1939 Hollywood is abuzz. Legendary producer David O. Selznick has shut down production of his new epic, Gone with the Wind. The screenplay just doesn’t work. So what’s an all-powerful movie mogul to do? While fending off the film’s stars, gossip columnists and his own father-in-law, Selznick sends a car for famed screenwriter Ben Hecht and pulls formidable director Victor Fleming from the set of The Wizard of Oz. Summoning both to his office, he locks the doors, closes the shades, and on a diet of bananas and peanuts, the three men labor over five days to fashion a screenplay that will become the blueprint for one of the most successful films of all time.
“Moonlight and Magnolias is an entertaining trip to the mythical world of Tinsel Town during a bygone era. However, through the comedy and mayhem, there are serious references to society and cultural concerns. One is how being Jewish in the 1930’s Hollywood was perceived. Another is the perception of slavery during The Civil War. Others deal with the Nazis coming to power, membership in Country Clubs, and how some romance ‘The Old South’. Hopefully, one day these and other prejudices will also be, ‘gone with the wind’.” – TOM VALENTINE Correspondent, Allegany Magazine