Gone with the Wind?

As Ridley notes, the primary point of contention is the film's romanticizing of the antebellum South, and its whitewashing of the horrors of slavery. The film presents the region's pre-Civil War era as a utopia of tranquil living, and the Northern forces as interlopers, trying to disrupt that way of life.

Did they ever make a sequel to Gone with the Wind?

Book overview

Discover the phenomenal #1 bestselling sequel to Gone With the Wind: "true to Scarlett's spirit," this inventive novel beautifully continues Margaret Mitchell's timeless tale (Chicago Tribune).

Why is it called Gone with the Wind?

Scarlett O'Hara uses the title phrase when she wonders if her home on a plantation called "Tara" is still standing, or if it had "gone with the wind which had swept through Georgia". In a general sense, the title is a metaphor for the demise of a way of life in the South before the Civil War.

Did Lucille Ball try out for Gone With the Wind?

Ball also did some stage work and auditioned (unsuccessfully, of course) to play Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind (1939). Among her more notable roles of the era at RKO was that of a burlesque queen in Dorothy Arzner's Dance, Girl, Dance (1940), with Maureen O'Hara as another dancer.

How much was Vivien Leigh paid for Gone With the Wind?

Leigh in costume for Gone With the Wind. The film had a grueling schedule: Leigh worked for 125 days on the movie while Gable worked for 71 days. Leigh—who spent two and a half hours on screen during the four hour movie— was paid approximately $25,000, while Gable earned more than $120,000.

How many children did Scarlett O Hara have?

In the book, Scarlett gives birth to three children: Wade Hampton Hamilton, Ella Lorena Kennedy, and Eugenie Victoria "Bonnie Blue" Butler. In the film version only Bonnie is featured. Almost universally, the studio and the public agreed that the part of Rhett Butler should go to Clark Gable.

Did Rhett really love Scarlett?

Rhett initially denies, then admits, that he loves Scarlett, but he does not want to "lose himself" over her again. Back in Charleston, Rhett leaves Scarlett near death at his mother's house, telling her, in a letter, that while he admires her bravery, he will never see her again.

Did Bette Davis like Clark Gable?

Bette had been jealous of Crawford's affair with Clark Gable, on whom she had a crush, but it was Franchot Tone who the two really fell out over. Tone, who was dating Crawford, was Davis's leading man in Dangerous.

What is the age difference between Rhett and Scarlett?

When Rhett first meets Scarlet she is 16 to his 33. She is acting like exactly what she is – a spoiled, willful child who isn't getting her way and isn't at all used to that sensation. Rhett, who eavesdropped on the scene between her and Ashley that instigated the tantrum, mocks her and laughs at her.

Did maureen o hara and Lucille Ball get along?

Lucille Ball and Maureen O'Hara became inseparable friends while shooting this film, and remained lifelong friends until Ball's death in 1989. O'Hara was having lunch with her when Ball first saw her future husband Desi Arnaz.

How many actresses auditioned for Gone with the Wind?

Out of these considered, only 31 actresses made screen tests, including (with the date of their initial screen test and their age at the time): Louise Platt (September 1936, 21) Tallulah Bankhead (December 1936, 34)

Did Bette Davis want to play Scarlett O Hara?

Davis expressed her desire to play Scarlett, and while David O. Selznick was conducting a search for the actress to play the role, a radio poll named her as the audience favorite.

How much did Margaret Mitchell get paid for Gone with the Wind?

Selznick, who paid Mitchell a record-high $50,000 for the film rights to her book. After testing hundreds of unknowns and big-name stars to play Scarlett, Selznick hired British actress Vivien Leigh days after filming began.

Why was Gone with the Wind banned from schools?

Answer and Explanation: Gone with the Wind was banned in the United States in 1978 from the Anaheim (California) Unified High School English classes due to the behavior exhibited by Scarlett O'Hara in the book and the portrayal of slavery.

Did Scarlett ever get Rhett back?

In the sequels − both in official sequels (Scarlett, written by Alexandra Ripley, and Rhett Butler's People, written by Donald McCaig) and in the unofficial Winds of Tara by Kate Pinotti − Scarlett finally succeeds in getting Rhett back.

Does Rhett leave Scarlett forever?

At two critical points in the novel, Rhett abandons Scarlett to commit himself to the Old South. First, he leaves Scarlett in hostile territory and joins the Confederate army. Second, at the end of the novel he leaves Scarlett and goes in search of remnants of the Old South.

How old was Scarlett and Rhett in Gone with the Wind?

Answer and Explanation:

Rhett Butler is Scarlett O' Hara's third husband. He is charming, though he has been kicked out of his school and exiled by his family due to his dishonorable behavior, Scarlett is continually drawn towards him. When they first meet, Rhett is 33 years old while Scarlett is 16.

What is the longest movie ever made?

The longest film ever made, according to Guinness World Records, is "The Cure for Insomnia" (1987), directed by John Henry Timmis IV.

Why is Gone with the Wind so significant?

Despite its historical flaws, Gone with the Wind was a critical hit. Its visuals, storyline, and characters were seen as romantic escapes from the Great Depression and onset of World War II. The performances of Leigh and Gable are some of the most memorable in Hollywood history.