Local expert to host ‘Gone With The Wind’ screenings at the Redford Theatre

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I've read about it.

I've seen pictures of Clark Gable as the roguish Rhett Butler and Vivien Leigh as the famous southern belle Scarlett O'Hara.

But, alas, I have not seen "Gone With The Wind."

And frankly, I do give a damn.

The film is showing on the big screen this weekend at the historic Redford Theatre. Besides being the film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Margaret Mitchell, it is considered by many to be one of the most celebrated films in cinema history.

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"Absolutely," said Kathleen Marcaccio of Royal Oak and an expert on the film. “I saw the movie when I was 12 years old in 1969. The next day, I checked the book out of the library, and have been enamored by it ever since.”
The film will be shown at 8 p.m. tonight, 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

As the special guest host, Marcaccio will be attending all of the performances, offering audiences special insights into the history and making of the film, the characters, and answering all of those pressing questions such as what cast members are still alive. In addition to talking about the film, Marcaccio will be showing audiences a display of “Gone With The Wind,” memorabilia. Among her treasures is a 1939 copy of the book (Motion Picture Edition) featuring stills of the movie and information about the cast, as well as an original sewing pattern for a Scarlett O’Hara dress and perfume and handkerchiefs, also inspired by the character of Scarlett.

“You wouldn’t think it (being a movie from the 1930s) but ‘Gone With The Wind’ was marketed as much and if not more than Star Wars,” Marcaccio said.

Gone With The Wind Trivia

• Of the half a million feet of film shot for the movie, only 20,000 feet were saved from the cutting room floor.

• The film employed more than 50 speaking roles and 2,400 extras.

• One would think that it was the first film in the 1930s to use the word "damn" but it wasn't. Numerous silent movies and several talkies before it used the expletive, including Cavalcade and Pygmalion.

• The red carpet premiere for the movie was held in Atlanta, Georgia, Dec. 15, 1939.   

• The movie is an adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's monumental classic considered by many to be not only the greatest love story ever written, but also the greatest Civil War saga. David O. Selznick purchased the movie rights from Mitchell for an unprecedented $50,000 a month after it was published. Shortly after the film was made, he gave her an additional $50,000 as a bonus.

• Of the 1,400 actresses who were interviewed for the role of Scarlett O'Hara, only 400 were asked to read for the part. Those considered for the role at the time were Jean Arthur, Lucille Ball, Tallulah Bankhead, Bette Davis, Claudette Colbert, Joan Crawford, Paulette Goddard, Katharine Hepburn, Olivia de Havilland, Carole Lombard, Norma Shearer, Barbara Stanwyck, and Margaret Sullavan.

• Had Judy Garland not been tied up with her commitments to do another film directed by Victor Fleming: The Wizard of OZ she may have played the role of Scarlett's sister Carreen.

The Redford Theatre is located at 17360 Lahser Road (corner of Grand River and Lahser) in Detroit. For more information visit: Redford Theatre General admission tickets: $4. Doors open at 7 p.m.