The James Tumblin Gone with the Wind Collection, devoted to the Academy Award winning film will be sold by Heritage on April 18, 2015. The collection of screen-used costumes, props, and behind the scenes pieces features over 150 lots of one of a kind collectibles for the 1939 MGM classic from the Golden Age of cinema history.
"When it comes to Gone with the Wind memorabilia, no one is more respected and recognized than Jim Tumblin," says Kathleen Guzman, managing director of Heritage Auctions in New York. "He has devoted his life and efforts to promoting Hollywood and this film, touring his items throughout the United States. Very rarely does memorabilia of this caliber come to market, and these pieces represent an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to collect these incredible treasures."
Tumblin formerly served as the head of the hair and makeup department at Universal Studios. He started collecting Gone with the Wind screen-used costumes, props, and behind the scenes rarities in the early 1960s. During a trip to the Western Costume Company he discovered Vivien Leigh’s iconic dress worn in her Academy Award-winning role as Scarlett O'Hara. The dress was worn during four important scenes in the movie. He was told that it was going to be thrown away, but he spoke with the company manager and ended up paying $20 to procure the dress.
"I started getting inter-office memos and phone calls," Tumblin recalls, "and my secretary would get messages saying 'Well, my aunt worked on that film. Would you be interested in this?' or 'My grandfather worked on this film. What about this?' And that's how it started."
About 50 years later, his collection has amassed over 300,000 collectibles from the movie that has been exhibited across the country. Items up for bid at Heritage include Clark Gable’s period gray suit worn as Rhett Butler in the scene where he kicks down Scarlett’s door and Leslie Howard’s Confederate soldier uniform worn as Ashley Wilkes in the pivotal scene where he finds his way back to Tara Plantation. They are offering Leigh’s period blouse worn in the climactic "As God as my witness" scene and Bonnie Blue Butler's riding dress worn by the young actress, Cammie King. Also in the auction is Hattie McDaniel’s cherished presentation script signed by famed producer David O. Selznick. McDaniel is well known for being the first African-American to win an Academy Award for her role as Mammy in the film.
Heritage is also offering rare, behind the scenes pieces including preproduction artworks like the Ashley Wilkes and Scarlett O'Hara standing by a tree, reading of the Confederate dead and wounded scene, and an intense image of Atlanta burning.
The auction will be held at Heritage’s Beverly Hills office, located at 9478 West Olympic Boulevard, 1st Floor. The sale begins at 3 PM CT on April 18.
