Just as the film version of her book did at movie theaters, “Margaret Mitchell” packed the house Friday afternoon when she was the topic of conversation in a Chautauqua performance in Newtonia.
Debra Conner, a scholar who portrays Margaret Mitchell in the Missouri Chautauqua currently under way in Joplin, was the featured speaker. Chautauqua scholars perform in costume only for their big nightly performances. However, during each day of the show’s run, they visit throughout the community and go into nearby communities speaking to groups about the characters they portray.
This year, the Newtonia Battlefields Protection Association (NBPA) was able to snag a visit from the scholar playing Margaret Mitchell. After all, it was this famous writer and her one and only novel that actually romanticized the Civil War. Mitchell’s legion of fans, who call themselves “Windies,” have kept the story and the film alive for more than 75 years.
Conner, who lives in West Virginia, spoke in the Ritchey Mansion before 35-40 guests. In her talk, she paralleled her character’s famous 1936 novel “Gone With The Wind,” with the equally famous 1939 movie with the same name.
Noting the popularity of the movie, Conner said in the first week it opened, more tickets were sold than equaled the entire population of the United States.
“It was Hollywood’s first true blockbuster,” Conner explained.
Conner also told how Hollywood director David Selznick bought the movie rights at almost the same time the book was released. It is said he saw immediately that it would be a great film and would make millions of dollars.
Focusing on the film, Conner talked about the obstacles the director had to overcome. Such things as language, race, production space, and casting were problems to be solved before the movie was filmed.
The most outstanding single problem with language was the use of the word “damn.” In the novel, the leading man uses the term near the end of the story, but this word was banned by Hollywood censors. Director Selznick struggled over the wording, hoping to find something that would be equally powerful, but he finally decided the exact words from the book were necessary. His solution was to use the words as they were, and just pay the $5,000 censure fine for doing so.
Conner also talked about the selection of actors and actresses to take on the major roles. She said that leading man, Clark Gable, did not want to play the role of Rhett Butler, but was badly in need of money to finance a divorce. Gable was paid $128,000 for his role while leading lady Vivian Leigh earned a mere $25,000 even though she was in virtually every scene of the film.
“Obviously Vivian Leigh did not yet have the star power of Clark Gable at the time,” Conner remarked.
Author Margaret Mitchell appreciated some of the movie director’s character selections and some she did not care for. She thought Leslie Howard, as Ashley, was a poor choice, primarily because he was past age 40.
Although Mitchell made a fortune with this one novel, Conner said it brought the author no joy or happiness.
Yvonne Weeks, a hostess for the Joplin Chautauqua, escorted Conner to Newtonia. Weeks was very pleased with the turnout in Newtonia, which was far above the average for an open invitation program.
Following the program, NBPA member Gail Higdon served some of her famous homemade cookies and lemonade. Most of those in attendance also stayed for tours of the Ritchey Mansion led by NBPA members Wes Franklin and Tom Higdon.
Besides Margaret Mitchell, this year's characters were Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, and P. T. Barnum.
NEWTONIA, Mo. —
