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Gone With The Wind
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Finding the Real Margaret Mitchell
By Mike McLeod
Note: All photos courtesy Herb Bridges
Collection, unless otherwise noted.
 Nearly 250,000 copies of Gone With The Wind still sell ever year, about one
copy every two minutes. Other than the Bible, no other book measures up to this
classic, particularly considering it was first published in 1936.
Although
appreciative and overwhelmed by the response to her novel-it sold one million
copies in five months-Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell ("Peggy" to her friends)
shunned the limelight after GWTW gained her national and worldwide acclaim. Her
fans either did not know this or ignored it because they flocked to her, all
wanting their books signed. For a time, Margaret dutifully fulfilled their
wishes. But the requests became incessant. She was once asked for an autograph
while trying on a dress in an Atlanta store.
After her book sales reached
one million, she stopped signing books. Instead, she wrote letters to fans
explaining why she did not sign the bookand then she signed the letter. Go
figure.
Margaret endured much at the hands of her adoring fans. Once, a man
from Tennessee appeared at her door, urgently needing to know if Scarlett and
Rhett ever got back together again. His wife sent him with orders not to return
without an answer for her bridge club.
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Margaret Mitchell based the book on people she knew and their
experiences.
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Margaret valued her privacy to the
point that she requested that all her personal papers be destroyed at her death.
Her second husband, John Marsh, dutifully destroyed much of the original
manuscript, but he saved certain notes and chapters in case her authorship of
the novel was ever questioned.
Despite her desires for privacy, millions of
fans the world over want to know everything about her and about Gone With The
Wind. (A Google search of "Margaret Mitchell" resulted in 3.3 million pages, and
"Gone With The Wind" yielded 8.2 million.) One of the best places to learn about
this less-than-five-foot-tall literary giant is to visit the Margaret Mitchell
House and Museum in Atlanta.
The Margaret Mitchell House
and Museum.
(Courtesy Margaret Mitchell
House.)
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There, one learns that Margaret was a writer all
her life. As a child she wrote stories, and then made them into books, which are
on display in the visitors' center. From 1922 to 1926, she was a reporter for
the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, writing articles, interviews, and a weekly
column. Margaret resigned in 1926 due to complications with arthritis, and that
is when the story truly begins.
At home all day by herself, Margaret occupied
much of her time with reading. Regularly, her husband stopped by the library to
pick up a book for her. One day, John informed his wife that she had read every
book in the library, including the medical journals. Presenting her with a
typewriter, he suggested she write her own book.
Of course, writing books was
nothing new to Margaret Mitchell. At 16, she wrote Lost Layson, which was
discovered some years ago and published. Accepting her husband's challenge,
Margaret began writing the greatest American novel.
The apartment where she
and John lived was small, consisting of a living room, a bedroom (which also
served as the dining area), a tiny kitchen, a bathroom and a small porch. In one
corner of the living room by the windows, Margaret tapped out GWTW on her
typewriter. Only her husband was allowed to read the rough drafts at the time,
and when friends visited, she hid folders containing the manuscript under the
bed or the sofa. If friends dropped by unexpectedly, Margaret would cover her
typewriter with a dishtowel.
Margaret was extremely self-conscious about the
quality of her work, and she had no idea as to its future literary acclaim.
Once, she shoved part of the manuscript under the leg of a wobbly table to
steady it.
In 1935, Harold Latham of McMillan Publishing came to Atlanta
looking for new writers. Margaret ended up showing him around town, but she
repeatedly refused to show him her manuscript. In her opinion, GWTW was, "lousy,
I was ashamed of it."
But Margaret's reluctance to let Latham review the
manuscript changed when a friend remarked, "Really, I wouldn't take you for the
type to write a successful book. You don't take your life seriously enough to be
a novelist."
Margaret immediately rushed home, snatched the manuscript, and
hurried to Latham. Bursting in on him she pointedly told him to "...take the
damn thing," before she changed her mind.
Within a year of its publishing,
GWTW sold nearly 1.7 million copies, most for $3.
