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  • October29th

    {GWTW Interview Series} Mickey Kuhn, child star, talks about 'just another day at work'

    Posted in: GWTW Interview Series

    GONE_WITH_THE_WIND-2278

    The 7 year old little boy clinging to Leslie Howard in the photo above is Mickey Kuhn, a child star of the 1930s and 1940s. He was cast as Beau Wilkes,  Ashley Wilkes and Melanie’s son, in the legendary film Gone with the Wind. This film role was not his first– he began working in films at age 2! And it would not be his last either. In fact, he would reunite with a certain GWTW alum in a 1951 film. But more about that later… Mr. Kuhn kindly agreed to sit down with Vivien-Leigh.com to answer some questions about Gone with the Wind and Vivien Leigh. Mr.  Kuhn will be participating in the Marietta GWTW Re-Premiere weekend so those of you who are attending will have the opporunity to see and meet him. To learn more about Mr. Kuhn and his acting career, check out his mini biography on IMDB:

    One of Hollywood’s staple child actors during the 30s and 40s, Mickey Kuhn played alongside many a top Hollywood star from Leslie Howard and Conrad Nagel‘s son to playing Dick Tracy’s ward. Once he reached the “awkward teens” stage, however, he found himself primarily unemployed or in unbilled parts and looked elsewhere for career satisfaction.

    Born Theodore Matthew Michael Kuhn, Jr. on September 21, 1932 in Waukegan, Illinois, he was the younger of two children born to Theodore Sr. and the former Pearl Hicks. The family moved to Hollywood during the Depression where his father found reliable work as a meat cutter. Mickey added to the family income at age 2 when, by chance, he was cast by Fox Studios for the movie Change of Heart (1934) starring the preeminent movie couple at the time, Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. Attending kindergarten at the Mark-Ken School for professional children, he returned to films as a 5-year-old in A Doctor’s Diary (1937) made by Paramount. His devoted mother oversaw and protected him throughout most of his young career. 1939 was a banner year for Mickey as it was for Hollywood itself, appearing as Crown Prince Augustin in the “A” picture Juarez (1939) starring Paul Muni and Bette Davis, and as Ashley Wilkes’ son Beau in the Civil War classic Gone with the Wind (1939). {click here to read the rest of this mini biography >>>}

    V-L.COM: Let’s begin with something fun! How many times have you watched GWTW?

    Mickey Kuhn: Not that many……….only about 8 times over 70 years.

    V-L.COM: Do you think Scarlett O’Hara got Rhett Butler back in the end?

    Mickey Kuhn: No !! I think he wanted to settle down and have a family while Scarlett wanted the “exciting” lifestyle.

    Continue Reading the Interview

  • June30th

    Classic Film fans: I need YOUR help!

    Posted in: current news

    If you are a Katharine Hepburn fan or a classic film fan, then I need your help! Katharine Hepburn’s personal performance wardrobe was bequeathed to the Kent State University Museum, and beginning in the fall of 2010, they will exhibit this amazing collection. The Museum is hoping to get a commemorative US Postal Stamp released in honor of Ms. Hepburn but they need your help to convince the selection committee. I hope fans will send in their letters of support. I’ve developed a short sample letter–please feel free to use it or use it as a base for your own letter. Can I count you in?

    PS: Bit of trivia… Katharine Hepburn attended Vivien Leigh & Laurence Olivier’s impromptu wedding in California.

    SAMPLE LETTER:

    Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee

    c/o Stamp Development

    U.S. Postal Service

    1735 North Lynn St., Suite 5013

    Arlington, VA  22209-6432

    Dear CSAC Committee Members:

    I am writing in support of the issuance of a United States commemorative postage stamp to honor Katharine Hepburn, renowned film and stage actress. During her 6 decade Hollywood career, Ms. Hepburn became the greatest American female star with unequaled 4 Best Actress Oscars, 8 Golden Globes, and 1 Emmy Award. She was a forward-thinking, independent woman who has solidified herself as an American icon in film, theater, and fashion. As you may be aware,  Kent State University and the Kent State University Museum were given Ms. Hepburn’s personal collection of her performance wardrobe, and more than 30 of Hepburn’s productions are represented in the collection. The Museum intends to exhibit this amazing collection beginning in the fall of 2010. I ask the Committee to give careful consideration to a postage stamp commemorating Ms. Katharine Hepburn and the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Kent State Museum. Ms. Hepburn made a significant contribution nationally and globally, and she deserves this recognition.

