Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind (1939)

26 corrected entries

(10 votes)

Corrected entry: Prior to the Scarlett's Pledge scenes, Mammy Informs Scarlett (while they're standing out side of Scarlett's father study door) "We ain't got nothing but radishes in the garden." The next scenes show Scarlett walking through the fence that surrounds the garden. walks up to where the radishes are growing, digs one up, wipes it off and starts to eat it. This actually is a carrot, not a radish. (00:05:40)

Correction: This was probably a Daikon radish or horseradish. Both grow in Georgia and are long and whitish. The hotness of a horseradish would explain how hungry Scarlett is to not care, and would also make her vomit on an empty (starving) stomach.

Corrected entry: At the ball where Scarlet and Captain Butler meet, there is a shot with a picture of Abe Lincoln with the words Our President. Jefferson Davis would have been considered the President of the Confederacy at this point.

Correction: That is a picture of Jefferson Davis, not Lincoln. Do a google image search for "Jefferson Davis" and you'll get multiple hits of the exact same picture.

Corrected entry: In the very short scene in "London" between Rhett, Bonnie Blue and the nanny, Big Ben is visible outside the window, with the Houses of Parliament on its left. In order to have this view, the room must be inside St. Thomas' Hospital. The fancy accommodations they're in are most definitely not a hospital.

Correction: Construction of St Thomas' Hospital in its present site commenced in 1867 and was completed in 1871. Prior to that it was situated in Streatham, miles from its current location on the Thames opposite Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Since the American Civil War ended in 1865 Rhett and Bonnie Blue are standing in a building which may well have been a hotel, but certainly was not a hospital which didn't even exist at the time.

Corrected entry: The letter which informs Scarlett of her first husband's (Charles Hamilton) death is shown in the movie as being written by Wade Hampton. In Margaret Mitchell's book, Wade Hampton was the name of Scarlett's first son, who was fathered by Charles.

Correction: The book explains that it was common for children to be named after their father's commanding officer, so Wade Hampton Hamilton, the son of Scarlett and Charles, was the namesake of Colonel Wade Hampton, who wrote the condolence letter about Charles' death.

Corrected entry: Prissy comes to Belle Watling's place to ask Rhett for help. They talk while he is looking out of the 2nd-floor window and she is standing in the street. When the camera points down to her from Rhett's perspective she is standing next to a streetlight that wasn't there when she came to the house. (01:16:15)

NancyFelix

Correction: Actually, the light is still visible in this scene at the top left-hand side of the screen. What changed was the closeness of the camera shot on Prissy. At first a wider shot was used making the entire light visible, then it switches to a closer shot leaving only a portion of the light visible. Finally it switches back to the original shot again; making it appear to be a discrepancy.

Corrected entry: When Rhett drops Scarlett at Ashley's birthday party she is wearing a violet veil attached to her hairdo. When she enters the room where the guests are, the veil disappears when the camera angle changes while she is standing in the door. (01:21:15)

NancyFelix

Correction: Actually, Scarlett has the tulle stole that we see over her arms arranged differently as she is entering the house - -the tulle is unfolded, draped over her shoulders, and draped over a comb on the back of Scarlett's headdress that pins three sausage curls in place. By the time the camera pans back to Scarlett in the foyer, she had removed the tulle from her head and shoulders, and allowed it to slip down her arms to reveal her bare neckline and shoulders.

Corrected entry: After the casualties lists have been issued a band is playing a march. The camera focuses on two flute players who do some repetetive moves with their fingers which have nothing to do with the tune. (00:47:45)

NancyFelix

Correction: The reason the camera focuses on the two flute players is because they are presumably related to the band leader who has just been informed of a family member's death in battle (hence the tears) Their distress meant that they were unable to keep up with the rest of the band but moved their fingers to look as if they were playing.

Corrected entry: If you time Melanie's pregnancy by the Civil War battles, and according to Ashley's Christmas Furlough letter, dated 23 December 1863, Melanie would have been pregnant for a total of 11 months: She gave birth right before the burning of Atlanta, which dates to November 1864.

Correction: The film sequence that is commonly referred to as "the Burning of Atlanta" was not the actual burning of the city by General Sherman in November 1864. Instead, the scene represents another night, two months earlier. Following the evacuation of Atlanta, the Confederate army blew up Hood's ammunition train to keep the Union army from capturing it. This is referred to as the 'first' burning of Atlanta on Sep. 1st, 1864. That makes a perfect nine month pregnancy.