 To find the real Margaret
Mitchell, the best place to start is the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum in
Atlanta. The tour begins in the visitor's center with exclusive photographs and
archival exhibits of her pre-GWTW writings. It proceeds to her apartment where
she spent years writing the novel. The apartment is decorated in the style of
the period.
The tour then moves to the Movie Museum. Opened on the 60th
anniversary of the movie's premiere at the Loew's Grand in Atlanta on December
15, 1999, the museum features movie memorabilia (posters, dolls, games, plates,
jewelry, costumes, film footage from the premiere and movie scripts) and the
door and frame to Tara from the movie set. Behind the doorway is the famous
painting of Scarlett in the blue gown from the movie. You can still see the
liquor stain on it from when Rhett Butler threw his drink on the
painting.
After touring the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum, you have two
choices: head north or south. To the north on I-75 (for about 17 miles) is the
Marietta Gone With The Wind Movie Museum and the Kennesaw Mountain National
Battlefield Park (where the actual Civil War battle mentioned in GWTW took
place). Heading south on I-75 will take you to Jonesboro (where the Tara
Plantation was located in the book) to see the Road to Tara Museum and the Gone
With The Wind tour.
Clark & Margaret at the
Atlanta
preview.
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In the northern swing, Marietta's GWTW Museum is located
in a brick 1880's warehouse, which holds a private collection of memorabilia.
Displays and exhibits include: information about the life of Margaret Mitchell;
a collection of GWTW books from around the world and how Margaret Mitchell got
the German government to pay royalties on the sale of GWTW during WWII; and
costumes and accessories including Scarlett's honeymoon gown and Belle Whatley's
purse and hat. If you have four hours to kill, the movie runs continuously
there, if you are from the moon and have not seen it.
Just two miles west of
Marietta, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is the site of a battle in
the Atlanta Campaign that took place June 18-July2, 1864. William T. Sherman's
Union army of 100,000 men, 254 cannon and 35,000 horses met Johnson's army of
63,000 men and 187 cannon that were dug in on the mountain. In the end, 67,000
soldiers were killed in the battle.
Because of the enormous amount of
casualties and the thick undergrowth in the forest carpeting the mountain, the
remains of a fallen Union soldier was found in the park about 15 years
ago.
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The young author, like Scarlett, sometimes shocked proper society.
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Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield's 2,888 acres encompasses three
battlefield areas: in front of the visitor center, off Burnt Hickory Road and
the main site at Cheatham Hill. The visitor center features a museum of Civil
War equipment, accessories, uniforms, weapons and flags, and it is has a short
movie about the battle. Hikers can walk the 17.3 miles of trails in the park and
see earthworks, cannon emplacements, historical markers and three monuments
representing states that fought here. On a recent hike up the mountain via the
trail, I was pleased to watch three deer scamper across the trail between some
other hikers and myself.
The trail is 1.2 miles to the top, or you can walk
or drive 1.4 miles on a paved road to the parking area near the top. From the
top (on a clear day), you can see Marietta, Atlanta, Buckhead and Stone
Mountain. Picnicking and bird watching are favorite activities of park visitors.
On the southern swing, Jonesboro is about 40 miles south of Kennesaw
Mountain. To get there, take I-75 South to Exit #228, turn right and go west
four miles to Jonesboro, the Depot and the Road to Tara Museum. Here are a few
of the GWTW sites there:
Gone With The Wind - The Tour
This entertaining and educational tour
begins at the Depot Welcome Center and offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into
the true stories behind Gone With The Wind. Visitors learn about the real people
whose lives inspired the characters of Melanie and Prissy, as well as the
legends behind many of GWTW's famous scenes. Tours are Monday-Saturday at 1 pm
(or by appointment, 770-477-8864) and cost $15.
Road To Tara Museum
The
museum, housed in the 1867 Jonesboro Depot Welcome Center at 104 N. Main Street,
features original props, costume reproductions, complete collectible plate and
doll collections, a foreign edition library and an extensive photo gallery. The
museum is open Monday-Friday 8:30-5:30 and Saturday 10-4. Admission is $5 for
adults and $4 for seniors and students. Call 770-478-4800 for information.
