by Ron Hutchinson
Hollywood is abuzz. Legendary producer David O. Selznick has shut down production of Gone with the Wind, a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's novel. The screenplay, you see, 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 screenwriter Ben Hecht, and pulls 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 and beloved films of all time.