More actresses were considered for the role of Scarlett than actors for Rhett, but it was an important decision to make. Clark Gable seems right because he WAS in it, and always has been for me, but I wonder what would have happened if Rhett showed more emotion? Had a Southern accent? There are so many 'what would have happened IF' questions. I still love Clark Gable as Rhett, though! The right choice.
Even though the casting was supposed to have been done by Selznick, the decision for Clark Gable as Rhett was made by the public. But, since Gable was under contract to his father-in-law, Louis B. Mayer, who would ask a large price for the loan of Gable's services, Selznick tried to find another actor.
Flynn, granted, had the dashing good looks that were attributed to Rhett, and was available, but did not have the acting ability that would be needed for such a role. (Plus, have you ever heard about the scandals he created?? Our beloved Rhett could not be played by such a man!). Warner Bros offered Flynn and Bette Davis to Selznick for the roles of Rhett and Scarlett, but they wanted 25% of the gross and distribution rights, and Bette Davis refused to play opposite Flynn. He was out of the running.
A native of the South, like Rhett Butler, this actor had the South's support. Unfortunately for him, even his most devoted fans could not claim he had the sex appeal needed for the role. Rhett Butler had sex appeal OOZING from every page! Warner Baxter, too, was out of the running.
Cooper was under contract to Sam Goldwyn, and so Selznick approached Goldwyn. It would have been a good arrangement, since Goldwyn's United Artists distributed Selznick's films. But Goldwyn refused to loan Gary Cooper for the part. And the search went on . . .
Margaret Mitchell, although she refused to participate in the movie at all, did have one suggestion: she thought that Groucho Marx would be splendid in the role of Rhett Butler. (I have never seen this actor in anything, so I cannot say why he was not chosen, and my research does not reveal a reason. I guess he just wasn't what Selznick was looking for).
Rhett was perceived by some readers of the novel as something of a villain, and so these readers thought Basil Rathbone would be great for the role. Selznick remained unimpressed, since his British accent and menace would have been wrong for the part. But he still had supporters!
Selznick would have liked Gable, Cooper, or Flynn for the role (those were his first choices), but he still tested Ronald Colman. His British accent troubled Selznick, though, as well as his habit of hesitation, and so he was passed by while the search for Rhett Butler went on.
In A Star is Born, Selznick had cast March as the fading actor, and in this 'audition' of sorts, March had a good advantage -- he was a charming, clever actor and could very possibly play Rhett. But, since he was suspected to be a member of the Communist Party, he was struck from the list.
Clark Gable was relieved when Selznick turned to other actors for the role of Rhett Butler. He had doubts about the demands of the role, and that the millions who had read Gone With the Wind would have their own ideas about Rhett, and he would disappoint them. He was also nervous about the dramatic requirements -- he was more comfortable in roles that had little sensitivity and lots of action, and worked with directors who had the same masculine qualities. Gone With the Wind would require more of him than he had ever been required to deliver.
Selznick's choice of director also made Gable nervous about the role. George Cukor was a man of sensitivity and was known as a 'woman's director'. Gable felt that Cukor would focus on the female characters and let Rhett do his own thing.
Gable liked Victor Fleming as a director, who had directed him in Test Pilot. Fleming was a man after his own heart, who liked fast cars, horses, and women.
Another quality of GWTW troubled Gable. He had already done a costume drama in Parnell. He played an Irish revolutionary, and he wore costumes that were uncomfortably similar to those that he would be required to wear as Captain Rhett Butler.
The final reason why he would have refused to play the role of Rhett when it was offered was the most important to him. It was Carole Lombard. He had fallen in love with the comedienne and their affair was known throughout Hollywood. Gable wanted to divorce his second wife, Rita Langham Gable, but she did not and refused to grant it. She demanded $265,000 as a divorce settlement, which, to Gable, was a high price to pay. Mayer generously offered Gable a $100,000 bonus for playing the part of Rhett Butler, which would soften the blow of the divorce settlement. Gable agreed, reluctantly, and so he was stuck playing the most challenging role of his career.
Gable was soon free to marry Miss Lombard, and he wasted no time in doing so. The two drove out to Kingman, Arizona to be married, and Selznick generously granted the happy couple a two day honeymoon.
When Selznick had to go to Mayer's office to set a price for Gable's services, Mayer expected a lot. MGM would pay half of the film's budget, which was $2,500,000, and would supply the leading man, and would in turn receive half the profits of the film and full distribution rights. And this was Selznick's own father-in-law! So much for family loyalty. All's fair in love and the movie industry.