COVER STORY
lectures his colleagues on the true meaningof
virtue. The sentimental crowd-pleaseris “the
perfect example of ‘Capra-corn,’ ” saysBurr.
“But it’s very moving and has real moralcon-
cerns at its core.”
The year built to the apotheosisofGone
With the Wind. Fans of Margaret Mitchell’s
massive best-seller gobbled up the publicity
stunt of a worldwide casting call forScarlett
O’Hara, and Southerners were relievedwhen
a Brit, Vivien Leigh, won the role —at least
she wasn’t a Yankee. Clark Gable fearedhis
role was too reactive to fiery Scarlett.“Rhett
was harder to play than I anticipated,”he said.
“His scenes were all climaxes.”
The greatest climax was Rhett’s exitline:
“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”Co-
director Victor Fleming (who alsohelped
helm Oz) was threatened with a $5,000fine
for putting profanity into the film. Remem-
bers co-star Mickey Kuhn (who, at 7,played
Beau Wilkes and is the film’s only surviving
cast member, aside from 103-year-oldOlivia
de Havilland), Fleming “said, ‘Goahead,I
don’t care, I’ll pay it!’ And he put itintothe
movie, and it turned out to be a classic.”
Fl eming unwisely
took a salary
rather than a
percentage of
Wind’s profits,
predicting,
“This picture is
going to be one
of the biggest
white elephants
of all time.”
So, too, did Gone With
the Wind. “Adjusted for
inf lation, it’s still the
biggest moneymaker of
all time,” says Burr of
the film, which snagged
eight Oscars, including
best picture, director,
actress and support-
ing actress (for Hattie
McDaniel, the first
African-American to be
nominated for and win
an Academy Award).
Eighty years later,
1939’s best films have stood the test of time.
“They exemplify the best of classic Holly-
wood — big stars, a grand scale and something
to say, whether it’s Mr. Smith’s political mes-
sage, Oz’s lovely sense of family or Gone With
the Wind’s historical sweep,” observes Karger.
“These are movies that generations of families
have passed down.” In any era, they remind
us there’s no place like home, and frankly, my
dears, we do give a damn. — Reporting by
Amanda Champagne-Meadows
GOODBYE,MR. CHIPS
Asa belovedteacher,Robert
DonatwonthebestactorOscar,
beatingoutClarkGable,Jimmy
Stewart,LaurenceOlivierand
Babesin Arms’ MickeyRooney.
ONLYANGELSHAVEWINGS
“Ilovedsinkingmy headintoCary
Grant’schest,”saidJeanArthur,
who playedhis loveinterestin this
HowardHawks–directeddrama
aboutpilotsin SouthAmerica.
THE ROARING TWENTIES
Angels with Dirty Faces vets
Humphrey Bogart and James
Cagney reteamed for this
acclaimed gangster drama,
which triggered a nostalgia
craze as radio DJs started
playing records from the ’20s.
24 August 12, 2019 CLOSER
