Luxe Beat Magazine DECEMBER 2014 | Page 144

Gone with the W

Happy 75th Anniv

S

eventy-five years ago, over
a million people traveled
to Atlanta, Georgia, in
anticipation of the gala
premiere (on December 15,
1939) of Gone with the Wind. Three
days of celebration included a
costume ball, receptions, a parade

of limousines carrying stars from the
film – and thousands of confederate
flags. Gone with the Wind went on
to become one of the biggest
blockbusters of all times.
While some movies have casual fans
who watch a film once, then move on

to the next new thing, GWTW still
has legions of fans who are loyal
for a lifetime and are sometimes
called “Windies”.
As a devoted Windy, I fell for Rhett
Butler’s roguish charm when I was
five, wished for Scarlett’s tiny waist

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when I was 12 – and still cry each
time I watch the Confederates go
down to defeat.
Some years ago, I took one of my
favorite trips of all time, a kind of
Gone with the Wind pilgrimage, to
visit the places Margaret Mitchell

ALL PHOTOS: © TURNER
CLASSIC MOVIES

By Lillian Africano