Corrected entry: In the scene where Scarlett kills the Yankee deserter on the stairs at Tara she asks Melanie for her nightgown to wrap the body. As the camera follows the nightgown to the floor and before Melanie hides behind a curtain you can see that she is wearing a flesh-colored bodysuit.

Correction: You do not see Melanie's body at any point, other than her calves, her shoulders and her head. In her autobiography, Oliva de Havilland recalls this scene and says that there was great excitement in the film crew as it was rumoured she was going to be naked under her nightgown. They were very disappointed - she was actually wearing a short sleeved top and rolled up trousers. No such thing as a "flesh coloured body suit" was worn by her.

You do see her body and a side glance of her bare breast.

Corrected entry: The first time Mammy is lacing Scarlett's corset, we hear Scarlett yell "Ooo!" but her mouth is saying "Ow!" It's quick, but it's there.

Movie_Freak 1

Correction: I can say "Oooo!" and "Ow!" using the same mouth movements.

Corrected entry: The Hays Office censors originally wanted to change the most famous line in this film. Instead of "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," they wanted to change it to "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a darn."

Correction: In a documentary on GWTW produced for the 50th anniversary, a former studio employee says the script contained the line "Frankly my Dear, I don't give a damn" from the start, but in anticipation of the censors, the director had also planned to film the scene as "Frankly my Dear, I don't care," and be ready with both scenes in case the censors didn't decide before shooting finished. They did, though, and the "I don't care" version was never filmed. "I don't give a darn" may have been proposed as a substitute line, but it never appeared in a written script. The biggest factor in the censors decision was remaining faithful to the original work. Pretty funny, since the script contains so many departures from the novel.

Corrected entry: Did you see the dead cat (or something) falling out of the tree in the credits of Gone with the Wind. Watch the tree to the left very closely as the end of the film approaches. (00:01:00)

????

Correction: If you watch closely you can see that there are several birds flying around the trees, if you watch even closer you will see that the object falling out of the tree is a bird, you can actually see it flapping it's wings as it descends to the ground.

Corrected entry: When Scarlett is dressing for the barbecue, she's not wearing a coral necklace. When she's hurrying to get ready before her father counts to ten, there is no time for Scarlett to get a piece of jewellery. But Scarlett is wearing the necklace when she's undressing for her nap at Twelve Oaks. (00:17:55)

Correction: It's possible that Mamie grabbed it on the way out, or that the girls' jewelry was waiting in the carriage. Scarlett has plenty of time to put on the necklace between leaving her room and arriving at Twelve Oaks.

CocoCami

Corrected entry: When in the church during the Atlanta raid, a preacher is standing saying a prayer over the wounded soldiers and a bomb blows out the stained glass window of Christ. However, in the next scene with Scarlett and the doctor, you can see the same stained glass window of Christ in the background and the part that was blown out is intact and present again.

Ben's Mom

Correction: No it's not. It looks that way because there's not a clear sky behind it, but what looks like the stained glass is actually a tree in the background.

Corrected entry: Very near the beginning of the movie, Mammy yells down to Scarlett from inside a second floor window. Look behind Mammy and you can see the sky behind her, indicating the facade set.

Nicki

Correction: Mammy is actually leaning out of the window in front of a pale grey roller blind.

Corrected entry: In the beginning of the film Scarlett's hair is rather short, reaching to her shoulders. When she dances with Rhett in Atlanta her hair is much longer, completely filling a hair net hanging a few decimeters below her shoulders. Then it goes back to being short.

Correction: These events take place over a considerable period of time. There is sufficient time for her to grow her hair then have it cut again.

Guy

Corrected entry: Melanie gives birth to Beau right before they all escape Atlanta. In the interim, they return to Tara, the war ends, Ashley comes back, Scarlett marries Mr. Kennedy and starts her lumberyard, Mr. Kennedy gets killed, Scarlett and Rhett finally hook up, and have Bonnie Blue. And yet, when we see Bonnie and Beau playing together shortly before Bonnie's death, they look to be just about the same age.

Correction: Actually that's not quite true. Bonnie could be around 3 at the time, while Beau looks like he is at least 5 or 6. Not to mention he could be a weak child who looks younger than his age. Given his heritage that's not unlikely at all.

