Four Surviving Cast Members (Speaking Parts) Remain from "Gone With the Wind"

With the passing of Ann Rutherford at the age of 94, just four cast members with speaking parts are left from the all-time classic Hollywood epic Gone With the Wind (according to all available sources online).   As "Carreen O'Hara" she played the youngest sister of Scarlett, and is first seen at 14 minutes into the film. Here's her Associated Press obit.





The surviving actors are as follows:

Alicia Rhett (b. 2/1/15) as "India Wilkes."  She is the young daughter from the Twelve Oaks Plantation.  She can be seen at 18 minutes into the film (using the 4-disc Collector's Edition DVD version of the movie as a guide).



Olivia de Havilland (b. 7/1/16) as "Melanie Hamilton."  De Havilland was fourth billed and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Gone With the Wind.   She's first seen at 19 minutes into the film.



Mary Anderson (b. 4/30/20) as "Maybelle Merriwether." She is the first girl "auctioned" at the Atlanta bazaar (where Scarlett dances with Rhett). She can be seen at 43 minutes into the film.



Mickey Kuhn (b. 9/21/32) as "Beau Wilkes."  Playing Ashley and Melanie's son, he appears toward the very end of the film (216 minutes into the approximately 223 minute film [1 hour 48 min into DVD 2])


Among the non-speaking parts is cast member Patrick Curtis who appeared at a screening of GWTW at the Motion Picture Academy— he played Beau Wilkes as a baby (and was therefore born c. 1938-39). I was also informed by a poster in the comments of my last blog entry [thanks, Julia] that Greg Giese, who was born in 1939 and played infant Bonnie and infant Beau, is still alive.

Four Surviving Cast Members (Speaking Parts) Remain From "Gone With the Wind"

With the passing of Cammie King at the age of 76, just four cast members with speaking parts are left from the all-time classic Hollywood epic Gone With the Wind (according to all available sources online).  As "Bonnie Blue Butler," she was Scarlett and Rhett's daughter.  She first appears at 187 minutes into the film [1 hour 19 min into DVD 2] Cammie King obit at pressdemocrat.

Although in previous blog entries, I noted Mary Anderson as living (per her IMDb and Wikipedia pages), it seems less and less likely that she is alive.  No one is actually claiming she is and when genarians.com didn't list her on their comprehensive living people born in 1920 list, I decided to drop my own claim herein.)

The surviving actors are as follows:

Alicia Rhett (b. 2/1/15) as "India Wilkes."  She is the young daughter from the Twelve Oaks Plantation.  She can be seen at 18 minutes into the film (using the 4-disc Collector's Edition DVD version of the movie as a guide).



Olivia de Havilland (b. 7/1/16) as "Melanie Hamilton."  De Havilland was fourth billed and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Gone With the Wind.   She's first seen at 19 minutes into the film.



Ann Rutherford (b. 11/2/20) as "Carreen O'Hara."  She is the youngest sister of Scarlett.  She is first seen at 14 minutes into the film.




Mickey Kuhn (b. 9/21/32) as "Beau Wilkes."  Playing Ashley and Melanie's son, he appears toward the very end of the film (216 minutes into the approximately 223 minute film [1 hour 48 min into DVD 2])


Among the non-speaking parts is cast member Patrick Curtis who appeared at a screening of GWTW at the Motion Picture Academy last year— he played Beau Wilkes as a baby (and was therefore born c. 1938-39).

Living Munchkins of Oz

With the recent death of Meinhardt Raabe, who played the 'Coroner' of Munchkinland in The Wizard of Oz, there are but five "little people" alive who played Munchkins. What's often overlooked is the fact that about nine children (all girls) were hired for "fill" in the background in Munchkinland as well, most of whom are living. Photo right shows the Munchkins [Jerry Maren holds up lollipop] at the unveiling of their "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.


Stephen Cox's terrific book The Munchkins of Oz, profiles the little people who played Munchkins [and chronicles the 122 verified players in a handy appendix], and also notes three of the child actresses who appeared. Wikipedia (believe it or not) has a fuller list of the child actors.









