Thursday, May 16, 1940
Role of Rhett Butler
Chance of A Lifetime
GABLE DREADED PART
However, Actual Filming of
"Gone With the Wind"
Was Enjoyable
CHOICE WAS COLMAN
By CLARK GABLE
My reaction to playing Rhett
Butler is both frank and simple.
"The condemned man ate a
hearty meal." Now don't get me
wrong. As an actor I loved it.
As a character, he was terrific.
As material for the screen, he
was that "once in a life-time"
opportunity. But as Clark Gable,
who likes to pick his spots and
found himself trapped by a series
of circumstances over which he
had no control, I was scared stiff.
This is no alibi. I cannot but
honestly admit that the actual
making of the picture was one of
the most thoroughly pleasant and
satisfying experiences I have ever
known. During the filming, I was
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"Rhett Butler"
SHE x ,
Clark Gable, as he appears in
"Gone With the Wind" as
"Rhett Butler."
on familiar ground. Once in the
atmosphere of the settings, facing
a camera in costume, playing
scenes that were dramatically
realistic, I fet for the first time
that I had an understanding of
Rhett. The long months I had
studied him and tried to know
him as I know myself made me
believe I was Rhett. These were
things I could get my hands on.
They were part of my job as an
actor. It was those things I
couldn't get my hands on that
had me worried.
In the interest of truth, I be
came a fan of Miss Mitchell's
THE FIT-KIN TRIBUNE, ElfrlN, NORTH CAROLINA
with the rest of America after go
ing half way through the book.
It was good, too good, In fact.
Rhett was everything a character
should be and rarely is, clear,
concise and very real. He breath
ed in the pages of the book. He
was flawless as a character study.
He stood up under the most care
ful analysis without exhibiting a
weakness. That was the trouble.
I realized that whoever played
Rhett would be up against a
stumbling block in this respect.
Miss Mitchell had etched Rhett
into the minds of millions of peo
ple, each of whom knew exactly
how Rhett would look and act.
It would be impossible to satisfy
them all. An actor would be lucky
to please even the majority. It
wasn't that I didn't want to play
Rhett. I did. No actor could en
tirely resist such a challenge. But
the more popular Rhett became,
the more I agreed with the gen
tleman who wrote, "Discretion is
the best part of valor."
Having read the book enabled
mc to see clearly what I was in
for if I played the part. I de
cided to say nothing. It became
more apparent, anyhow, that it
was out of my hands. The pub
lic interest in my doing Rhett
puzzled me. Long before anyone
had been cast for the picture, I
was asked for interviews. When I
refused comment, the columnists
did it for me. My mail doubled
and then trebled. I saw myself
pictured as Rhett, with sideburns.
I don't like sideburns. They itch.
I was the only one, apparently,
who didn't take it for granted
that I was going to play Rhett.
It was a funny feeling. I think
I know now how a fly must react
after being caught in a spider
web. It wasn't that I didn't ap
preciate the compliment the pub
lic was paying me. It was simply
that Rhett was too big an order.
I didn't want any part of him.
To make sure that I hadn't
erred in my first impression, I
read "Gone" again. It convinced
me more than ever that Rhett
was too much for any actor to
tackle in his right mind. But I
couldn't escape him. I looked for
every out. I even considered
writing Miss Mitchell at one
time. I thought it would be great
if she would simply issue a state
ment saying, "I think Clark
Gable would be the worst possible
selection for Rhett Butler." Per
haps after Miss Mitchell sees my
Rhett, or rather what I've done
to her Rhett, she'll wish she had.
It may be of interest as a side
light that my own sincere choice
for Rhett was Ronald Colman. I
still think he would have done a
fine job of it.
I found upon investigation that
Miss Mitchell, very intelligently,
didn't care a hang what Holly
wood was going to do with her
book. All she wanted was peace
and quiet. She wrote a book be
cause it was the thing she liked
to do, and having innocently
caused more excitement than any
author in memory, asked only to
be left alone. When I was told
this, I immediately felt a sym
pathetic fellowship with Miss
Mitchell. I was sure we would
understand one another, for, af
ter all, Rhett has caused more
than a little confusion in both
our lives. Incidentally, I want
ed to ask Miss Mitchell where
she met a man like Rhett. I am
just guessing, but to me he must
have been the real thing, with
very little fictional embroidery.
