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History - Gone With the Wind : Rare Behind the Scenes Footage
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Click here to go back . . .
The Hall Film Library, part of Brucemore's archives, was the focus of a preservation project from 1994 to 1999. The conclusion of that project in February 1999, coincided with a remarkable flurry of media attention paid to a three-minute segment in the collection -- behind-the-scenes, color images taken on the set of Gone With the Wind. This is the only known footage of its kind from the legendary film.
The National Trust, Brucemore's parent organization, documented over 400 media "hits" over the course of less than a week, more than any other Trust-related story in the history of that organization. These rare scenes appeared on countless national and local programs and periodicals, including the Today Show, CBS This Morning, Access Hollywood, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, CNN Headline News, USA Today, People Magazine, and Newsweek.
The subject of this attention was a three-minute segment of footage taken by Howard Hall in 1939. Howard was visiting friends and checking on investments in California when he was invited to visit the Busch Garden set of Gone With the Wind. Howard had access to the set through his friend Paul Robinson, whose wife Ann was the stand-in for Olivia de Havilland. Through that connection, he had remarkable access to the otherwise closed set of the most popular American film ever made. Fortuitously, he brought his movie camera.
The quality of the images is extraordinary. Howard documents the filming of one of the opening scenes of the movie -- the barbecue at Twelve Oaks. He focuses on Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh sitting by their trailers in full costume, smoking and waiting for their scenes. He also shows stand-ins setting up a shot for Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland. Some scenes reveal hundreds of extras in antebellum costumes, standing in the California sun, waiting for the cameras to roll.
Howard's filming on the set of Gone with the Wind was not an isolated instance of his access to Hollywood sets. Letters written to Margaret in 1937 describe a few of his previous encounters with some of the biggest actors of the era.
The following are excerpts from Mr. Hall's letters to Mrs. Hall while he was on business in California. The original letters are hand-written on stationery from the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The excerpts have been transcribed with stylistic idiosyncrasies left uncorrected.
Sunday Night [date unknown]
Sweetheart:-
....Paul said Ann was working with the "Gone with the Wind" Co. in a big set at Busch Garden, Pasadena- so after lunch we drove out and it was certainly a sight. - 400 extras in costume - hoop skirts, Etc. Ann was very enthusiastic and glad to see me - she was with the stars in their portable dressing rooms - I met Gable - Miss Leigh (-Scarlett) - Leslie Howard - and had my picture taken with DeHaviland and a long talk with her. She is really very nice.- met Victor Fleming the Director- two Asst. Directors- and then Paul and I spent all afternoon taking pictures- color movies which no one are ever allowed to do. It was warm and sunny and the place reminded me of Brucemore. it was beautiful- and a rare opportunity for pictures hope some of them are good....
All my love
Howard
Friday eve. [September 3, 1937?]
Sweetheart:-
....Had an interesting time at the Studio yesterday. - nice visit with Dick [Powell] and thought
Errol Flynn very interesting - pretty salty and strong on fishing - I rather like him....
Don’t let the big house get you down- we will live in a trailer and eat hamburger-
Will be glad to get home and see you and the zoo.
Love Howard
September 7, 1937
Tuesday Eve. 8:30
Sweetheart:-
....Sunday we fished all day and late in the afternoon went to the other end of the island where they were having an annual Yacht Club celebration- at a beautiful little cove where were 550 yachts from all over- a spot where they take all the movies- grass huts Etc. -the bar is in the funny hut-"Christians Hut" of Mutiny on the Bounty - a million movie stars there and Doc knew them all- Visited with Errol Flynn again and his wife Lily Domita - who had with them on their boat Dolores Delrio and Cedrick Gibbons- all nice people.- met a hundred others some interesting, some not. but it was a picturesque spot and lots of beautiful yachts....
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