Fifteen Witty Authors and the Sequel to Gone with the Wind

It's the burning question embedded into very heart of Gone with the Wind: What happens next? If you're looking for different answers to that question than the ones served up by Scarlett and Rhett Butler's People (heaven knows we are), today we have a very special treat for you!

Reader Shaninalux, who you might remember from her wonderful guest post about Margaret Mitchell and the conclusion to GWTW, discovered a gem of an article in an old edition of The New York Times that discusses sequel ideas for our favorite novel. It was originally published in August 1976, following initial announcements about an official sequel and movie script. In it, 15 prominent authors of the day sound off about their own plot ideas for a GWTW sequel. Their suggestions range from the lighthearted to the serious to the downright absurd. You'll find them all waiting for you after the jump.

We hope you enjoy this eclectic mix of sequel suggestions. Do you have a favorite suggestion out of the bunch? Or simply one that strikes you as the funniest? Let us know in the comments!

Many thanks to Shaninalux for sharing this with us!

Sunday Reading: The Flick Chick's Review of Gone with the Wind

Here's a little bit of Sunday reading for you all. The movie blog, The Flick Chick, recently posted a review of Gone with the Wind that's very much worth a look in our opinion. We found it be a thoughtful and wide-ranging analysis, tackling everything from the movie's thorny racial issues to Scarlett's survival instinct, Rhett and Scarlett's love-hate relationship, and the dreadfully dull Ashley Wilkes. 

Interested? To peak your interest further, here's a snippet of my favorite part: 

"Personally, I love Scarlett. Is she selfish? Yes. Is she a bitch? You bet. But every time she’s swatted down, she just gets back up again, more determined than ever. She’s also kind of hilarious. The relationship between Scarlett and Rhett (Clark Gable) is one of my favourites in film because, despite the heavier scenes, there is a wonderful lightness and camaraderie between them. Rhett doesn’t just put up with her crap, he’s amused by it. He enjoys her little temper tantrums, her attempts at manipulation, and her need to be spoiled coincides nicely with his desire to spoil her..."

--excerpted from The Flick Chick's review of Gone with the Wind

The link to the full post is below. Check it out and let us know what you think. What's your take on the review?

http://flickchickcanada.blogspot.com/2011/01/best-picture-countdown-12-gone-with.html

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 21: Scarlett's Blue Portrait Dress

Today we feature a paradoxical dress in the Doppelganger Dresses series--Scarlett's blue portrait dress, which holds the unique position of being in Gone with the Wind the movie without being an actual costume. Yet although it's only shown in an oil painting, it's hard to forget Scarlett's lustrous blue dress and white lace shawl--thanks in no small part to Rhett Butler flinging a tumbler of liquor at 'Scarlett in Blue' to vent his frustration over his marital banishment.

After the jump, you'll find a period fashion plate that resembles Scarlett's own blue dress. One important note on that front: Scarlett's dress is miraculously less elaborate than our historical gown. In fact, dare I say it, by the standards of the day (circa 1869), Scarlett's blue portrait dress would be considered downright modest and (horror of horrors!) almost old fashioned. This was the era of the bustle and evening dresses had become lavishly ornate, adorned with flowers, lace, ribbons, and frills galore.  So to find an appropriate match for Mrs. Butler's blue dress, we had to go further back into the archives--to 1855! And even then Scarlett wins the battle for sartorial simplicity.

But enough explanations. Be sure to check out the dress and let us know what you think!

Poster of the Week

Looks like we've got another entry in the "badly drawn Vivien Leigh" contest on display here in this 27x40 Italian poster (date unknown). Alas, poor Vivien! 

 Image from moviegoods.com.

Aunt Pittypat's Parlor, Miniaturized

As one of the most successful and critically acclaimed movies of all time, Gone with the Wind has influenced popular culture in countless ways both large and small. And today we're taking a look at one of the (quite literally) small ways it's made its influence known.

Below you'll find a photo of "Georgia Double Parlor, c. 1850," one of the 68 miniature rooms of historic European and American interiors that makes up the Thorne Collection at the Art Institute of Chicago. But if you mistook it for Aunt Pittypat's parlor, you're in good company. Mrs. James Ward Thorne, a wealthy socialite with a passion for history, created the collection of miniature rooms from 1934 to 1940, with a fine attention to detail, a fanatical commitment to historical accuracy... and in the case of this splendid room, a little Hollywood magic. Aunt Pittypat's parlor served as one of her main inspirations for its design:

"The furnishings derive not only from histories of the decorative arts of the period but also from the popular conception of ante-bellum plantation interiors depicted in the sets of Gone with the Wind. This hugely popular 1939 film version of Margaret Mitchell's equally loved novel of the same name (1936) did a great deal to create a visual vocabulary for the time and places it embraced. Thus, Mrs. Thorne's notes for this room include an article from the November 1939 issue of House and Garden, with an illustration of the bay from Aunt Pittypat's parlor, which provided the model for the bay in this interior."

--Miniature Rooms: The Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago (Exhibition book)

The Thorne Rooms are on permanent exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago, if you're ever in the Windy City and would like to see mini Aunt Pittypat's parlor "Georgia Double Parlor, c. 1850," up close and personal... in addition to 67 other charming miniature rooms. 

Georgia Double Parlor, c. 1850. Photo credit: The Art Institute of Chicago

Rue de la Paix

'Scarlett at home' is the title of this collage, which we think is a a fitting theme for a lazy January Saturday. Enjoy your weekend! 

Scarlett at home by ~Lotti~ featuring a v neck cardigan

Doppelganger Dresses, Part 20: Scarlett's Green Velvet Wrapper

Well, I suppose if you're going to ban your husband from your bed due to your misguided love for another man, you might as well do it in fabulous mid-Victorian style. At least that's the approach our dear Scarlett takes in the movie version of Gone with the Wind, thanks to the sumptuous green velvet wrapper she dons for her infamous 'no more babies' scene.  

Today the Doppelganger Dresses series tackles the period inspiration behind Scarlett's costume. Full-color fashion plates of the era rarely featured wrapper styles, but we've found a fashion plate that we think matches up well with the green wrapper from GWTW and we're excited to share it with you. 

You'll find the fashion plate in question after the jump, as always. Does it look like Scarlett's wrapper to you? Let us know what you think!