During the months when the
casting of "Gone" reached the
proportion of a national election,
and acrimonious debate was be
ing conducted on every street
corner, Rhett became more of a
mental hazard than ever. I was
still the only one who didn't have
anything to say about him. I
never did have. For when the
time came to get down to busi
ness, I was still out on a limb.
I knew what was coming the
day David O. Selznick telephoned
me. His purchase of the book for
a mere $50,000 had started the
riot. Our talk was amicable. I
did the sparring and he landed
the hard punches. David's idea
was to make a separate deal, pro
viding my studio would release
me to make the picture. I
thought my contract was an ace
in the hole. It specified that my
services belonged exclusively to
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. I told
David that, adding on my own
that I was not interested in play
ing Rhett.
That didn't stop David. Being
a friend of long standing and
knowing him, I knew that it
wouldn't. He pointed out that no
actor ever had been offered such
a chance. There had never been
a more talked of role than Rhett.
That was exactly my reason for
turning him down. He put his
cards on the table. He was going
to try to get me from M-G-M if
he could. We shook hands on it.
I could have put up a fight. I
didn't. I am glad now that I
didn't. Hollywood always has
treated me fairly. I have had no
reason to complain about my
roles and if the studio thought I
should play Rhett, it was not up
to me to duck out. I had nothing
»to do with the negotiations. I
learned that I was to play Rhett
in the newspapers. As a part of
the deal, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
was to release the picture.
That was a weight off my
mind. There was no longer any
thing to argue about. Now I had
a job to do and it was up to me
to give it all I had. I read and
re-read the book until I could
visualize Rhett as Miss Mitchell
had pictured him. How he re
acted to every situation. I mem
orized many of the revealing lines
in the book and it may be of in
terest to know that most of the
dialogue in the script is exactly
as Miss Mitchell wrote it.
| STATE ROAD
Mr. and Mrs. T. A. Gentry had
as their guests Sunday their
children and families, as follows:
Mr. and Mrs. Noah Ray, Allen
and Betty, of Salisbury; Mr. and
Mrs. Ted Messick, Ruth and Jun
ior, of Winston-Salem; Mr. and
Mrs. Harvey Gentry and Jocelyn,
of Lynchburg, Va.; and Mr. and
Mrs. Burton Harpe and Jerry
Burton, of Winston-Salem.
Mrs. Eugene Wilkerson of Kan
napolis, spent the week with her
mother, Mrs. Paul Phillips.
Miss Margaret Hutchens of
Winston-Salem, is visiting her
sister, Mrs. L. L..lrvin and fam
ily.
Mrs. Don Wiles and children,
Marilyn and Judy, of Hays, were
guests of their aunt, Mrs. Leotha
Cockerham and family, Friday
and Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Martin
and children were week-end
guests of Mrs. Martin's parents,
Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Thompson.
Mr. and Mrs. James Poindexter
and little son, Jimmy, went to
Danville, Va., Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Clete Jenkins and
Mr. and Mrs. G. F. Martin were
visitors in Whitehead Sunday.
' Mr. and Mrs. T. A. Gentry
spent Tuesday in Statesville and
Winston-Salem.
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Thomp
son of Devotion, have purchased
the J. A. Chipman farm in State
Road, and expect to build and
move there sometime in the near
future.
Mr. and Mrs. Bob Walters en
tertained their Sunday school
class at a weiner roast and picnic
at Carter Falls Thursday evening.
They were also invited to the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Reece
Couch, where they were delight
fully entertained. The members
of the class enjoying this outing
were Misses Helen Dickerson,
Juanita Carter, Juanita Gentry,
Joy Darnell, Addie Wall and J.
R. Gentry, Oliver Walters and
Billy Donovan.
Rev. and Mrs. Eph Whisenhunt
and little daughter, Edith Adair,
were dinner guests of Mr. and
Mrs. W. H. Combs Friday even
ing.
As Good As Any
Billy's mother looked at him
accusingly.
"What have you done with all
your money, son?" she asked.
"Your little bank is empty."
"Well, mother," answered the
boy, "yesterday was a rainy day,
so I spent it."
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