What’s the first thing you think of when you hear that famous line from Gone With the Wind? Rhett Butler walking away from Scarlett? The movie itself? The tumultuous time in history the movie depicted?
Not me. I think of my sister. 
You see, GWTW was her favorite movie. Even as a little girl, she was obsessed. Her copy of Margaret Mitchell’s novel was in tatters by the time she was a teenager. That was before VHS tapes, DVD’s and the internet of course, so whenever the movie came on television, it was a big to-do in our house. I can remember lazy Sunday afternoons spent watching it with her while she quoted the lines right along with the characters. Used to annoy the heck out of me. Now the thought of it just makes me sad.
My sister passed away four years ago this month. Pancreatic cancer is a horrible disease; fast and unforgiving. But I have my memories, and any mention of GWTW always makes me smile.
From the costumes, the elaborate sets, the plot and characters, Gone With the Wind is considered one of the greatest and most memorable films of all time. Shot in 1939, the film’s first public screening was held two months before it was actually finished. On the evening of September 9th, the producer, David Selznick, showed up at Fox Theatre with the film reels in hand and explained to the manager that he’d picked his theater for the first-ever showing. The manager was allowed to tell the crowd about the preview, but was forbidden to release the name. Theater-goers could stay or leave, but no one would be readmitted after it started.
Here’s what they saw:
The film editor, Hal Kern, was quoted afterward as saying: When Margaret Mitchell's name came on the screen, you never heard such a sound in your life. They just yelled, they stood up on the seats...I had the [manually-operated sound] box. And I had that music wide open and you couldn't hear a thing. Mrs. Selznick was crying like a baby and so was David and so was I. Oh, what a thrill! And when "Gone with the Wind" came on the screen, it was thunderous!
Could you imagine that kind of reaction to a movie now? How exciting that must’ve been. GWTW truly is a legacy. I’m glad it’s one of my memories and that I can remember it as something that always made my sister happy.
Me and my big sister, probably somewhere around 1973 or 1974
Thanks for letting me share.
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As a side note, I’d like to remind you of Red Sage Publishing’s 15th Anniversary! To celebrate, Red Sage is throwing a party! Every party needs presents, and here’s a gift that could win you the July Secrets anthology and Calista Fox’s new novel, Object of Desire!
Here’s how to play the party game:
Simply send an email with the subject line “Ransom Note” to eRedSage@gmail.com. Inside this email, include a link back to this blog and the kidnapped logo.
Then we will both be entered into a drawing to win free trade paperbacks! Every time one of you sends a ransom note with a link, we will be entered again! Each Ransom Note is worth two entries in the drawing -- one for the person who sends the Ransom Note, and one for the linked blog or website (me!). And we both can win!
Want more chances to win? Kidnap this logo yourself, and then I can enter again by sending a Ransom Note linking to your blog or website!
The more times we enter, the more chances we have to win! But get your entries in by June 30. Red Sage will be drawing the winners on July 1!
Group blog or website? No problem! Just be sure to sign your post so they know who the winner should be!
Good luck, and have fun!
