Moonlight and Magnolias at The English Theatre of Hamburg

Hollywood, 1939. The iconic movie Gone With the Wind (based on Margaret Mitchells best-selling novel) is in full production. But producer David O. Selznick hates the script as well as the direction. So he calls screenwriter Ben Hecht and director Victor Fleming into his office, locks the doors, and demands that the three of them come up with a new screenplay in five days. With conflicting opinions at every turn, and under enormous pressure, the men resort to acting out scenes from the novel themselves in order to create the dialogue for the new script. They bicker and shout, hurl peanuts and insults at each other. They practically come to fisticuffs over what became some of the most memorable moments in the film. This hilarious comedy, though based on real circumstances, is an imaginative account of the creation of one of the most popular movies of all time.

Authors

• Ron Hutchinson