"40 Acres"
The Lost Studio Backlot of Movie & Television Fame
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"Gone With The Wind" (1939)
In 1935, David O. Selznick leased RKO Radio Pictures' 40 Acres backlot for his new production company, Selznick International Pictures. Soon afterward, preparations began for the filming of what became Selznick's landmark achievement, "Gone With The Wind," which was released in 1939. For the film, Selznick razed many of the standing 40 Acres sets, and set several others ablaze for the famous burning-of-Atlanta scene in the film. Selznick then constructed sets for the town of Atlanta, including a large train depot, along with the mansion house of Scarlett O'Hara's "Tara" plantation.
Plot Plan of Pathe Studio "40 Acre Ranch" - May 9, 1940
(scan courtesy Bison Archives)
This survey map details the location of standing 40 Acres sets in 1940, most of which
are from the 1939 David Selznick classic, Gone With The Wind. Some of the earlier
sets on the backlot, including the set for King Kong (1933) (a set itself originally constructed
for Cecil B. DeMille's 1927 silent film, The King of Kings), had false fronts attached by
Selznick and were then burned for the "Burning of Atlanta" scene in GWTW. Legend has
it that on the night "Atlanta" was burned, some residents of Culver City, unaware of what was
happening, assumed Los Angeles was afire, and fled the area in their cars.
Other sets detailed on the survey map include the "Manderley" mansion from Alfred Hitchcock's
first American film, Rebecca (1940), a set which was in actuality only a small full-scale portion of the large Gothic mansion
(the full mansion set seen in the film was a soundstage miniature).
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Forty Acres Fact Check
The "Burning of Atlanta" at Forty Acres The "burning of Atlanta" on the Forty Acres backlot took place on December 10, 1938, but contrary to popular belief, the fire itself was confined to the former "King Kong" set (a large set originally built for DeMille's "The King of Kings"), along with another wall of the original "King of Kings" Jerusalem set re-decorated to resemble a warehouse, a few boxcars, and other assembled debris. The original town sets themselves were NOT burned, and a few of these original facades in fact were left relatively unmodified for their appearance in Gone With The Wind. Sets burned also did not include those for Selznick's 1936 film Little Lord Fauntleroy as is reported elsewhere on the web, as the Brooklyn Street sets seen in this film were in fact located on Harold Lloyd's Westwood Location Ranch, and not at 40 Acres. In addition, although GWTW technical advisor Wilbur Kurtz recorded in his journal the presence of a "old lodge palace structure" across Ballona Creek in January 1939, which he noted as having last been used in Little Lord Fauntleroy, Marc Wanamaker has found conclusive evidence that the mansion which appeared on film was in fact a real one (the George Lewis Estate that was once located on Hillgrove Avenue in Beverly Hills off of Benedict Canyon). |
Gone With The Wind Art Director Lyle Wheeler and Atlanta town miniature (scan courtesy Bison Archives) |
On the set of Gone With The Wind (scan courtesy Bison Archives) Hundreds of extras prepare for filming in this behind-the-scenes image from Gone With The Wind. Visible in the background are Culver City's Baldwin Hills, along with the Arab Village set from David Selznick's 1936 film, "The Garden of Allah." |
Aerial View of 40 Acres - March 3, 1941 (captioned)
(courtesy Jerry Krumm)
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scenes from "Gone With The Wind" (1939)
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Atlanta railroad depot The Atlanta railroad depot set built in the late 1930's for Gone With The Wind became a fixture in the 40 Acres backlot for approximately 32 years. The depot set was designed after the actual Atlanta train car shed that was destroyed by Sherman in the Civil War. The 40 Acres set was destroyed by fire in December of 1971. |
Atlanta town sets - View east Many, but not all, of the structures/facades on the street set became permanent fixtures in 40 Acres. Those that did survive saw significant re-dressing in later years when the set became a locale for other films and for television series' such as The Andy Griffith Show. The large, columned structure in the center (the church/hospital in GWTW) did not survive the later set renovations. |
Atlanta "Examiner" facade The "Examiner" facade was another GWTW set which became a permanent fixture in the 40 Acres backlot. |
South cross-street sets These sets on the west side of the south cross street also became permanent backlot fixtures. The facade on the left in fact pre-dated Selznick's "Altlanta" sets, and was one of the earliest town facades constructed at 40 Acres. |
Gone With The Wind Producer Selznick at 40 Acres (scan courtesy Bison Archives) David Selznick stands in an arch of the Atlanta railroad depot set, gazing toward the Tara mansion set on the hill above. |
Late-1950's View of Scarlett O'Hara's "Tara" (scan courtesy Bison Archives) |
South end of depot set - circa 1947
(scan courtesy Bison Archives)
The partial nature of the railroad depot set is revealed in this photograph of the south
end of the set. Only the east side of the set was meant to be filmed, and a scene featuring
a closeup of the south end heavily utilized a matte painting to convey a curved roof and
other features.
view of Aunt Pittypat house facade a full view such as this one of the Aunt Pittypat house facade on the 40 Acres residential street was never seen in the film. |
Gone With The Wind behind-the-scenes view in this behind-the-scenes shot during the filming of Gone With The Wind, the large reform school set from DeMille's 1929 silent film The Godless Girl can be seen in the background. |
Deteriorated "Tara" set in 1959
from the New York Times, June 23, 1965 obituary of Producer David O. Selznick:
"Nothing in Hollywood is permanent," Mr. Selznick said in 1959 on a Hollywood set,
as Tara, the mansion built for "Gone With The Wind," was being dismembered and
shipped to Atlanta, Ga. "Once photographed, life here is ended. It is almost
symbolic of Hollywood. Tara has no rooms inside. It is just a facade. So much of
Hollywood is a facade."
"Tara" set door from 40 Acres, on permanent display in Atlanta
The front door is the most intact remnant of the original "Tara" set, and is on permanent display at the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum in Atlanta
Deteriorated "Tara" set in 1959, shortly before it was dismantled
(Norman Shavin photo)
Here the Tara set is seen at 40 Acres shortly before it was dismantled and shipped to Georgia. See this article for an in-depth account on the set's post-40 Acres history, including its current whereabouts.
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