Young Mr. Lincoln

[BettyO]

I don't know about Mitchell's choice for Rhett -- but to me, Clark Gable has always BEEN Rhett Butler and always will be! No one else could ever do the role as he did it -- and from what I've heard, Gable was reluctant to play the role until he made a deal with his favorite director, Victor Fleming. Gable was also contracted to a rival studio and had to be "exchanged" or hired for a fee by Selznick.

"Miriam Hopkins was the choice of the novel's author Margaret Mitchell, who felt Hopkins, a Georgia native, was just the right type of actress to play Scarlett as written in the book." - Wiki

[Linda Anderson]

I will let Mr. Gable answer my question as to whether he was the inspiration for the character of Rhett Butler.

"Right here I would like to clear up a misunderstanding. The tremendous popularity of the book inspired many myths. One of these, frequently repeated, contends that Miss Mitchell had me in mind to play Rhett on the screen when she wrote her book. This is not true. She got her idea for the book and was writing it while I was a four-dollar-a-day laborer in the Oklahoma oil fields. I could have been an inspiration to no one, except possibly a soap salesman."

http://dearmrgable.com/?p=5143

[Martin Fass]

Who knows, altogether, how it is for most actors who are cast into particular roles...especially in the days when they were "contract players" in Hollywood, and might have been suspended (which happened lots of times) if they did not cooperate and do the work assigned to them.

In the case of Gable and Rhett, I think the history indicates he did not like being chosen for this movie, not at all. But he was compliant. To emphasize, I only THINK this, and my knowledge of the facts may be way off.

One thing more, relative to the "phony" stuff of the "old Hollywood movies." The NEW movies have plenty of "phony" within them, too. The only difference is that technologies have changed, developed and so forth, and few things--such as a false nose--are handled the same way now as then.

More importantly, though; the solid contributions, such as the work (for the most part) of John Ford, have inspired, been used as a model, and STOLEN from, time and again, including today. I have no doubt, and I imagine Steven Spielberg would admit, that HE (along with Daniel Day-Lewis) were strongly inspired by Henry Fonda in both "Young Mr. Lincoln" and "My Darling Clementine." See those movies yourself, and observe how Fonda leans back in a chair and what he does with his legs.

[Craig Hipkins]

I always liked Henry Fonda's role as Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath. To me, he was much more convincing in this role then he was as Abraham Lincoln. Of course, he was playing a fictional character. It is always harder to play an actual historical figure.

As far as Clark Gable goes I enjoyed his performance opposite Yvonne DeCarlo in the Civil War drama Band of Angels. Has anyone ever seen this movie?

Craig

[Bill Richter]

Yeah, on Band of Angels. It explores a lot on slavery and interracial relationships that make Louisiana unique in the South even today.

[BettyO]

Oh yes, Band of Angels -- I even have the novel. Read it years ago!

I simply loved Fonda in Grapes of Wrath. To me he was the quintessential Tom Joad ! And yes, My Darling Clementine is also a great favorite - I love all those old John Ford movies -

I think that Fonda did a great job with these characters and seemed to relish these types without becoming type-cast!

[Donna McCreary]

In one of my many books about the filming of GWTW, a quote from Margaret Mitchell says that she made only one suggestion during the casting process. She wanted Groucho Marx to play Rhett.

[Hess1865]

I can just hear Rhett's [Groucho] marriage proposal to Scarlett:

Will you marry me?
Do you have money?
Answer the second question first!

[Hess1865]

delete

[Thomas Thorne]

Clark Gable was not the best judge of film roles as he did not wish to act in any of the films he was nominated for academy awards for-"It Happened One Night","Mutiny on the Bounty" and "Gone With the Wind."

The public demand that he play Rhett frightened him as he believed he could not satisfy expectations.

Producer David O. Selznick, having left MGM to set up his own studio, was reluctant to seek any help from MGM in loaning him their biggest star,Gable ,but agreed when none of the other Rhett Butler candidates seemed suitable. In addition MGM partly financed GWTW in return for distribution rights. Gable was given a sweetener by MGM to play RB when the studio paid his divorce settlement so he could marry Carole Lombard.

The original director of GWTW was George Cukor who was famous in bringing out the best in actresses. Gable thought Cukor was neglecting him and Selznick thought Cukor was not appreciating the scope of the picture. Selznick fired Cukor and replaced him with Victor Fleming who was Gable's favorite director. Gable's screen persona was partly based on Fleming.

Fleming directed most of the picture but lost several weeks due to a nervous breakdown. Director Sam Wood replaced him and when Fleming returned Selznick employed them both in separate units. Almost all the Gable scenes were directed by Fleming. Late in the production Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Havilland spent some of their spare time with George Cukor who gave them advice.

What might have an ungodly mess was saved by the film's protean producer, David O. Selznick, the best of the creative producers, who imposed his high sense of romance,drama and spectacle onto the film. Selznick's manic energy was bolstered by the newly invented amphetamines which together with sleeping pills ultimately ruined his health. Selznick, who was prone to delay work until deadlines, supervised most of the final GWTW editing in a single 50 hour marathon session which left some staff members asleep on the floor.

PS-2 of John Hay"s grandchildren were stockholders in Selznick's production company and attended the Atlanta premiereof GWTW. John Hay Whitney, a major stockholder in Selznick International was later the publisher of the New York Herald Tribune and Ambassador to the Court of St James. His sister Joan Whitney Payson owned the New York Mets.
Tom

[Dawn E Foster]

In 1939, "Young Mr. Lincoln" was probably the equivalent of Spielberg's "Lincoln". I've always loved "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" with Raymond Massey. When I was a little kid, I used to cry at the end as Lincoln stands at the rear of the train as it pulls out of Springfield station and the Battle Hymn plays because I knew he wasn't coming back.

I finally caught "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" for the first time, on TCM last night! (hope it doesn't take me quite so long to see "Lincoln") I really really liked it!

[LincolnMan]

Massey would play Lincoln again after his role in "Abe Lincoln in Illinois." It seemed to fit him well.

[LincolnMan]

Speaking of "young Lincoln"- there is a story today at Fox News that some pages have been found that were Lincoln's math scribbling -leading to some thinking in the Lincoln scholarship world that he had more formal schooling than previously thought.

[RJNorton]

Bill, thank you for posting this. There is an image of one of the pages here.

[J. Beckert]

If that's from Lincoln's hand, it belies the whole "less than one year of formal education" statement.