Stately Oaks Historic Home
& Plantation Community
Built in 1839
and restored by Historical Jonesboro, this Greek Revival plantation home stands
among authentic outbuildings. A costumed guide shows you through Stately Oaks,
the Bethel One-Room Schoolhouse, Juddy's Country Store and the original Log
Kitchen. Open Monday-Saturday 10:30-3:30; admission is $8 for adults, $6 for
seniors, $4 for children. Located at 100 Carriage Drive. Info: 770-473-0197.
Patrick R. Cleburne Confederate
Memorial Cemetery
The final resting
place of 600 to 1,000 Confederate soldiers who fell during the Battle of
Jonesboro Aug. 31- Sept. 1, 1864, the cemetery was laid out in the shape of the
Confederate battle flag. The defeat of the Confederate forces at Jonesboro
resulted in the capture of Atlanta by Sherman. Located at McDonough and Johnson
Streets, it is open daily.
If you can't get to Atlanta, here are a couple of places you can go to get
your Gone With The Wind fix:
GWTW MEMORIES
1701 South Alexander Street, Suite 112-1
Plant City, FL
33566
http://www.gwtwmemories.com
Scarlett O'Hardy's
410 Taylor
Street
Jefferson, TX 75657
(903) 665-1939
http://www.scarlettohardy.com
Next time you hit the road and head toward Atlanta, remember that road also
leads to Margaret Mitchell and Gone With The Wind.
The
Margaret Mitchell House & Museum at 990 Peachtree Street is open 9-4 daily.
Call 404-249-7015 for information or visit www.gwtw.org.
Kennesaw Mountain
Battlefield Park, 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive Kennesaw, GA 30144, 770-427-4686,
open daily (except Christmas) 8:30-5 with extended hours in the summer.
The
Marietta Gone With The Wind Museum is one block off the Marietta Square at 18
Whitlock Avenue.
What You Didn't Know About GWTW:
- Margaret wrote the last chapter of
the book first.
- When it went to
the publisher, GWTW had no first chapter.
- Margaret Mitchell at first
called the Scarlett character "Pansie." (Scarlett
a "Pansie"?
Nah.)
- The working title to GWTW was,
"Tomorrow Is Another Day,"
but
another book at that time already had the title.
- Margaret's
favorite character and the real heroine in GWTW was Melanie. Melanie was
based on a cousin, Martha Ann "Mattie" Holliday, who became a nun
and took the name of Sister Melanie. Forbidden love motivated
Martha Ann to take her vows. She fell in love with John Henry Holliday,
a dentist. But because they were cousins, they could not marry. Martha
Ann resorted to the church, and John Henry "Doc" Holliday headed
eventually to Tombstone and to the OK Corral.
- The character of Rhett
Butler was not based on Margaret's first husband, Red Upshaw, a
bootlegger and alcoholic.
- Margaret Mitchell was paid $50,000
for the
movie rights to GWTW.
- To cast Scarlett required: 400 interviews, 400
readings, 90 professional
screen tests, and $100,000.
- For the movie,
449,512 feet of film were shot; 160,000 feet were printed; 20,300 feet are
in the final version. The film was cut from six hours to four.
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Actors: 59 leading and supporting
cast members; 2,400 extras.
· Animals:
1,100 horses, 375 pigs, mules, oxen, dogs, and other animals.
- 3,000
sketches were drawn of major scenes, and 200 sets were designed.
- Total
cost $4.25 million, including a $5,000 fine for using the word, damn.
- The outside scenes of Tara were
shot in Hollywood.
- GWTW swept the
1939 academy awards with 13 nominations in 12 categories and winning
eight Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress (both
Hattie McDaniel and Olivia de Havilland were nominated; Hattie won),
Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Color Cinematography, Best
Art Direction, and Best Film Editing. Hattie McDaniel's Oscar was
the first for an African-American. GWTW also won the Scientific and
Technical Oscar.
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