Atlanta Constitution history: ‘Gone With the Wind’ premiere

Gone With the Wind made its debut in Atlanta at the now-gone Loew’s Grand Theater (not the historic Fox Theatre). How The Atlanta Constitution covered the premiere of “Gone With the Wind” on Saturday, Dec. 16, 1939:

The idea of a movie premiere being a big deal may seem strange in today’s multi-media, multi-digitized world. But “Gone With the Wind” was no ordinary film, not for that time, and certainly not for Atlanta. Margaret Mitchell’s novel had been an international best-seller, so the process of hitching the city’s wagon to her romanticized Civil War saga was a done deal by the time the eagerly anticipated film debuted at Loew’s Grand Theater. Hollywood came to town in full force, and Atlanta’s society was waiting with open arms, with balls and cocktail parties throughout the week. At the center of it all was Mitchell, who began her literary career by working as a reporter for The Constitution’s then-rival, The Atlanta Journal.

This moment and many more are included in a special multimedia presentation covering the 150-year history of The Atlanta Constitution. See the city's history come alive through the pages of our newspaper.