In one of the biggest publicity stunts in Hollywood history, over 1,400 actresses were considered for the role of Scarlett O’Hara in MGM’s Gone With The Wind. Producer David O. Selznick had the rights to the book, but did not have the money to make it. To keep interest alive in the project during pre-production, he auditioned nearly every starlet in Hollywood: Paulette Goddard (the favorite), Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Jean Arthur, Lana Turner, Barbara Stanwyck, Claudette Colbert, Susan Hayward, Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead and Lucille Ball, who read for the role but never made a screen test.
On “Bob Hope’s Unrehearsed Antics of The Stars” (September 28, 1984) Ball recounted – with a fair amount of embellishment for comedic effect – her audition.
I had to audition for Mr. David O. Selznick and it was for Scarlett O’Hara in ‘Gone With the Wind’. Everybody knew it was just a huge publicity gimmick. But I was just a young starlet when you’re a under contract to a studio you do what you’re told to do.
After working six dreadful weeks with a dialogue coach who had a southern accent that just dripped molasses, the big day finally arrived. I knew it was ridiculous, but I had to go. I climbed into my old rattletrap car and as I reached Culver City I got caught in the biggest cloudburst I ever saw. The streets were flooded. My car stalled. I had to get out and wade six blocks to the studio. I got to the Selznick office looking like a drowned rat. Marcella, Selznick’s girl Friday, didn’t even recognize me. My hair was down over my face and the henna was running and so was my mascara. I was soaked clear through. Marcella made me take off all my clothes, gave
me a big towel and a huge brown sweater and put me on the floor in front of a roaring fireplace in Mr. Selznick’s private office. And she gave me a big brandy snifter with brandy in it.A half hour and four slugs of brandy later I was still a mess and still on my knees at the fireplace. Suddenly Mr. Selznick came in and said “Well, what have we here?” I said, “Well, I ain’t Scarlett O’Hara. I’m Lucille Ball and I wanna go home.” He said “Now, now. We have to do the scenes.” I said “I can’t. I can’t stand up.” I couldn’t stand up because what I was wearing didn’t cover me – and the four shots of brandy didn’t help either. But he said “Alright then, do it from there.” I had to audition on my knees.
Now the first scene was Scarlett as a sixteen year-old. When I tried to bat my eyes my eyelashes stuck together and they wouldn’t bat. Scarlett said something like “Well, I do declare! I do declare! You boys are so handsome in your gray uniforms. I swear, I’m just gonna miss you all so very, very much.” I’m still on my knees. Then I had a scene with Rhett Butler. I said“ Rhett Butler, you’re nothing but a no-good low-down Yankee spy and you can go back to where you come from and you can stay there!”
Selznick said “You were very interesting. Very interesting.” I said “I was not and you know it.” And then I just crawled out of the office on my knees holding onto the sweater trying to keep all the vital parts covered.
Although some of Ball’s recounting sounds plausible, she remarks that her henna (red hair dye) was running down her face. Ball didn’t dye her hair red for the first time until asked to do so by MGM for DuBarry Was a Lady in 1943. She was a natural brunette who was a blonde in some of her early work in order to stand out from the crowd.
During the time period that Gone With The Wind shot (January through July 1939), Lucille Ball made five films for RKO, with the fifth (That’s Right – You’re Wrong) released just three weeks before Gone With The Wind.
But this was not the last time Lucy would encounter Scarlett and Gone With the Wind. In the 1954 “I Love Lucy” episode “Lucy Writes a Novel” (ILLS3;E24) Lucy Ricardo is inspired to write a roman a clef about her life called “Real Gone with the Wind.” Fred replies “Yeah. Real gone!”
In 1971’s “Lucy and Carol Burnett: The Hollywood Unemployment Follies” (HL S3;E22) Lucy and Carol encounter mannequins of Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh dressed in costumes from Gone With The Wind. Carol, using a high pitched Southern accent, imitates Scarlet O’Hara. After the network premiere of the movie in 1976, Carol Burnett produced one her most famous sketches ever, playing Scarlett (re-named Starlett) in the parody “It Went With The Wind” on “The Carol Burnett Show.”
In September 1971, in “Lucy and Flip Go Legit” (HL S4;E1), Lucy Carter convinces Flip Wilson to play Prissy in her daughter Kim’s community theatre version of Gone With The Wind. Kim (Lucie Arnaz) plays Melanie, Uncle Harry (Gale Gordon) is Rhett, and Lucy finally gets to play Scarlett. Although Flip Wilson wearing an Abe Lincoln t-shirt as Prissy is very funny, the sketch does not hold a candle to Burnett’s 1976 endeavor.
In “Lucy’s Lucky Day” (HLS4;E15) Lucy Carter finds an overdue library book – Gone With The Wind – which she says took out when it was first published. The novel by Margaret Mitchell dates from 1936, which means that in 1971 Lucy has had the book out for 35 years! Imagine the fines!
In the 1958 promo film “Lucy Buys Westinghouse” Desi takes a Westinghouse representative on a helicopter tour of Desilu Culver (formerly RKO), a back lot located in Culver City, also known as Forty Acres. This is where MGM made Gone With The Wind. They pass over a destroyed Tara, twenty years after the film was made. Ironically, it is now owned by Lucille Ball!
Although Lucille Ball did not get cast, actors who did get roles in the film and later worked for Lucille Ball included:
George Reeves, Stuart Tarleton in GWTW / Superman in “Lucy and Superman” (ILL) [Reeves is incorrectly credited as Brent Tarleton in the film and only credited as ‘Superman’ on “I Love Lucy.”]
Olin Howland, Carpetbagger Businessman in GWTW/ Mr. Skinner in “First Stop” (ILL).
Irving Bacon, Corporal in GWTW / Will Potter in “Ethel’s Home Town” (ILL) and Mr. Willoughby in “The Marriage License” (ILL).
Alberto Morin, Rene Picard in GWTW / Waiter Robert DuBois in “The French Revue” (ILL) and Carlos in “Cuban Pals” (ILL)
Shep Houghton, Southern Dandy in GWTW / Courtroom Spectator in “Lucy and the Raffle” (HL) [That same year, Houghton was also a Winkie Guard in The Wizard of Oz.]
Ralph Brooks, Gentleman at 12 Oaks Barbecue in GWTW / Casino Patron in “Lucy Goes to Vegas” (TLS)
Hans Moebus, Party Guest in GWTW / Man on Dock in “Bon Voyage” (ILL), Riverboat Patron in “Lucy and Arthur Godfrey” (TLS) and Spectator in “Lucy at Marineland” (TLS) [Lucy wore the same dress in “Lucy and Arthur Godfrey” as she did as Scarlett O’Hara in “Lucy and Flip Go Legit.”]
Hattie McDaniel (Mammy in GWTW, inset) was the first black actress ever to win an Oscar, but she wasn’t the only McDaniel to have a ‘first ever’ recognition in show business. Her brother Sam McDaniel played the Porter in “The Great
Train Robbery” (ILL), and was the first and only black actor to have dialogue on “I Love Lucy.”
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