HBO Max initially took "Gone With the Wind" offline in response to a petition made by "12 Years A Slave" screenwriter John Ridley. The classic 1939 film has long been criticized for its somewhat ...

Cukor had been given the reins to Wind in 1936 by his old friend and collaborator, producer David O. Selznick. He labored on pre-production for years; the shoot did not begin until January 26, 1939.

Regardless, losing out on Gone With The Wind definitely “fueled a perception that this master director was ‘too gay’ to make certain types of movies,” Longworth writes.