Friday, December 18, 2009
Atlanta Went Wild For Gone With The Wind in 1939
In 1939 in Atlanta, Georgia, the current events of World War II were overshadowed for 3 days by the star-studded premiere of the Civil War epic, Gone With The Wind. Preceded by months of hype, the excitement peaked with the arrival of the major players and various entourage. The Governor declared a 3-day holiday and asked residents to dress in Civil War-period clothing as the city reveled in dozens of gala events leading up to the highly-anticipated premiere at Loew’s Grand Theater.
For the Dec. 15th premiere, a Greek column facade resembling Tara was placed in front of the theater. Spotlights swept the sky above the 300,000 spectators lining the streets, as star after star stepped out of car after car, greeted by rousing cheers from the crowd. Special guests of honor included a group of Confederate veterans, as well as the book’s Pulitzer Prize-winning hometown author, Margaret Mitchell.
Four and a half hours later, the movie and most of the festivities were over, but the Oscar-winning epic would continue to thrill fans and claim its place in movie history. Adjusted for inflation, Gone With The Wind remains the number one top-grossing box office film of all time!
Gone With The Wind movie enthusiasts and Civil War buffs alike will enjoy adding these items to their collections.
posted by Betty at
8:33 AM
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