In the end, of course, actress Vivien Leigh was cast as spoiled Southern belle Scarlett O'Hara in the 1939 film version of "Gone with the Wind." But before that, the national casting call instituted by MGM reached insane proportions. When one of the film's directors (the movie would have three), George Cukor, traveled south to look for prospects during the search, one New Orleans newspaper devoted more space to that story than it did to the recent abdication of Edward VIII. Women's colleges allowed students to miss classes to go audition. One woman hid in the back of a truck which was crafted to resemble the cover of the "Gone with the Wind" novel and had the truck drive to producer David O. Selznick's house. When the back of the truck opened, she stepped out in full costume.
