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Lot 1068
An Olivia de Havilland handwritten letter pertaining to Gone With the Wind
10 December 2019, 14:00 PST
Los AngelesUS$2,000 - US$3,000
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An Olivia de Havilland handwritten letter pertaining to Gone With the Wind
Autograph Letter Signed ("Olivia de Havilland"), 4 pp recto and verso, 8vo, [Paris], February 9, 1981, on plain stationery. This reminiscence by de Havilland of her experience working on Gone With the Wind accompanied a presentation script sold for charity in 1981; thus, it has no salutation. She writes of her love for the character of Melanie and how much she learned from her: "She was the woman I wanted to be, the woman I was not; the woman I would like to be, the woman I am not. The woman I may never be." Most poignantly, she reminisces about the grand 1939 Atlanta premiere where Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh and the rest of the cast celebrated the release of the film, and the subsequent 1967 event when the film was presented in 70mm: "This time Vivien Leigh was gone, Clark Gable was gone, Leslie Howard was gone, and so many, many of the others." Because she has yet to complete her long-awaited autobiography, this is a rare document in which she shares her thoughts and feelings about the jewel of her career.
Provenance: the collection of Tom Heyes.
5.5 x 8.5 in.
Provenance: the collection of Tom Heyes.
5.5 x 8.5 in.