Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java. Plot Synopses of My Favorite OdH Films The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) is one of the greatest adventure films ever made with the perfect casting of Errol Flynn as Robin Hood and Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian. King Richard is captured in Austria, held for ransom and his evil brother Prince John (Claude Rains) begins his reign of terror. A lone Saxon knight, Sir Robin of Locksley/Robin Hood, (Errol Flynn), and his band of followers oppose the Norman takeover and raid Norman caravans as they pass through Sherwood Forest giving the money to the poor. Maid Marian, (Olivia de Havilland), is one of the members of these caravans and becomes Robin's unwilling guest. She softens with time and falls in love with him. Evil Prince John and Sir Guy, (Basil Rathbone), plan to trap Robin at an archery contest, which Robin wins and receives a golden arrow from Maid Marian. Robin is captured and Marian arranges his escape, but she is discovered and sentenced to death when John crowns himself in a few days. King Richard returns to England and joins forces with Robin Hood and his followers. They interrupt the coronation dressed as monks and Robin duels Sir Guy to the death. King Richard banishes Prince John, grants amnesty to Robin and all his men, restores Sir Robin's title and property and gives him Maid Marian's hand in marriage. Major Credits Producers - Hal Wallis, Henry Blanke Directors - Michael Curtiz, William Keighley Academy Awards Nominated for Best Picture of 1938 Won Best Art Direction/Set Direction of 1938 - Carl J. Weyl Won Best Film Editing of 1938 - Ralph Dawson Won Best Score of 1938 - Erich Wolfgang Korngold Gone with the Wind (1939) Gone with the Wind is arguably the greatest motion picture ever made. Based on Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer Prize winning novel of 1936, it tells the tale of Georgian Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) from immediately preceding the Civil War through Reconstruction. Gable, in his most famous role and one he had to be convinced to play, portrays Charlestonian Rhett Butler, a handsome, devilish adventurer and ladies' man. Scarlett resides with her parents, Gerald and Ellen (Thomas Mitchell and Barbara O'Neil), two sisters, Suellen and Careen (Evelyn Keyes and Ann Rutherford) and numerous servants, most notably Mammy, Pork, Prissy and Big Sam (Hattie McDaniel, Oscar Polk, Butterfly McQueen and Everett Brown) in Georgia on the beautiful plantation Tara. Scarlett is entertaining the Tarleton twins Brent and Stuart (Fred Crane and George Reeves) on Tara's veranda, flirting and trying to get information from them about Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), the man she loves obsessively. She sees her father riding wildly and runs to meet him. She complains about life at Tara and her Irish father tells her "land is the only thing worth living for, worth dying for -- it's the only thing that lasts". Scarlett dresses for the barbeque at Twelve Oaks, Ashley's father's plantation, and decides to wear a dress Mammy finds inappropriate, "you can't show your bosom before three o'clock". Scarlett wears the dress anyway. Much takes place at the Twelve Oaks barbeque. Scarlett is surrounded by beaus with the notable exception of Ashley. She confronts Ashley in the library and discovers he's engaged to marry his cousin Melanie Hamilton (Olivia De Havilland). She slaps his face and he exits the room. Still in a rage she flings a vase at the mantel and Rhett sits up on the sofa where he had been concealed from Scarlett and Ashley and had overheard their entire conversation. Rhett immediately knows Scarlett for what she is and when she tells him he's no gentleman he responds, "And you, Miss, are no lady". The men have a heated debate about the prospect of war with the North and Rhett is the only one who thinks the South will lose, provoking Melanie's brother Charles Hamilton (Rand Brooks) to challenge him to a duel, which Rhett declines, not out of cowardice, but knowing he's a great shot and would certainly kill Charles. A rider arrives at Twelve Oaks and announces the Civil War has begun. All the men, except Ashley and Rhett, are jubilant. Scarlett, meanwhile, has been flirting with Ashley's sister India's fiance, Charles Hamilton. Charles proposes marriage and Scarlett accepts after seeing Ashley kiss Melanie. Ashley and Melanie and Charles and Scarlett are married before the men go off to war. Scarlett is soon a widow as Charles dies of pneumonia. To bring her out of her depression, Ellen suggests a trip to Aunt Pittypat's in