Margaret Mitchell's famous novel has fed the imagination of generations of women. As soon as Gone With the Wind was published in 1936, its readers began to see themselves as Scarlett O'Hara. At the end of 1938, the perfect star for the movie arrived in the form of Vivien Leigh, but it might have gone very differently. The Selznick organisation spent over two years, searching for a star. They left no stone unturned in their quest. There were two journeys through the South, which may have boosted publicity, but did not bear much fruit. They seemed to favour girls with some breeding and acting experience. They saw models, debutantes, radio singers, comic performers, amateur actresses and established Hollywood stars. This volume fills in some of the background, on over 50 of these ladies, who were considered for the role of Scarlett. In this book you will learn: Why Clara Bow declined to take a test. Who took offence at George Cukor saying her lines, and walked out. Who started to laugh, after slapping Ashley. What Tallulah Bankhead learnt from her own tests, about the importance of lighting. Who was scared of the leading role. Which aspiring Scarlett married her aspiring Rhett, in real life. Who admired Melanie more than Scarlett. Whose audition made George Cukor burst out laughing. Who got caught in the rain, and didn't look her best by the time she arrived at the studio. Why the mother of Miriam Hopkins, thought her daughter was best suited to the role. Who was 90 minutes late arriving to the set for her Scarlett test. What made the public favour Bette Davis. Who wrote to David Selznick to apologise for her screen test. Why the timing was bad for Margaret Sullavan. Who told Paulette Goddard she was the best American Scarlett, after many screen tests. A broad range of women were seen for the part, and their futures were very different. This book reveals the untold stories of who proceeded to acting success, who triumphed in a different career, who married well and who passed before their time. It was very difficult to progress from being an extra to a star, with all that was involved. Among the names in this account, are Shelley Winters, Lucille Ball, Tallulah Bankhead, Lana Turner, Liz Whitney, Norma Shearer, Jane Pickens, Wendy Barrie, Ruth Hussey, Adele Longmire, Anita Louise, Susan Hayward, Diana Barrymore, Brenda Marshall, Susan Fox, Austine McDonnell, Patricia Wilder, Loretta Young, Marie Wilson, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Bennett and Jean Arthur. This book provides a sense of the era in which the movie was made. It recalls a time that is gone with the wind. Those days when people still dressed up to attend the theatre, and there were society debutantes, nightclub singers, radio plays, war bond drives, Hollywood costume parties and beach houses in Santa Monica. A few of these actresses started in Central Casting, and witnessed a decline in cinema attendance which posed a threat to their careers, but they experienced the rise of television which gave some of them a boost. The author has searched through numerous, vintage newspapers and magazines, to discover some new information about the tests and how the public really felt about the casting. Some of the people who made the news at the time, turn up in more than one girl's story. Their number includes Leonore Lemmon, Robert Powers, William Wyler, Leland Hayward, Howard Hughes, Charlie Chaplin, Marion Davies, Jed Harris, Greg Bautzer, Tennessee Williams and the Algonquin Round Table set. The book concludes with a section on Vivien Leigh. She spoke about the film long before she was cast in it. Vivien went to Atlanta three times over the years for the movie's launches, and always loved Scarlett. This writing is suitable for a fan with an interest in old Hollywood, and a curiosity about who else might have taken the prized role. *This is not a photo book. It is text heavy.