Vivien Leigh Part II

After years of searching for his Scarlett, David O. Selznick was forced to begin filming Gone With the Wind without having cast the part. His backers were getting nervous and Selznick did not want to lose the chance to make his big epic. He prepared the back lot for the burning of Atlanta scene and filmed doubles for Rhett and Scarlett as they tried to escape the blaze in a horse-driven cart.

At the time the scene was being filmed, Vivien was in town visiting Olivier, who was filming Wuthering Heights(1939) with William Wyler. His agent happened to be Myron Selznick, David O's brother. He was so impressed by Vivien's beauty and determination that he agreed to finagle an introduction for her. He brought her to the set and introduced her to his brother just as the flames were dying down.

Not long after this meeting, Vivien had secured the role of her dreams. She immediately adored her costar Olivia DeHavilland and had an agreeable rapport with Clark Gable. She also loved the way director George Cukor planned to film the movie. Unfortunately, Gable did not like Cukor's effeminate and actress-favoring style and he saw to it that his macho friend Victor Fleming was hired in his place. Vivien and DeHavilland appealed to Selznick, but they soon realized that Gable had far more power than they did in Hollywood.

By the end of the eventful production, Sam Woods and even Selznick himself stepped in to direct various scenes. Vivien became desperate to be finished with the role that she had coveted. In the end, the phenomenal success of Gone With the Wind made Vivien "Scarlett" to many fans for the rest of her life. In 1940, she won the Academy Award for best lead actress.

1940 was also the year that Olivier and Vivien were finally free to marry. They married in a private ceremony. Writer Garson Kanin and Katharine Hepburn were witnesses. The newlyweds vacationed on actor Ronald Coleman's yacht.

After spending so much time in Hollywood, both Vivien and Olivier were anxious to get back on the stage. They developed an elaborate Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet and headlined themselves. For many reasons, it was the wrong time to launch such a production. For one, the war was on the horizon and the elaborate sets and costumes were simply too lavish for the times. In addition, critics felt the two movie stars were using their celluloid fame to earn a stage reputation. Audiences stayed away. They lost their savings and suffered a huge blow to their reputations.

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