Corrected entry: When Belle Watling and Melanie talk in Belle's buggy, after she'd provided an alibi for the men, Belle says "If it'd been that Mrs. Kennedy's husband on his own, I wouldn't have [taken them in]." This makes no sense since in the prior scene Rhett told Scarlett that Frank hadn't gone with them to Belle's because he'd been shot in the head, and was lying dead on Decater Road.

Correction: Belle was speaking hypothetically - because of her dislike of Scarlett, IF Frank had approached her for help, she wouldn't have given it to him.

Steph_Jared

Corrected entry: Scarlett's flight from Atlanta is so sudden that, as she leaves Aunt Pittypat's house, she is hatless. But a black mourning bonnet appears on her head as she and Rhett ride through the depot area. The hat remains in place through the encounter with the looters, during the fire, and as she and Rhett follow the retreating Confederate troops outside the city. In the next scene, when Rhett stops the carriage on the turn to Tara, the bonnet vanishes. (01:20:30)

Correction: When Scarlett leads Rhett out of the house, she's carrying a lamp in one hand and several items, including her mourning bonnet, over her other arm. When Rhett stops the carriage on the turn to Tara, she's holding the bonnet in her lap.

Corrected entry: In the ballroom scene, when Dr Meed is annoucing that the men must bid for the lady of their choice, there is a large flag behind him. Since this is the south, and all are Confederates, why is the flag the stars and stripes? Shouldn't it be the stars and bars? (Remember the scene when Scarlett is walking amoung all the wounded soldiers and it shows the torn flag flying above them - that's the correct flag.)

Correction: The flag on the wall behind him IS the "Stars and Bars," the original national flag of the Confederacy. Notice it only has three bars and seven stars. The other flag was a battle flag, and examples of that were hanging around the ballroom as well.

Continuity mistake: When Dr. Meade announces General Lee's victory (and later Rhett Butler as a special guest) at the "Monster Bazaar", he speaks to a backdrop showing the audience with a soldier with a drum standing left to him. Behind him, a couple in black is dancing. When he moves, Rhett and Scarlett are revealed, going to the rear of the dance floor. Clearly they haven't met at that point, as they are introduced by Melanie moments later.

More mistakes in Gone with the Wind

Scarlett: I can shoot straight, if I don't have to shoot too far.

More quotes from Gone with the Wind

Trivia: The Burning of Atlanta scene was shot long before filming started on Gone with the Wind and before either of the actors were cast in the role of Rhett and Scarlet. The purpose was to clear the lot so the sets for the movie could be built. The buildings burnt were sets from other films, the most notable being the huge gates featured in the original King Kong movie. The two actors in this scene were stunt doubles who stood in for Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.

Tallicame

More trivia for Gone with the Wind

Question: At the very beginning when the twins are talking to Scarlett it sounds to me like George Reeves says something about the "other 48 states" wanting war. Am I hearing that incorrectly? There were only 34 states when the war began.

William Lanigan

Answer: To answer your question, I looked for on-line versions of the "Gone with the Wind" screenplay. What you are hearing as "other 48 states" is actually "those fool Yankees." The full line is, "Y'know, those fool Yankees actually want a war?" Also, the line is actually said by Stuart Tarleton, played Fred Crane, not by George Reeves as his twin brother, Drew. In writing, it doesn't seem they would sound alike. When I watched the opening scene of "gwtw" on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymbmvQJcLDc&t=6s), I can see how the error was made. I might have misheard it, as well, if I didn't already know what the line was from my research. Mr. Crane's enunciation is rather muddled.

Michael Albert

George Reeve plays Brent Tarleton, not "Drew."

raywest

Answer: I watched this scene several times on HBOmax, both with and without the closed captions. The line, spoken by Brent Tarleton (George Reeves) is: "You know, those poor Yankees actually want a war." It does sound like he says another word just before saying "Yankees," but it's so muffled that it's unintelligible and the closed captions do not record it. It could be "poor fool Yankees," but that's a guess.

raywest

Answer: In the version I am watching it is definitely Reeves' character who say the line, right after he tells Scarlett "War. Isn't it exciting Scarlett?" Then comes what sounds like what I posted. Is it possible there are different versions?

William Lanigan

More questions & answers from Gone with the Wind

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