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Happy 75Th Anniversary Literature County girlhood home, Tara. Clayton County was designated the official home of Gone with the Wind by Mitchell’s brother Stephens. All around were signs that this is truly GWTW country: Tara Elementary School, Tara Wedding Chapel, Tara Gone with the Wind Florist and – well, you get the idea. The county has even had a couple of Scarletts: Melly Meadows, a striking Vivien Leigh lookalike who traveled worldwide in this role, delighting Happy 75th Anniversary everyone she meets with her fiddle-dee-dees and, more recently, By Lillian Africano Cynthia Evans. My GWTW orientation began at the Road to Tara Museum, housed in the 1867 Jonesboro Railroad Station, Gone with the Wind about 15 miles south of Atlanta. Movie Set This relatively small museum has BELOW Gone with the Wind drawn Windies from all over the Movie Poster world; the guest book includes visitors from Norway, Finland, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, largest collections of GWTW At the Patrick Cleburne Memorial the U.K., China and Japan. autographed photos. Olivia de Confederate Cemetery, where some Haviland, who played Melly and who 1,000 fallen soldiers from the Battle Here is so much to delight the most celebrated her 98th birthday in July, of Jonesboro are buried, Bonner, who dedicated fan: first editions of the is here of course, but so are the has taken part in past re-enactments novel, autographed photos, costumes movie’s bit players, such as the of the battle, vividly described the (including the pantalets worn by Tarleton twins. (Actor George ferocity of the two-day combat. As Scarlett in the scene where Mammy Reeves, who later played Superman he spoke in his rich southern accent is lacing up Scarlett’s corset before on TV, was Stuart Tarleton.) of 12,000 Confederates arrayed the barbecue at Twelve Oaks), movie against almost 100,000 Union posters – and seats from the Loew’s One wall of the museum is dedicated soldiers, it was easy to imagine the Grand Theater, acquired by the late to GWTW author Margaret Mitchell, smell of gunpowder, the cries of the “Windy” collector Herb Bridges, who grew up on firsthand stories of wounded. The loss at Jonesboro whose massive collection was known the Civil War. (spelled “Jonesborough” at the time), worldwide and who donated many he explained, cut the supplies to the choice items to the museum. “I heard everything in the world except Confederacy and enabled General Recently added were items donated that the Confederates lost the war,” William T. Sherman to take Atlanta. by the estate of the late Ann she once said. “When I was 10 years Rutherford, who played Scarlett’s old, it was a violent shock to learn that He said that Mitchell used Jonesboro sister, Careen O’Hara. General Lee had been licked.” for scenes in her novel, asking: “Remember how Melanie gave birth I could have spent an entire day Perhaps my favorite exhibit – during the Battle of Atlanta?” at the museum, enjoying favorite because I wanted a happy ending scenes from the movie, as it played for Rhett and Scarlett – was a and played on one wall, looking over working script with an alternate signed scripts and one of the world’s final scene, with Mammy and not Scarlett speaking the final lines. “He’ll come back,” Mammy says. “Didn’t I say the last time? He’ll do it again. I knows. I always knows.” Vivian Leigh on the set of Gone with the Wind Though I knew that some of the RIGHT incidents in the movie were On the set of Gone with the Wind based in reality, I was surprised to learn how many of Mitchell’s characters are based on real eventy-five years ago, over of limousines carrying stars from the to the next new thing, GWTW still when I was 12 – and still cry each had written about in the 1936 people. a million people traveled film – and thousands of confederate has legions of fans who are loyal time I watch the Confederates go blockbuster novel upon which the to Atlanta, Georgia, in flags. Gone with the Wind went on for a lifetime and are sometimes down to defeat. movie was based – and to learn more Those revelations came during a anticipation of the gala to become one of the biggest called “Windies”. about the people she brought to life Hysterical and Historical “Gone premiere (on December 15, blockbusters of all times. Some years ago, I took one of my in her story. with the Wind” tour, given by S1939) of Gone with the Wind. Three As a devoted Windy, I fell for Rhett favorite trips of all time, a kind of Peter Bonner, a born storyteller days of celebration included a While some movies have casual fans Butler’s roguish charm when I was