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Calvin E. Johnson, Jr.
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A freelance writer, Calvin Johnson lives near the historic town of Kennesaw and he's a
proud member of the Chattahoochee Guards Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans. He's the author of the book,
When America Stood for God, Family and Country.
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When Gone With The Wind Came to Atlanta – by Calvin E. Johnson, Jr. 12/03/09
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Editor's Note: GHC Chairman Jeff Davis was involved the 25th Anniversary
celebration of Gone With The Wind, so his note to Calvin Johnson may be of interest...
From Jeff Davis...
Thanks Calvin, you did a nice job on this article.
You may be interested to know that we held a huge celebration for the 25th anniversary of GWTW in Atlanta in 1964.
I was very much involved in that I was at the time Assistant to the President of the Biltmore Hotel Corporation in Atlanta.
Mrs. Hanson, the widow of Bill Candler of Coca Cola inherited the entire Biltmore complex. She was a wonderful elderly Southern
lady who asked me to handle her business and personal affairs.
This mainly included representing her at Coca Cola affairs, including stockholder meetings, chairitable work with various
organizations and the promotion of the Atlanta Biltmore which had the largest exhibit hall in Georgia and 550 deluxe bedrooms
along with what many considered the best dining facilities in Atlanta. We had one dining room equipped with an ice rink where
we did a nightly musical variety and ice show.
The civic leaders of Atlanta decided to have a 25th anniversary of the Gone With the Wind premiere. Mrs. Hanson volunteered
to be a leading patron for it and offered the Biltmore as the central scene of activities, including a ball for several thousand
people and headquarters for all of the living GWTW production people and cast.
Since we were the hosts, all of the arrangements fell in my lap.
We had David O. Selznick, Vivien Leigh, Olivia De Haviland, the Tarleton twins, Butterfly McQueen and others as our guests for
several days.
Of course it became my duty to escort the celebrities and arrange schedules for them. We struck up some good relationships.
The ball we held with most everyone in period dress was one of the grandest in Atlanta history. I relied heavily on my friend
Mayor Hartsfield, a grandson of a Confederate veteran, to see to it that who's who in Georgia was there and he exceeded his mission.
The SCV was well represented as the John Gordon Camp in Atlanta at that time had a huge roster. The Old Guard was also included
in the ceremonies, as they continue to be today.
I thought you might be interested in this little tidbit of history. Your Mom will probably remember it.
--Jeff
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Do you remember when and where you first saw “Gone with the Wind?”
Gone with the Wind premiered during the Christmas Season of 1939, just 74 years after the end of the “War Between the States” and
December 15, 2009 marks the 70th anniversary of that wonderful, classic movie that begins with:
“There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the Old South. Here in this pretty world, Gallantry took its last bow. Here
was the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair, of Master and of Slave. Look for it only in books, for it is no
more than a dream remembered, a Civilization gone with the wind.”
Gone with the Wind won 8 Oscars for 1939, including Best Picture, and;
Hattie McDaniel, the first Black American to win an Academy Award, expressed her heart-felt pride with tears of joy, upon receiving
the 1939 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her memorable role as "Mammy." See her acceptance speech at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3hpmgn7Q30
Victor Fleming won the Academy Award for Best Director and even though Max Steiner did not receive an award for his excellent music
score, the "Gone with the Wind"
theme song has
become the most recognized and played tune in the world.
Vivien Leigh, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a leading role, humbly and eloquently summed her appreciation by
thanking Producer David O. Selznick which you can view at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaPMpD4oxDA&feature=related
And, who can forget Olivia De Havilland as the pure-sweet Melanie Hamilton, Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes and Clark Gable as
Rhett Butler.
Friday, December 15, 1939, was an icy-cold day in Atlanta but people warmed to the excitement of the world premiere of
“Gone with the Wind”--The Selznick International Pictures "Technicolor" Production of the Metro Goldwyn Mayer Release of
Margaret Mitchell’s novel about the Old South at the Loews Grand Theater.
We remember Thomas Mitchell who played (Gerald O’Hara) telling daughter Scarlett:
"Do you mean to tell me, Katie Scarlett O'Hara, that Tara , that land doesn't mean anything to you? Why, land is the only thing
in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for, because it's the only thing that lasts."
And, we cried when Bonnie Blue Butler, the daughter of Rhett and Scarlett—played by Cammie King, was killed in a pony accident.
The cast of Gone with the Wind stayed at the historic Georgian-Terrace Hotel.
Anne Rutherford, who played Scarlett’s sister Carreen, took time to visit the Confederate Veterans at the soldier’s home and
the stars toured the famous “Cyclorama” at Grant Park.
The festivities surrounding the premiere of Gone with the Wind included a parade down Peachtree Street with three hundred
thousand folks cheering the playing of "Dixie," waving Confederate flags and shouting Rebel Yells.
And, many witnessed the lighting of the "Eternal Flame of the Confederacy," an 1855 gas lamp that survived the 1864 Battle of
Atlanta. The lamp remained for many years on the northeast corner of Whitehall and Alabama Streets. Mrs. Thomas J. Ripley,
President of Atlanta Chapter No. 18 United Daughters of the Confederacy, re-lit the great light with Mr. T. Guy Woolford,
Commandant of the Old Guard by her side.
My mother remembers the great spot lights lighting up the night sky.
The house where Margaret Mitchell wrote "Gone with the Wind" is still standing. See information at:
www.margaretmitchellhouse.com/
Time Magazine wrote:
"The film has almost everything the book has in the way of spectacle, drama, practically endless story and the means to make
them bigger and better. The burning of Atlanta, the great 'boom' shots of the Confederate wounded lying in the streets and the
hospital after the Battle of Atlanta are spectacle enough for any picture, and unequaled."
Read entire article at:
www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,952044,00.html#ixzz0XFQVmsTD
The 70th Anniversary of "Gone with the Wind" was recently celebrated with a re-premiere showing at the beautifully
restored Strand Theater located on the square in Marietta, Georgia. Read information at:
www.earlsmithstrand.org/
Merry Christmas and May God Bless!
A freelance writer, Calvin Johnson lives near the historic town of Kennesaw and he's a
proud member of the Chattahoochee Guards Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans. He's the author of the book,
When America Stood for God, Family and Country. He is Chairman of the National and Georgia Division
Sons of Confederate Veterans Confederate History Month Committee and a 23 year resident of Kennesaw, Georgia
home of the famed locomotive “The General.”
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