Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
A showing of Gone With the Wind draws 150, some whose ancestors fought in the Civil War.
By SUSAN THURSTON, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 13, 2002
TAMPA -- Laura Sharpe Brock takes pride in her Southern heritage. She hangs a Confederate flag inside her St. Petersburg home and has watched Gone With the Wind more than 25 times.
She says the movie gives a true picture of the South and reminds her of her grandfather's plantation in Lexington, Miss.
It never gets old.
"It's like chocolate fudge cake," said the 64-year-old Brock, who speaks with a distinctive Southern drawl. "It's comfort food."
Brock was among about 150 people who attended a showing Friday of Gone With the Wind at Channelside Cinemas. It was part of the first Southern Cultural Festival, and attracted several fans who dressed like Scarlett O'Hara, Rhett Butler or members of the Confederate army.
"I'm all Southern," said Betty Walker, 64, of Thonotosassa, who came with a group of women to watch the film. "I love pinto beans, fried potatoes and corn bread."
Bart Siegel organized the festival to raise awareness of the South and dispel notions about slavery.
"I'm not defending slavery . . . but it didn't start in the South. There were slaves in the North," said Siegel, who lived in New Jersey before moving to Tampa. "If everyone would learn the truth, no one would point fingers."
The movie drew Southerners from across the Tampa Bay area, including some whose ancestors fought in the Civil War. Not surprisingly, women dominated the crowd. A few men said they came out of duty.
"My wife made me," said Ronnie White, 43, of Dover. "I've seen bits and pieces, but I've never seen the whole thing."
The movie premiered in 1939 and stars British actress Vivien Leigh as Scarlett and Clark Gable as Rhett. Based on a book by Margaret Mitchell, the film tells the story of a wealthy Southern family and the realities of war.
"How many other movies do you know that have the same notoriety after 63 years?" asked Faye Belle, curator of the Gone With the Wind Memories Museum in Cypress Gardens.
She gave a history of the film before the showing. She said it's not just a love story, but a tale of survival.
The festival continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today with music, food and artwork.
A dinner is set for 7 p.m. at Centro Asturiano. The event concludes at 1:30 p.m. Sunday with a bus tour of historic war sites in Tampa.
For information, call 831-3849 or 839-5153.