Gone with the Wind: 10 Rumors Checked

On December 10th, 1938, the Selznick studio lot burned to the ground on purpose — and neither of the film's two stars had even been cast yet. Ten stories about the making of the biggest hit in Hollywood history — the fire before the cast, the two-year hunt for Scarlett, three directors on one picture, the deal that handed half the profits to MGM, the scene Clark Gable almost refused to shoot, Leslie Howard's reluctant role, the real size of Scarlett's waist, what Vivien Leigh said about kissing Gable, Hattie McDaniel barred from her own film's premiere, and the five-thousand-dollar fine that was never paid. For every claim: what was said, what the records show, and a verdict. Eight are true. Two are false. Chapters: 0:00 The fire before the cast 1:13 They burned the backlot 3:01 The two-year search for Scarlett 5:10 Three directors, one credit 6:58 The deal with MGM 8:40 The scene Gable didn't want to shoot 9:51 Leslie Howard's dull part 11:30 The sixteen-inch waist 13:20 The kiss they dreaded 14:47 Barred from the premiere 16:26 The five-thousand-dollar word 17:54 The verdicts Previous episode — was George Reeves' death really a Hollywood curse? 10 Hollywood curses checked: George Reeves, TV's Superman, Died In 1959... A claim. The paperwork. A verdict. Subscribe for the next ten. #oldhollywood #gonewiththewind #clarkgable #vivienleigh #hollywoodhistory Film excerpts are used for commentary, criticism and historical reporting. Image credits — archival photographs from Wikimedia Commons. Public domain images require no attribution. Photographs used under Creative Commons licences are credited in full in the pinned comment / channel resources. Documents, props and scenes without real faces were created for this video. No generated image depicts a real person.