The Search for Scarlett O’Hara: Gone with the Wind and Hollywood’s Most Famous Casting Call

'GONE WITH (the) WIND' ENTHRALLS AUDIENCE WITH MAGNIFICENCE

That is what the Atlanta Constitution newspaper ran as its banner headline in mid-December 1939, after the cream of the Hollywood crop joined the Southern city (and half of the southeast, according to some accounts) the previous evening to premiere the much-anticipated film that would take the country by storm.

1939 is considered the greatest year during the Golden Age of Hollywood due to the large amount of superb movies released during those twelve months. Among the dozens of films made and/or distributed in '39, Gone with the Wind held, by far, the highest profile.

Arguably the greatest Hollywood movie ever made and the most financially lucrative with inflation taken into account, GWTW took two and a half years just to get to the point of filming. The largest aspect of this grand preparation was finding just the right woman to play the legendary character of Scarlett O'Hara, the fiery Southern belle who went from spoiled plantation girl to driven survivor.

Practically the entire female population of Hollywood (and in many cases the rest of the nation) between the ages of 17 and 40 wanted to play the coveted role. The Search for Scarlett O’Hara: Gone with the Wind and Hollywood’s Most Famous Casting Call delves into the interesting casting options and machinations of powerful men and glamorous women to fill the part of the century.