    Kindest Regards,

    (your name)

  • June25th

    Hollywood’s Greatest Year: The Best Picture Nominees of 1939

    Posted in: Gone with the Wind, the film, upcoming events

    If you live in the New York City area, then you might be interested in this event.  The highlight of the event is THIS SATURDAY when the Academy shows Gone with the Wind on the big screen! For more info, see below or visit: http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/events/2009/mnwo-bestpics1939.html

    Hollywood’s Greatest Year: The Best Picture Nominees of 1939

    A 70th Anniversary Celebration – Best Prints! Big Screen! Special Surprises and Guests! Great Price!

    Hosted by Robert Osborne, Academy biographer and host of Turner Classic Movies

    All features will be preceded by one of the year’s animated shorts and a chapter of the 1939 serial “Buck Rogers,” starring Buster Crabbe and Constance Moore.

    When: Monday evenings and Saturday afternoons, beginning June 20
    Where: Academy Theater at Lighthouse International
    111 East 59th Street, New York, NY
    (between Park and Lexington)
    All seating is unreserved.

    Price: $5 general admission (you can buy online or in person)

    Saturday, June 20

    12:30 p.m. – Gone with the Wind (238 minutes). Buck Rogers episode and animated short begin at 12 noon.

    Saturday, June 27

    12:30 p.m. – Dark Victory (104 minutes). Buck Rogers begins at 12 noon.
    3:30 p.m. – Wuthering Heights (103 minutes). Buck Rogers begins at 3 p.m.

    Monday, July 20

    7:30 p.m. – Ninotchka (110 minutes). Buck Rogers begins at 7 p.m.

    Saturday, July 25

    12:30 p.m. – Love Affair (89 minutes). Buck Rogers begins at 12 noon.
    3:30 p.m. – Goodbye, Mr. Chips (115 minutes). Buck Rogers begins at 3 p.m.

    Monday, August 10

    7:30 p.m. – Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (129 minutes). Buck Rogers begins at 7 p.m.

    Saturday, August 15

    12:30 p.m. – Stagecoach (96 minutes). Buck Rogers begins at 7 p.m.
    3:30 p.m. – Of Mice and Men (106 minutes). Buck Rogers begins at 3 p.m.

    Monday, October 12

    7:30 p.m. – The Wizard of Oz (101 minutes). Buck Rogers begins at 7 p.m.

  • June24th

    That Hamilton Woman's Tale: Criterion exposes love on the battlefront.

    Posted in: current news, dvd, laurence olivier, Vivien Leigh

    Let the countdown begin! Place your preorders now at your favorite online film store or at the Vivien-Leigh.com E-Store: That Hamilton Woman will be released by Criterion on September 8, 2009! Take a look at the cover art and the special features the DVD will have, below.

    Finally, check this blog or Vivien-Leigh.com on July 1 for a special announcement concerning this film.

    June 23, 2009 – On September 8, 2009, the Criterion Collection will release That Hamilton Woman on DVD.

    Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars of the late eighteenth century, That Hamilton Woman is a gripping account of the scandalous adulterous affair between the British Royal Navy officer Lord Horatio Nelson (Laurence Olivier) and the renowned beauty Lady Emma Hamilton (Vivien Leigh).

    It will contain bonus materials and extra features, and the DVD will be available for the MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) of $39.95.

    The That Hamilton Woman DVD will feature the following bonus materials:

    • New, restored high-definition digital transfer
    • Audio commentary featuring noted film historian Ian Christie
    • New video interview with author and editor Michael Korda, Alexander’s nephew, who discusses growing up in the Korda family and the making of That Hamilton Woman
    • Theatrical trailer
    • Alexander Korda Presents, a 1942 promotional radio piece for the film
  • A booklet featuring an essay by Molly Haskell

  • February28th

    Can you name the No. 1 box office film of all time?

    Posted in: Gone with the Wind, the film

    From USA Today:

    Studios love to crow about their films being box office record-breakers, but a review of historical movie ticket sales by IMDB suggests nothing compares with the classics. According to the list, which adjusts for inflation, Gone With the Wind remains the box office king with $1.75 billion. No shock there, but what is surprising is how big Disney’s classic cartoons were. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is second all-time with $1.4 billiion, followed by Bambi’s $1.2 billion. Star Wars was fourth with $1.13 billion, while Pinocchio rounded out the top 5 with $1.11 billion. Of course, box office wasn’t a big story back then, so sorting ticket sales can be tricky. According to Box Office Mojo’s figures, Gone with the Wind did $1.5 billion, Star Wars was second with $1.3 billion, followed by The Sound of Music’s $1.03 billion. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial is fourth with $1.02 billion and The Ten Commandments at No. 5 with $943 million.

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