We pay money for streaming services, but yet again I spent last night watching old programs on YouTube.
In particular, I enjoyed this documentary about the life of the multi-talented Hattie McDaniel.
Unfortunately, they really didn’t mention she had 5 husbands, but just focused on her final marriage and divorce to Larry Williams, a shiftless layabout.
More details about Ms. McDaniel’s personal life are revealed on her Wikipedia page.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hattie_McDaniel
Poor Hattie died at age 59 after being a target of protests against her subservient “house-maid” stereotype.
https://hollywoodforever.com/story/hattie-mcdaniel/
In retrospect, most startling to me was the relatively short lives of the leads of “Gone with the wind.”
Clark Gable died at age 59, Vivian Leigh died at age 53, and Leslie Howard was 50 years old when he died in 1943.
However, only Olivia De Haviland lived a long, lengthy life. She made it to age 104!
I just noticed her first name has the word “live” in it!
Also, she noted years later although she lost the Academy award to her rival Hattie, she felt it was a far better, and much bigger thing for the world.
Strangely, whereas Olivia de Haviland’s character Melanie dies in the movie, “Gone with the wind,” the actress Olivia out-lived all her co-stars in real life, while the other stars survived in the film.
P.S. In Georgia there is a “Gone with the wind” museum.
Zents Music Studio 