Evening star., 1940-01-27
Rebel YeIIs Echo on F Street
In March on g. w. 7. w.
Celebrities Turn Out En- Musse to See
Capital Premiere of Mitchell Epic

Washington, scene of the most
crucial Civil War battles" since
the Civil War. had new and fiery
fuel to add to the post mortem flame
today-the citys premiere of Gone
With the Wind" with trimmings.
Sherman's epoala1 march through
Georgia had miniature counter
part last night in the rebel" march
through F street-a bowling parade
from the Willard Hotel to the Palace
Theater to hiss the general-in-spirit
in Hollywood's version of the Mar
garet Mitchell historical novel.
The Union general a la celluloid
was defenseless. He was outnum-
bered by an army of yelling rebels" !"
clad in evening gowns and white
ties and tails, who set off the
premiere with bang.
Preceded by Mint Juleps.
Planners of the march were men,
bers Of the Southern Bachelors Co.
tillion of Washington, who gathered
at the Willard with scores of guests
for an old-time mint julep recep-
ton before attending the premiere
Gen. Julius Franklin Howell, 94-
year-old commander in chief of the
United Confederate Veterans, was
there. So was Gen. Peter P. Smith,
95, District resident, who fought
under the colors of the South.
The two generals, in their Con-
federate uniforms, led the F street
march, sitting erect in a horse
drawn Victoria. Holding the reins
was a colored driver, topped with a
high silker reminiscent of the old
South
Flanking the carriage were five
young "rebels" garbed in Confed-
crate uniforms Confederate flags
were held high with the national
| emblem. National Guardsmen help
ed lead the way and along behind
came the formally attired mob wav-
ing small Confederate flags and
shouting 'yipees" and "whoopies, "
which duplicated the yells of Miss
Mitchells fiction characters as they
left their homes to fight the Yam
KEGS"
Traffic Yields to "Rebels."
Scores of policemen lined the 1900
block of F street to keep order
among spectators who crowded the
curbS and held up traffic for the
rebel fling.
BY the time the Gone With the
Wind marchers reached the the
ater tie floodlighted entrance was
a madhouse.
Lesser lights in their best bibs
and fuckers jammed through police
lines elbow to elbow with Washing
tons celebrities-high Government
officials, diplomats and members of
Congress-and when Olivia de Hav-
illand, one of the stars of the show,
arrived the mob closed in. The
smiling star was suddenly f1anked
on all sides by protectors -four
and five deep. She finally made the
grade, thanks to a police squadron.
News photographers, swapping
dignitaries as they stepped from
limousines. and radio announcers,
interviewing the first nighters, were
pushed and showed in the mob.
Borahs' Seats Empty.
Photographers missed j. Edgar
Hoover, chief of the Federal Bureau
OF Investigation, and dozens of other
personages who slipped through the
throng virtually unnoticed.
MY, isn't that a pretty coat?"
was the way the bystanders &C
cepted Actress Grace Bradley and
"Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd. Mr.. and
Mrs. Joe Cronin got little more than
a nod, as did Tom Corcoran and
Ben Cohen
BY the time the curtains rolled
back for the introduction to the
evenings piece de resistance, vir-
tually all of the 2,40O seats were
filled. At least two remained empty
throughout the spectacle, however.
Those were the ones reserved for
the late Senator Borah and Mrs.
Borah.
| AAoo VIC 11dN1AldllO SOI d1lOCllcT IC.
ception after the premiere had off,
cially opened. bowing from a box
amid din of applause a few min
utes before the four-hour picture
started unreeling.
Sherman got his, too, a spon-
taneous emission of Kisses, when his
name was flashed on the screen
with the flames consuming Atlanta
in the technicolored background.
George Sees it Again.
Gen. Howell "got real kick" out
of the show from his front box. Gen
Smith retreated in good order
shortly after the parade out front
ended. He saw the complete pic
ture as one of the honor guests at
New York's premiere recently.
A second helping of &c. w. T. W.
fell the lot of Senator George o1
Georgia. He attended the worlc
premiere of the picture in Atlanta
and sat through the entire show.
ing again last highland what'