By Calvin E. Johnson Jr. ——Bio and Archives--December 13, 2017
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"There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the Old South. Here in this pretty world, Gallantry took its last bow. Here was the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair, of Master and of Slave. Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered, a Civilization gone with the wind."'Gone with the Wind' won 8 Oscars in 1939, including Best Picture, and; Hattie McDaniel, the first Black American to win an Academy Award, expressed her heart-felt pride with tears of joy, upon receiving the 1939 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her memorable role as "Mammy." Victor Fleming won the Academy Award for Best Director and even though Max Steiner did not receive an award for his excellent music score, the 'Gone with the Wind’ theme song has become the most recognized and played tune in the world. Vivien Leigh, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a leading role, humbly and eloquently summed her appreciation by thanking Producer David O. Selznick. And, who can forget Olivia De Havilland as the pure-sweet Melanie Hamilton, Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes and Clark Gable as Rhett Butler who told Scarlett:
"Take a good look my dear. It's an historic moment you can tell your grandchildren about - how you watched the Old South fall one night."
"Do you mean to tell me, Katie Scarlett O'Hara, that Tara, that land doesn't mean anything to you? Why, land is the only thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for, because it's the only thing that lasts."And, we wept when Bonnie Blue Butler, the daughter of Rhett and Scarlett—played by Cammie King, was killed in a pony accident. The cast of 'Gone with the Wind' stayed at the historic Georgian-Terrace Hotel. Anne Rutherford, who played Scarlett's sister Carreen, took time to visit the Confederate Veterans at the soldier's home and the stars toured the famous "Cyclorama" at Grant Park. The festivities surrounding the premiere of Gone with the Wind included a parade down Peachtree Street with over three hundred thousand folks cheering the playing of ‘Dixie', waving Confederate flags and shouting Rebel Yells. And, many witnessed the lighting of the "Eternal Flame of the Confederacy", an 1855 gas lamp that survived the 1864 Battle of Atlanta. The lamp remained for many years on the northeast corner of Whitehall and Alabama Streets. Mrs. Thomas J. Ripley, President of Atlanta Chapter No. 18 United Daughters of the Confederacy, re-lit the great light with Mr. T. Guy Woolford, Commandant of the Old Guard by her side.
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A native of Georgia, Calvin Johnson, Chairman of the National and Georgia Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Confederate Veterans Confederate History and Heritage Month Program
He is the author of the book “When America Stood for God, Family and Country.”