Atlanta. Scarlett is more than happy to go and Mammy is the only one who realizes she only wants to go to Atlanta because Melanie is there and she'll get to see Ashley when he's home on leave. In Atlanta Scarlett meets Rhett again at a ball and scandalizes the crowd when she dances with him while still in mourning. Ashley comes home on leave and Scarlett begs him to tell her that he loves her. Being a weak-willed man, he complies with her request. He then returns to the war, which the South is losing badly, leaving Scarlett and a pregnant Melanie behind. As Sherman advances on Atlanta, Melanie goes into labor. Scarlett goes to get Dr. Meade (Harry Davenport) at the railroad yard, which serves as a makeshift hospital to thousands of wounded Confederate soldiers, and is told he can't leave to deliver a baby. Scarlett goes back to Aunt Pitty's hoping Prissy, who bragged about being a midwife, will be able to handle the birth. Scarlett slaps Prissy when she finds out Prissy lied about her abilities, "I don't know nothin' about birthin' babies". Scarlett manages to deliver Melanie's son, Beau, with little assistance from Prissy. Scarlett learns that the Yankees have entered Atlanta and sends Prissy to the local bordello run by madam Belle Watling (Ona Munson) to get Rhett. He arrives with a nag and a wagon and takes Scarlett, Melanie and Prissy out of a burning Atlanta toward Tara. Rhett is touched by the bedraggled Confederate soldiers and ashamed he hadn't joined them in battle. He kisses Scarlett good bye against a fiery sky and leaves to join the Confederate Army. Scarlett manages to get back to Tara, which has been ravaged by the war. She finds her mother dead of typhoid fever, her father gone mad, her sisters ill with fever and the only servants remaining are Mammy and Pork. There's no food and no prospects of getting any. Scarlett, starving, runs to the field, eats a root, vomits and standing with fist raised declares, "I'll lie, cheat, steal or kill, but I'll never be hungry again! As God is my witness!" Scarlett, determined to revive Tara, puts everyone to work picking cotton, much to the dislike of her family. One day a Yankee deserter appears and attempts to steal Ellen's jewels. Scarlett shoots him and Melanie and she hide the body and keep the shooting a secret. The Civil War ends and Ashley comes home. Scarlett wants them to run away to Mexico, but Ashley won't leave Melanie and Beau. Scarlett owes $300 in back taxes on Tara and has no way to pay the debt. Tara's former overseer Jonas Wilkerson (Victor Jory), now a rich carpetbagger, offers to buy the plantation and Scarlett throws dirt in his face. Jonas drives away screaming threats and Gerald takes off wildly on horseback, is thrown and dies. Scarlett, desperate to save Tara, gets Mammy to make her an outfit from the living room drapes and is off to Atlanta to convince Rhett, who's being held prisoner by Union soldiers, to give her the tax money. Rhett believes her act until he sees her hands, roughened from hard work. He refuses to give her the money. Outside the jail Scarlett spots Suellen's beau Frank Kennedy (Carroll Nye), a successful businessman. She plays up to him and gets him to marry her and save Tara. Ashley plans to take Melanie and Beau to New York, but Scarlett complains to Melanie that Ashley is being mean not wanting to stay and help her build a lumber business in Atlanta. Melanie chastises Ashley and, of course, he gives up his plans and stays. Scarlett builds a thriving lumber mill and becomes quite brazen, driving her buggy alone through Shantytown where she's attacked and saved by Tara's former foreman, Big Sam. Ashley, Frank and some other men carry out a vigilante raid on Shantytown. Ashley is wounded and Frank is killed. Rhett saves them from arrest by telling the Union officer that they were with him at Belle Watling's. Rhett proposes to Scarlett while she's between husbands and they get married and go to New Orleans on their honeymoon. Rhett spends a fortune to restore Tara to its original grandeur and builds a lavish mansion in Atlanta. They have a daughter, Bonnie Blue (Cammie King), but afraid of spoiling her figure, Scarlett doesn't want more children and refuses to sleep with Rhett. At the lumber mill Scarlett comforts a depressed Ashley by holding him which is seen by onlookers and reported back to Rhett, who believes it was a lover's embrace. Rhett gets drunk and forces himself on Scarlett, then goes to London taking Bonnie with him. Bonnie has nightmares and wants her mother, so Rhett brings her back to Atlanta. When they arrive, Rhett remarks that Scarlett isn't looking well and she informs him she's pregnant. They