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Selznick International Pictures

Database of fan mail documents emotional response from “Gone With The Wind” fans, detractors

September 10, 2014 - Alicia Dietrich

Alberta Carter of Chicago, Illinois, writes in January 1938 to "Gone With The Wind" producer David O. Selznick, asking him to consider her for the role of Mammy in the film.

As part of the recently launched web exhibition Producing Gone With The Wind, the Ransom Center has launched a new database of fan mail from the David O. Selznick collection. Researchers now have the opportunity to explore a selection of letters sent to Selznick International Pictures in the 1930s through this database of fan mail correspondence, preview questionnaires, and protest letters. Letters in the database demonstrate the public’s engagement with the film production of Margaret Mitchell’s novel, Gone With The Wind. Emotions ranging from enthusiasm and sorrow to optimism and disdain surface from individuals who wrote in to solicit auditions, submit opinions, and, in some instances, protest the film’s production. Visitors to the site can browse the database by type of mail and search by name of correspondent to see if relatives’ letters are within the database.  

Please click on the thumbnails below to view larger images.

Alberta Carter of Chicago, Illinois, writes in January 1938 to "Gone With The Wind" producer David O. Selznick, asking him to consider her for the role of Mammy in the film.
Alberta Carter of Chicago, Illinois, writes in January 1938 to “Gone With The Wind” producer David O. Selznick, asking him to consider her for the role of Mammy in the film.
Alberta Carter of Chicago, Illinois, writes in January 1938 to "Gone With The Wind" producer David O. Selznick, asking him to consider her for the role of Mammy in the film.
Alberta Carter of Chicago, Illinois, writes in January 1938 to “Gone With The Wind” producer David O. Selznick, asking him to consider her for the role of Mammy in the film.

Filed Under: Exhibitions + Events, Film, Research + Teaching Tagged With: David O. Selznick, fan mail, Gone with the Wind, Producing Gone With The Wind, Selznick International Pictures, web exhibition

Fellows Find: How Hollywood producers used Alfred Hitchcock’s weight to their advantage

December 2, 2013 - Casey McKittrick

"Heavyweight in Light Mood" publicity still of Hitchcock toying with a prop on the set of “Rebecca.”

Casey McKittrick is an Associate Professor of English at Western Michigan University. He spent June and July of 2012 researching the David O. Selznick and Myron Selznick archives at the Harry Ransom Center.  His work, which was funded by the Warren Skaaren Research Fellowship Endowment, produced the first chapter, and informed several others, of his forthcoming book Hitchcock’s Appetites: The Corpulent Plots of Desire and Dread.

 

When I learned of my Warren Skaaren fellowship from the Harry Ransom Center, I had just begun work on a book-length project examining how Alfred Hitchcock’s experiences as a fat man influenced his filmmaking and the path of his career. After reading that Hitchcock had undergone a 100-pound weight loss upon moving from London to Hollywood in the 1940s, I became convinced that his relationship with David O. Selznick, the Hollywood “super-producer” who provided him with a seven-year contract, must have been partly responsible for this radical body change.  Thus, I approached the Selznick archive at the Ransom Center with the working hypothesis that Hitchcock lost weight under the auspices of Selznick (renowned for tightly controlling his employees) to conform to the rigid bodily standards that Hollywood visibility necessitated.

 

The archive told a completely different story. For five weeks, I not only revised my thinking, but through the marvelously kept records—memos, legal documents, publicity material, scripts-in-process—I developed a narrative about the Selznick-Hitchcock relationship that had never been addressed at length. To be sure, a lot of research has been done on this historically important and largely successful collaboration, but Hitchcock’s fatness had never been suggested as a meaningful factor in their negotiations or their relationship dynamics.

 

First of all, it became clear that Selznick marketed Hitchcock as Europe’s greatest export by focusing on his fatness.  Selznick capitalized on Hitch’s enormity to build a literally larger-than-life profile of the director. He was proud that he had managed to enlist the “Master of Suspense” in the face of great studio competition, and he wanted to ensure that Americans could look to Hitch as a celebrity figure—one belonging to Selznick International Pictures (SIP). The publicity photos for Hitchcock’s first American film Rebecca revealed this reliance on making Hitchcock a spectacle. For example, in one photo, Hitchcock holds a fake barbell while yawning; the photo caption reads: “Heavyweight in light mood.”  In four different pictures Hitch is captioned as either a “239-pound Englishman” or a “239 pound director,” and in yet another, the caption reads, “‘Hitch,’ who likes to talk about movies and himself, doesn’t mind allusions to his 239 pounds.” Thus, far from encouraging the director to lose weight, Selznick commodified his body and did so quite successfully. In fact, when Selznick heard of Hitchcock’s drastic weight loss, he became concerned and in a memo urged him to “Drink a Malted!”

