Gone with the Wind-by Marilyn Ruesch Schneider

Gone with the Wind-By Marilyn Ruesch Schneider

When I was 5 years old and in the Kindergarten I had the chance to be the little girl of Scarlet in the movie "Gone with the Wind".  This is how it happened:

My school had a May Day (May 1st) dance and my class danced around a May pole.  The pole was really a teatherball pole.  A photographers from the Los Angeles Time Newspaper came to take pictures.  He asked me to take my shoe off and pretend my feet hurt from all the dancing,  My feet did NOT hurt.  My mother had to talk me into posing.

 The picture was on the 1st page of the Times the next day.  David O. Selznick saw it-he was the producer-director of the movie-an called my mother to ask her if I could try out for the part.  My mother was worried that I would become a terrible movie child and he called her many times before she agreed.  He sent us a copy of the script and I learned my part.

The big day came and we went by bus to the studio.  We were taken right in.  I gave my "lines" to Mr. Selznick and he said I was just right for the part.  Then the phone rang.  He started to yell at the person on the phone.  I remember suddenly being terrified of him.   I told my mother I didn't want to be in the movie.  She tried to change my mind all the way home on the bus.

I wasn't in the movie.  Do I regret it?  I don't know.. maybe a little