Trivia Tuesday: Gone With The Wind

Gary Cooper was considered for the role of Rhett Butler but turned it down, believing it would be a huge flop! Others considered for the role were Basil Rathbone, Ronald Coleman, and Errol Flynn.

Billie Burke was considered for the role of Aunt Pittypat, but was thought to be too thin. Instead she played the iconic role of Glinda in The Wizard of Oz, released that same year.

For a time, Vincent Price was considered for the role of Ashley Wilkes. Others considered were Melvyn Douglas, Randolph Scott, and Tyrone Power.

One of the sets used for the burning of Atlanta was the "great wall" from King Kong.

The bulk of the film was directed by Victor Fleming, who replaced George Cukor. Fleming also directed the another big hit of 1939, The Wizard of Oz, and had been the replacement for Cukor on that film as well!

This was the first color film to win the Best Picture Oscar and also the longest running film to win the honor.

The first posthumous Oscar was awarded to Sidney Howard for this film for best adapted screenplay.

A few titles Margaret Mitchell first considered for her novel were Tomorrow Is Another Day, Bugles Sang True, Tote The Weary Load, and Ba! Ba! Black Sheep.

31 Days of Horror: Tales of Terror (1962)

Another great anthology series starring Vincent Price!

31 Days of Horror: Twice Told Tales (1963)

Twice Told Tales is an anthology of Nathaniel Hawthorne stories that gives you more horror bang for your buck. Though the film contains three different stories (Dr. Heidegger's Experiment, Rappaccini's Daughter, and The House of the Seven Gables), there's a feeling of continuity throughout the film because Vincent Price stars in all three of the tales. You get everything with this film: a haunted house, murder, people returning from the dead, people turning to skeletons, poison........it's all here! 

You van watch this classic on TCM on October 31st at 2:45 AM eastern

31 Days of Horror: The Raven (1963)

One of eight Roger Corman films that's an interpretation on an Edgar Allan Poe story, The Raven is a great comedic take on horror films starring three notable horror actors: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff. Like most films with Poe titles, the story really has very little to do with his writings. Price, Lorre, and Karloff play a trio of sorcerers competing to outdo each other, all in a very fun and lighthearted way. A great bonus is getting to see a very young Jack Nicholson before he became famous, playing Peter Lorre's son!

You can catch this classic on TCM on October 25th at 8:15 AM eastern

31 Days of Horror: House of Wax (1953)

A remake of Mystery of the Wax Museum from 1933, House of Wax is most notable for being the first color 3D release by a major studio (Warner Bros.), and for being one of the most successful films of 1953. House of Wax is the story of a wax sculptor who becomes disfigured in a fire that destroys his original wax museum. Unable to properly sculpt anymore, he starts to kill people and cover them in wax in order to create new figures to start a new museum. I've always loved watching Vincent Price and always thought that he brought a unique charisma to his roles. Price could easily be gentle one moment and menacing the next. I've only seen House of Wax in 2D, but the 3D effects are another thing I've always loved about this film. There are instances where it's clear a certain shot was for the 3D filming: the barker bouncing the paddle ball at the camera, or the wine bottle that comes flying at the screen during a fight scene help give you the feeling of 3D even if you're not actually watching it in 3D. Of course, with the recent 3D Blu-ray release just a few days ago to celebrate the film's 60th anniversary, people can now enjoy Price's macabre performance and the 3D effects in the comfort of their own home.

You can catch this classic on TCM on October 24th at 8:00 PM eastern