I Can't Let Tara Go...

Well, Scarlett - I'm afraid Tara is gone...long gone. And it never stood in Georgia either. But it did eventually (sort of) make it there. Yes indeed - the old Tara set, really just a facade, stood for quite some time in a horrible state of disrepair on a David O. Selznick studio back lot in Culver City, California. And it remained there after the lot changed hands from Selznick to RKO to Desilu.

In 1959, the set was dismantled and shipped to Atlanta for use in a theme park that never came to be - the plywood and paper pieces were stored in a barn for years, where - as the story goes - they deteriorated beyond any usefulness to anyone. I know not what became of the remnants. For all anyone knows, they still rot away in some barn in Georgia. Tara's front door and the large oil painting of Scarlett have found a home in Atlanta...at the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum.

For all of you film buffs, the old Selznick Studios main building still stands - now the Culver Studios - in Culver City. The building was used in the film, but only during the credits as the backdrop for the David O. Selznick logo.The entryway was used for the formal walk up to Scarlett and Rhett's new Atlanta home and is virtually unchanged. You won't see the building, though - it was covered by a giant matte painting. Below is a video clip of Culver Studios today

With compliments,

Keith