Clark Gable was dubbed the “King of Hollywood” for his unparalleled movie star popularity, playing leading man in most of his 67 films — 16 of which topped the U.S. box office. But it was his iconic role as Rhett Butler in “Gone with the Wind” that won him the most acclaim over his storied 30-year career.
Gable earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance as the suitor of Scarlett O’Hara in the 1939 Civil War epic melodrama based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell.
The movie topped the box office that year and earned the Oscar for best picture. Moviegoers were so enamored with the film that MGM re-released it in 1947 and 1954.
Today it is the top-grossing movie in Hollywood history adjusted to inflation,
according to Box Office Mojo.
Here are five quotes about Gable’s iconic role that has won him fans young and old for 76 years.
1. [Gable and Vivien Leigh, who played Scarlett, were] “well matched in the two most coveted movie roles of the era … They brought experience, well-formed tastes and strong egos to their roles, and the camera, which cannot lie and often shows more than the story intends, caught the flash of an eye and the readiness of body language that suggested sexual challenge.”
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Roger Ebert
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2. One of Sexiest Men in Cinema:
An Empire Online poll ranked Butler 18th among the 25 sexiest male characters in movie history. The website described Butler as “a man who admires a woman of character, even if she's so clueless she lusts after some dweeb instead of spotting that this hunk is into her. A self-made man, he shows a remarkable – and commendable — contempt for the strict social mores of the Deep South and real drive and commitment in whatever he does, whether it's smuggling or soldiering."
3. "That Rhett Butler guy, really knew how to handle women."
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Clark Gable, in a 1957 Chicago Tribune interview, on which of his famous roles he enjoyed playing. Interviewer Freida Zylstra, noted this comment was said with a lifted eyebrow.
4. “'Gone with the Wind' is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history. I’m glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling flat on his nose (as Rhett Butler), not me.”
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Gary Cooper, according to GoneMovie.com. Gary Cooper was originally asked to play the role of Butler, but declined, predicting.
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