"It may be that the meek shall inherit the earth, but certainly not in the area of Hollywood, California and certainly not in the circle of Hollywood actresses. A fine example of this rule of thumb may be found in the career of Olivia de Havilland who achieved her success by a dogged determination that was well concealed behind her soft brown eyes." (p. 39 of my resource material - biblio at bottom)
Olivia worked at Warner Brothers in the early thirties. She found what appeared at first to be an enviable position for a young actress -- she was cast opposite a handsome new star named Errol Flynn repeatedly.
The first film was Captain Blood, and then she was Maid Marian to Flynn's dashing Robin Hood. But soon, Olivia realized that while Flynn's career skyrocketed, her's was at a standstill.
Olivia had only to look demure in the wake of Errol Flynn. "Indeed, she proved so skillful at simulated sweet submission that she was cast as the doe-eyed darling for a whole succession of Warner's male stars. Her sweetness was enough to decay the teeth at twenty paces. It was a littile much for the assertive, ambitious actress to bear." (p.39)
Olivia's contract stated that she had to appear in all films that she was assigned. If she refused, she could be suspended without pay.
"Loan-outs were rare at Warner Bros., and brother Jack felt it was a form of subversion second only to espionage to refuse an assignment. / That was the state of Olivia de Havilland's career when David Oliver Selznick began to cast the major roles in Gone With the Wind."(p. 39)
When Olivia's sister, Joan Fontaine, suggested to George Cukor that he read Olivia for the role of Melanie, Olivia realized that Jack Warner would be a barrier to the part. So, Olivia kept her visit to Cukor's office a secret. Once she had read the part to his satisfaction, the trip to David Selznick's hilltop home was "even more clandestine" (p. 39).
"Cukor had chosen a scene for Olivia to read that he felt would display her ability to its best advantage. Unfortunately, it was a scene between Melanie and Scarlett, and at the secret meeting there was no one present with whom Olivia could play the scene. Undaunted, director Cukor played Scarlett to Olivia's Melanie. Cukor gave an inspired performance as the emotional vixen, as Olivia struggled to suppress her laughter. She gave a moving performance and Selznick decided on the spot that Olivia was his Melanie." (p. 41)
Jack Warner, who held her contract with an iron fist, was not likely to let her play the role. When Selznick brought the matter to his attention, his answer was a "deafening" NO! He feared that once Olivia had worked for another company she would not be willing to return to his studio.
"Olivia saw that though it was the limpid loveliness of Melanie that had gotten her the part, it would take the tempered steel of Scarlett to get her the release. She determined to go over the boss's head. She went to his wife."
Olivia had met Mrs. Warner at a party once, but they were hardly intimates. Mrs Warner, though, was a former actress herself and may sympathize with Olivia's problem. The women met at the Brown Derby for tea. Mrs Warner persuaded her husband to grant Olivia temporary freedom from her contract.
Warner's price: the loan of newcomer Jimmy Stewart from Selznick for an upcoming Warner Brothers' film, No Time for Comedy.
"Warner foresaw that Olivia would be an unwilling captive of the back lot once she had tasted freedom. But he never could have dreamed that she would become the front-runner of rebellion on the Warner lot, that she would defy the studio in a landmark case that dragged Warners through the California courts and finally brought it to its knees." (p. 42)
WAY TO GO, MELLY! (I mean Olivia).