Gone with the Wind pilgrimage, to My first stop was Jonesboro, of Civil War History. costume ball, receptions, a parade who watch a film once, then move on five, wished for Scarlett’s tiny waist visit the places Margaret Mitchell © TURNER © TURNER ALLALL PHOTOS: PHOTOS: CLASSICCLASSIC MOVIES MOVIES Georgia, Scarlett O’Hara’s Clayton 144 145 Literature County girlhood home, Tara. Clayton County was designated the official home of Gone with the Wind by Mitchell’s brother Stephens. All around were signs that this is truly GWTW country: Tara Elementary School, Tara Wedding Chapel, Tara Gone with the Wind Florist and – well, you get the idea. The county has even had a couple of Scarletts: Melly Meadows, a striking Vivien Leigh lookalike who traveled worldwide in this role, delighting Happy 75th Anniversary everyone she meets with her fiddle-dee-dees and, more recently, By Lillian Africano Cynthia Evans. My GWTW orientation began at the Road to Tara Museum, housed in the 1867 Jonesboro Railroad Station, Gone with the Wind about 15 miles south of Atlanta. Movie Set This relatively small museum has BELOW Gone with the Wind drawn Windies from all over the Movie Poster world; the guest book includes visitors from Norway, Finland, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, largest collections of GWTW At the Patrick Cleburne Memorial the U.K., China and Japan. autographed photos. Olivia de Confederate Cemetery, where some Haviland, who played Melly and who 1,000 fallen soldiers from the Battle Here is so much to delight the most celebrated her 98th birthday in July, of Jonesboro are buried, Bonner, who dedicated fan: first editions of the is here of course, but so are the has taken part in past re-enactments novel, autographed photos, costumes movie’s bit players, such as the of the battle, vividly described the (including the pantalets worn by Tarleton twins. (Actor George ferocity of the two-day combat. As Scarlett in the scene where Mammy Reeves, who later played Superman he spoke in his rich southern accent is lacing up Scarlett’s corset before on TV, was Stuart Tarleton.) of 12,000 Confederates arrayed the barbecue at Twelve Oaks), movie against almost 100,000 Union posters – and seats from the Loew’s One wall of the museum is dedicated soldiers, it was easy to imagine the Grand Theater, acquired by the late to GWTW author Margaret Mitchell, smell of gunpowder, the cries of the “Windy” collector Herb Bridges, who grew up on firsthand stories of wounded. The loss at Jonesboro whose massive collection was known the Civil War. (spelled “Jonesborough” at the time), worldwide and who donated many he explained, cut the supplies to the choice items to the museum. “I heard everything in the world except Confederacy and enabled General Recently added were items donated that the Confederates lost the war,” William T. Sherman to take Atlanta. by the estate of the late Ann she once said. “When I was 10 years Rutherford, who played Scarlett’s old, it was a violent shock to learn that He said that Mitchell used Jonesboro sister, Careen O’Hara. General Lee had been licked.” for scenes in her novel, asking: “Remember how Melanie gave birth I could have spent an entire day Perhaps my favorite exhibit – during the Battle of Atlanta?” at the museum, enjoying favorite because I wanted a happy ending scenes from the movie, as it played for Rhett and Scarlett – was a and played on one wall, looking over working script with an alternate signed scripts and one of the world’s final scene, with Mammy and not Scarlett speaking the final lines. “He’ll come back,” Mammy says. “Didn’t I say the last time? He’ll do it again. I knows. I always knows.” Vivian Leigh on the set of Gone with the Wind Though I knew that some of the RIGHT incidents in the movie were On the set of Gone with the Wind based in reality, I was surprised to learn how many of Mitchell’s characters are based on real eventy-five years ago, over of limousines carrying stars from the to the next new thing, GWTW still when I was 12 – and still cry each had written about in the 1936 people. a million people traveled film – and thousands of confederate has legions of fans who are loyal time I watch the Confederates go blockbuster novel upon which the to Atlanta, Georgia, in flags. Gone with the Wind went on for a lifetime and are sometimes down to defeat. movie was based – and to learn more Those revelations came during a anticipation of the gala to become one of the biggest called “Windies”. about the people she brought to life Hysterical and Historical “Gone premiere (on December 15, blockbusters of all times.
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