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." |
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) |
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. |