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Lot 1056

A David O. Selznick archive pertaining to the use of "damn" in Gone With the Wind

10 December 2019, 14:00 PST
Los Angeles

Sold for US$1,275 inc. premium

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A David O. Selznick archive pertaining to the use of "damn" in Gone With the Wind

Comprising 5 pp of mimeographed interoffice communication (one on Selznick International Pictures, Inc. letterhead) and 2 Western Union telegrams dated October 20 through November 14, 1939, pertaining to the controversial use of the word "damn" in the film. In his defense of the word in a letter to Will H. Hays, the authority behind the Production Code, Selznick goes so far as to say that "a great deal of the force and drama of 'Gone With the Wind' ... is dependent upon that word." Wanting to remain faithful to the novel and based on two previews in which the audience reacted positively to the line, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," spoken by Clark Gable as Rhett Butler, Selznick commented: "This line is remembered, loved and looked forward to by the millions who have read this new American classic." The archive contains memos in which the argument is discussed, various efforts are made, and ultimate success is achieved. A xerographic copy of a December 26, 1939 article from The Atlanta Constitution reinforced Selznick's–and ultimately the public's–sentiment: "Without that typical speech ... the character of Rhett Butler would have been incomplete. Let our adult movies be their age!"
Provenance: the collection of Tom Heyes.
8.5 x 11 in.

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