Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for Gone With the Wind, defeating William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom. English professors remain bitter to this day. (Source.)
Margaret Mitchell began her writing career as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal. She became the first woman to cover hard news at the paper. (Source.)
Vivian Leigh, the actor who played Scarlett, was told by the director that her breasts were too small to display adequate cleavage in Scarlett's gowns. So the filmmakers forced her to bind them together painfully with adhesive tape. Leigh also hated kissing Clark Gable, the actor who played Rhett Butler, because his false teeth made his breath smell bad. (Source.)
Hattie McDaniel, who played Mammie in the film version of Gone With the Wind, won Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards. She was the first African-American to win an Oscar. During the ceremony, however, she had to sit at a segregated table. (Source.)