have a vicious argument and Scarlett falls down the stairs causing a miscarriage. Scarlett calls for Rhett after the accident, but no one hears her ask for him. Adding to this tragedy, Bonnie is killed in a horseback riding accident. Rhett takes her body to the nursery and refuses to allow anyone in or for her to buried because she was so frightened of the dark. Mammy asks Melanie to speak to him and she convinces Rhett to permit the burial. After talking to Rhett, Melanie collapses and asks to be taken to her own home to die. Scarlett visits Melanie on her deathbed and Melanie asks her to look after Ashley and little Beau. After Melanie's death Scarlett realizes, too late, that she's really loved Rhett all along. Rhett is no longer in love with her and plans to leave for Charleston. Scarlett asks him, "But if you go what'll I do"? As Rhett exits he says, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!". A distraught Scarlett comforts herself with thoughts of Tara, her source of strength, and says, "Tara ... Home ... I'll go home ... There must be some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day". Awards Nominated for Best Actor of 1939 - Clark Gable Nominated for Best Supporting Actress of 1939 - Olivia De Havilland Nominated for Best Score of 1939 - Max Steiner Nominated for Best Sound Recording of 1939 - Thomas T. Moulton Nominated for Best Special Effects of 1939 - John R. Cosgrove, Fred Albin, Arthur Johns Winner Best Picture of 1939 Winner Best Actress of 1939 - Vivien Leigh Winner Best Supporting Actress of 1939 - Hattie McDaniel Winner Best Director of 1939 - Victor Fleming Winner Best Screenplay of 1939 - Sidney Howard Winner Best Art Direction/Set Direction of 1939 - Lyle Wheeler Winner Best Color Cinematography of 1939 - Ernest Haller, Ray Rennahan Winner Best Film Editing of 1939 - Hal C. Kern, James E. Newcom Winner Honorary and Other Awards of 1939 - William Cameron Menzies Major credits Producer - David O. Selznick Director - Victor Fleming, George Cukor and others. The Heiress (1949) The Heiress (1949), based on Henry James' novel, Washington Square, and the Broadway play Augustus & Ruth Goetz is a masterpiece. Set around 1850, it's the story of a rather plain girl, Catherine Sloper, (Olivia de Havilland), and her father, Dr. Austin Sloper, (Ralph Richardson), a wealthy widowed doctor. Dr. Sloper never fails to remind Catherine that she in no way resembles her beautiful, poised, deceased mother. Catherine is shy and awkward. Encouraged by her aunt, Lavinia, (Miriam Hopkins), Catherine becomes unexpectedly acquainted with Morris Townsend (Montgomery Clift), a handsome fortune hunter. Catherine and Morris plan to elope, even though Dr. Sloper doesn't approve of the marriage and told his daughter cruelly that Morris only wants her for her money. When Catherine reveals to Morris that she'll only get $10,000/year without her father's approval and $30,000/year if he does approve the marriage, Morris fails to appear for the elopement. Catherine, devastated, finally stands up to her father, who passes away shortly thereafter leaving his fortune to Catherine, who lives somewhat reclusively for the next seven years until Aunt Lavinia reveals Morris is back in town. Morris visits and proposes another elopement which Catherine pretends to accept. When Morris arrives he beats at the door which Catherine orders bolted. She slowly goes up the stairs with a lighted lamp as he continues to plead with her through the locked door. Major Credits Produced and directed by William Wyler Academy Awards Nominated for Best Picture of 1949 Nominated for Best Supporting Actor of 1949 - Ralph Richardson Nominated for Best Director of 1949 - William Wyler Nominated for Best B & W Cinematography of 1949 - Leo Tover Won Best Actress of 1949 - Olivia de Havilland Won Best Art Direction/Set Direction of 1949 - John Meehan, Harry Horner, Emile Kuri Won Best B & W Costume Design of 1949 - Edith Head, Gile Steele Won Best Score of 1949 - Aaron Copland New York Film Critics Circle Award Won for Best Picture of 1949 Hold Back the Dawn (1941) Hold Back the Dawn (1941) begins with immigrant George Iscovesco, (Charles Boyer), appearing on a Paramount soundstage and telling his story to the film's director, Mitchell Leisen. Shown in flashbacks, it tells George's story. He was a gigolo desperate to leave Nazi-occupied Europe. He flees to Mexico and meets shy teacher Emmy Brown, (Olivia de Havilland). He plans to marry Emmy so he can enter the United States, then dump her for another woman. George must pay for his past behavior which leads to the film's conclusion. Major Credits Producer - Arthur Hornblow, Jr. Director - Mitchell Leisen Academy Awards Nominated for Best Picture of 1941 Nominated for Best Actress of 1941 - Olivia de Havilland Nominated for Best Art Direction of 1941 - Robert Usher, Hans Dreier Nominated for Best Cinematography of 1941 - Leo Tover Nominated for Best Original Screenplay of 1941 - Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett Nominated for Best Score of 1941 - Victor Young New York Film Critics Circle Award Nominated for Best Actress - Olivia de Havilland Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte (1964) Before the credits ever role, we're told the story of why the former Southern belle Charlotte is mentally unstable. She witnessed the dismemberment murder of her lover, John Mayhew, (Bruce Dern), and the suicide of the supposed murderer, her father, Big Sam, (Victor Buono). Years later Charlotte still lives in the run down mansion and is cared for by slovenly housekeeper, Velma, (Agnes Moorehead). When her house is to be demolished to make way for a highway project, she contacts her supposedly sweet cousin, Miriam (Olivia de Havilland), who had been raised with Charlotte after her parent's death. Miriam and Doctor Drew, (Joseph Cotten), appear to be helping Charlotte, but soon Charlotte is having awful visions of her lover's death and seems to be totally insane, but we soon discover the true villains and the truth about the death of John Mayhew among other things. Joan Crawford was supposed to have played Miriam, but didn't due to illness. Bette Davis suggested the role be played by Olivia and on the first day of shooting, they toasted Joan with glasses of Coca-Cola. (Joan was the widow of Pepsi CEO Alfred Steele.) Major Credits Producer and Director - Robert Aldrich Academy Awards Nominated for Best Supporting Actress of 1964 - Agnes Moorehead Nominated for Best Art Direction of 1964 - Raphael Bretton, William Glasgow Nominated for Best Cinematography of 1964 - Joseph Biroc Nominated for Best Costume Design of 1964 - Norma Koch Nominated for Best Editing of 1964 - Michael Luciano Nominated for Best Score of 1964 - Frank DeVol Nominated for Best Song of 1964 - Frank DeVol and Mac David The Snake Pit (1948) The Snake Pit (1948) stars Olivia as Virginia Stuart Cunningham who's erratic behavior necessitates her being confined to an overcrowded state mental institution where she is treated by kindly Dr. Mark Kik, (Leo Genn). The matrons and very disturbed inmates abuse the shy, soft spoken Virginia and she is constantly threatened with being thrown in the snake pit where some of the worst patients are permitted to wander around an open room. Her treatment and recovery are the focus of the film which was considered groundbreaking at the time of its release. Major Credits Producers - Anatole Litvak, Robert Bassler Director - Anatole Litvak Academy Awards Nominated for Best Picture of 1948 Nominated for Best Actress of 1948 - Olivia de Havilland Nominated for Best Director of 1948 - Anatole Litvak Nominated for Best Original Screenplay of 1948 - Frank Partos, Millen Brand Nominated for Best Score of 1948 - Alfred Newman Won for Best Sound of 1948 New York Film Critics Circle Award Nominated for Best Direction of 1948 - Anatole Litvak Nominated for Best Film of 1948 Venice Film Festival Nominated for Competing Film and International Prize of 1948 - Anatole Litvak To Each His Own (1946) To Each His Own (1946) marked Olivia de Havilland's return to films after a 3 year absence during her lawsuit with Warner Brothers and she won an Oscar for her role as Josephine (Jodi) Norris, a young woman who falls in love with a soldier, Capt. Bart Cosgrove, (John Lund), during World War I who impregnates her, but dies before they can marry. She intends to make it appear as if she is raising a war orphan, but her plans go awry and her son is adopted by a local couple, Alex and Corrine Pierson, (Phillip Terry and Mary Anderson). After her father's death she goes to New York and eventually becomes a CEO of a cosmetics company. She tries to buy back her son, but her plan doesn't work, the child doesn't love her. She throws herself into her work, opening a branch in London, where she runs into her now grown son, Gregory Pierson, (also John Lund), a military officer serving during World War II. A British friend, Lord Desham, (Ronald Culver), assists in reuniting mother and son. Major Credits Producer - Charles Brackett Director - Mitchell Leisen Academy Awards Won for Best Actress of 1946 - Olivia de Havilland Nominated for Best Original Screenplay of 1946 - Charles Brackett Support freedom Help support Meredy's Place by shopping here. 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