 

Another guiding idea that I uncovered through careful examination of the archive was that Selznick and his cronies at SIP would often use Hitchcock’s size against him in a shaming capacity. For example, Dan O’ Shea, one of Selznick’s vice presidents, sent a scathing memo to Hitchcock that scolded him for his prima donna attitude, and he capped off the missive with the taunt, “How’s the metabolism?” In nearly every altercation between the director and producer, communications emerged that referred to Hitchcock’s greed, his “big appetite,” or the notion that he was getting “too big for his britches.” Even as Hitchcock complied with Selznick’s publicity strategies and realized that his popularity hinged on this kind of “body marketing,” he still retained a great deal of shame surrounding his size, and Selznick exploited this shame many times in an attempt to “manage” him—to control what cinematic projects he took on, how fast he completed them, his other collaborations, and what he said to the press.

 

My research in the Selznick archives generated the first chapter of my recently completed monograph Hitchcock’s Appetites: The Corpulent Plots of Desire and Dread, and the data I collected there is evident throughout the book. The book truly could not have been completed without this research. I look forward to using materials from the Center on future projects.

 

Related content:

The Ransom Center is now accepting fellowship applications for the 2014-2015 academic year

 

Click on the thumbnails below to view larger image.

 

"Heavyweight in Light Mood" publicity still of Hitchcock toying with a prop on the set of “Rebecca.”
“Heavyweight in Light Mood” publicity still of Hitchcock toying with a prop on the set of “Rebecca.”
The caption provided on back of photo Hitchcock identifies him as a "Heavyweight in a Light Mood."
The caption provided on back of photo Hitchcock identifies him as a “Heavyweight in a Light Mood.”
"Master of Menace" publicity still of Hitchcock after finishing the shoot for “Rebecca.”
“Master of Menace” publicity still of Hitchcock after finishing the shoot for “Rebecca.”
The caption provided on back of photo of Hitchcock refers to him as the “Master of Menace.”
The caption provided on back of photo of Hitchcock refers to him as the “Master of Menace.”
"A 'take' with Tea" publicity still of Hitchcock making his tea on the set of “Rebecca.”
“A ‘take’ with Tea” publicity still of Hitchcock making his tea on the set of “Rebecca.”
The caption provided on back of photo of Hitchcock taking tea.
The caption provided on back of photo of Hitchcock taking tea.

Filed Under: Film, Research + Teaching Tagged With: Alfred Hitchcock, Dan O’ Shea, David O. Selznick, dos research, Fellows Find, Fellowships, Hitchcock’s Appetites: The Corpulent Plots of Desire and Dread, Rebecca, research dos, Selznick International Pictures, Warren Skaaren Film Research Endowment

75 Days. 75 Years: Chart reveals comparison of possible deals with MGM and Warner Bros.

November 8, 2013 - Jennifer Tisdale

Chart comparing MGM’s and Warner Brothers’ production and financing options for Gone With The Wind, ca. 1937.

For 75 days, the Harry Ransom Center is raising funds for its 2014 exhibition The Making of Gone With The Wind. Opening on September 9, 2014, The Making of Gone With The Wind will reveal stories about the making of this quintessential film from Hollywood’s Golden Age and illustrate why it remains influential and controversial 75 years after it was released. Items from film producer David O. Selznick’s archive provide a behind-the-scenes look into the making of the film. Donations will help support outreach, additional exhibition tours, a published exhibition catalog, and complimentary programming and presentations.

Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel Gone With The Wind resonated with the public and became an international bestseller. Film producer David O. Selznick acquired the movie rights, creating early speculation about the film, especially the casting. He knew the public had high expectations, and he did not want to disappoint.

Selznick was concerned about casting not only the role of Scarlett, but also Rhett Butler. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s (MGM) Clark Gable was the overwhelmingly popular choice for the role, but Samuel Goldwyn’s Gary Cooper and Warner Brothers’s Errol Flynn were possibilities too. While none of the other studios were eager to loan their top male stars, all were willing to do so for the right price.  When considering casting Gable, the public’s favorite choice for Rhett, Selznick had to consider what he was willing to concede to obtain him. Negotiations with the three companies would drag on for almost a year.

This chart explores Selznick’s options between Warner Brothers and his former professional home, MGM. The pencil notations are Selznick’s and “SIP” refers to his company Selznick International Pictures.

The Making of Gone With The Wind will include over 300 original items from Selznick’s archive housed at the Ransom Center, including photographs, storyboards, correspondence, production records, audition footage, and fan mail. The exhibition will also feature gowns worn by Vivien Leigh as the beautiful and ambitious Scarlett O’Hara. The newly conserved costumes will be displayed together for the first time in more than 25 years.

Please click on thumbnails to view larger images.

 

Chart comparing MGM’s and Warner Brothers’ production and financing options for Gone With The Wind, ca. 1937.
Chart comparing MGM’s and Warner Brothers’ production and financing options for Gone With The Wind, ca. 1937.
Chart comparing MGM’s and Warner Brothers’ production and financing options for Gone With The Wind, ca. 1937.
Chart comparing MGM’s and Warner Brothers’ production and financing options for Gone With The Wind, ca. 1937.

Filed Under: Exhibitions + Events, Film Tagged With: Clark Gable, David O. Selznick, Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper, Gone with the Wind, MGM, Rhett Butler, Selznick International Pictures, The Making of Gone With The Wind, Warner Brothers

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