Hollywood: The Producer Prince

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David O. (for Oliver) Selznick grew up in the magic, flickering light of the silent films, came to maturity as Hollywood was mastering the revolutionary complexities of sound, set his seal as a producer on the industry by proving that literary classics such as Anna Karenina, A Tale of Two Cities, Little Lord Fauntleroy and Little Women could be transferred to the screen with fidelity and power. Other Selznick productions included King Kong, Dinner at Eight and A Star Is Born. And for ten years running, movie exhibitors ranked him No. 1 producer of box-office successes. But even as death came to Selznick last week at the age of 63, he was still most famed for Gone With the Wind, the film that dominated conversation for three years before the cameras ever began to roll, cost the then astronomic sum of $4,250,000, ran an unprecedented 3 hr. 45 min., and has to date made $60 million.

G.W.T.W. was Selznick's greatest adventure. "It was such a stupendous undertaking," he said. "Anything else, no matter what we'll ever make, will always seem insignificant after that." He even proposed as his own epitaph, "Here lies David O. Selznick, who produced Gone With the Wind." He also recognized that his former glories could become a handful of dust. When the G.W.T.W. plantation set, including the mansion Tara, was finally dismantled and shipped to Atlanta in 1959, Selznick philosophized: "Once photographed, life here is ended. It is almost symbolic of Hollywood. Tara has no rooms inside. It was just a facade."

Quickie Stakes. Selznick's passing mood of pessimism was only a momentary fall from the relentless exuberance that made him appear as an outsized (6 ft. 1 in.) Teddy Roosevelt at costume parties, decide at one point to give up sleeping on Monday nights, and put chips on almost every number when playing roulette. "Live expensively!" advised his father, a Russian-born immigrant who became a multimillionaire in silent films. "Throw it around! Give it away! Always remember to live beyond your means. It gives a man confidence."

Lewis J. Selznick set the pace for his sons to follow. He lived in a 17-room Park Avenue apartment that in the early 1920s was a sort of Brown Derby East for the movie set. When his freewheeling days ended in bankruptcy in 1923, so did Son David's $300-a-week allowance and hopes for Yale. With his elder brother Myron, David staked himself for a trip to Hollywood by turning out two quickies that netted $16,000. Once there, David sold himself as a $100-a-week script reader at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, within months was an associate producer at triple the salary; Myron launched into a career as an agent, which in time landed him on the top of the heap.