Here's the current list of living Munchkins:

Little people (5):
Ruth (Robinson) Duccini (b. 1918)
Jerry Maren (b. 1920)
Olga C. Nardone (b. 1919)
Margaret (Williams) Pellegrini (b. 1923)
Karl (Kosiczky) Strover (b. 1918)

Child actors (8):
Betty Ann (Bruno) Cain (born c. 1931) [profiled in the Cox book]
Ardith Dondanville (born c. 1930)
Joan (Bernhoft) Kenmore [profiled in the Cox book]
Shirley Ann Kennedy
Eva Lee Kuney (b. 1934)
Patsy May (b. 1934)
Priscilla Montgomery (born c. 1929)
Valerie Shepard (child actress)

As far as I know, the only one of the child actresses who has passed is Viola (Banks) White [profiled in the Cox book, where her death date is listed as 1/8/00]

"Oz Munchkin" Mickey Carroll Dies, Leaving Six Actors Left from "The Wizard of Oz"

Seven of the nine surviving Munchins from The Wizard of Oz were presented with the 2,352nd Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in November 2007. Present were Mickey Carroll, Ruth Duccini, Jerry Maren (holding lollipop in photo, as he was one of the "Lollipop Guild" in the movie), Margaret Pellegrini, Meinhardt Raabe, Karl Slover and Clarence Swensen. Since then, Clarence Swensen has passed (on February 25, 2009) and now Mickey Carroll (1919-2009); as well as non-attendee Lewis Croft (who died on April 29, 2008). I went to the joyous unveiling of the star and covered it in my blog entry of November 20, 2007.

This leaves just six remaining "Munchkins" alive from the film: Ruth Duccini (b. 1918), Jerry Maren (b. 1920), Olga C. Nardone (b. 1919?), Margaret Pellegrini (b. 1923), Meinhardt Raabe (b. 1915), and Karl Slover (b. 1918). The sole reason why we know the complete list of "Munchkin" actors is due to the enormous efforts of author/researcher Stephen Cox, whose book The Munchkins of Oz (now in its third edition but originally published in 1989), set the record straight on the credits for the little people who were merely credited as "The Munchkins" in the movie. Had Cox not done the research in 1988-89, sifting through the call sheets and false claims, such an effort would have been impossible today.

Six Surviving Cast Members Remain From "Gone With the Wind"

With the passing of Fred Crane at the age of 90, a total of six cast members with speaking parts are left from the all-time classic Hollywood epic Gone With the Wind (according to all available sources online). As "Stuart Tarleton," one of Scarlett's suitors, Crane appears in the movie's very first scene. Following his work on Gone With the Wind and his service during WWII, Crane picked up his career in radio and later television; and then for several decades was a Program Director at Los Angeles classical radio station KFAC. L.A. Times obit. Interview with Fred Crane at glasshousepresents.com.


The surviving actors are as follows:

Alicia Rhett (b. 2/1/15) as "India Wilkes." She is the young daughter from the Twelve Oaks Plantation. She can be seen at 18 minutes into the film (using the 4-disc Collector's Edition DVD version of the movie as a guide).



Olivia de Havilland (b. 7/1/16) as "Melanie Hamilton." De Havilland was fourth billed and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Gone With the Wind. She's first seen at 19 minutes into the film.



Mary Anderson (b. 4/30/20) as "Maybelle Merriwether." She is the first girl "auctioned" at the Atlanta bazaar (where Scarlett dances with Rhett). She can be seen at 43 minutes into the film. P.S. This link certainly raises an eyebrow.



Ann Rutherford (b. 11/2/20) as "Carreen O'Hara." She is the youngest sister of Scarlett. She is first seen at 14 minutes into the film.




Mickey Kuhn (b. 9/21/32) as "Beau Wilkes." Playing Ashley and Melanie's son, he appears toward the very end of the film (216 minutes into the approximately 223 minute film [1 hour 48 min into DVD 2])

Cammie King (b. 8/5/34) as "Bonnie Blue Butler." She plays Scarlett and Rhett's daughter. She first appears at 187 minutes into the film [1 hour 19 min into DVD 2]

UPDATE: September 1, 2010 blog entry: passing of Cammie King

Seven Surviving Cast Members Remain From "Gone With the Wind"

With the passing of Evelyn Keyes (memorable in Here Comes Mr. Jordan— 1941) at the age of 91, a total of seven cast members with speaking parts are left from the all-time classic Hollywood epic Gone With the Wind (according to all available sources online).

UPDATE: September 1, 2010 blog entry: passing of Cammie King

former update: UPDATE: August 22, 2008 blog entry: passing of Fred Crane.




The surviving actors are as follows:

Alicia Rhett (b. 2/1/15) as "India Wilkes." She is the young daughter from the Twelve Oaks Plantation. She can be seen at 18 minutes into the film (using the 4-disc Collector's Edition DVD version of the movie as a guide).



Olivia de Havilland (b. 7/1/16) as "Melanie Hamilton." De Havilland was fourth billed and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Gone With the Wind. She's first seen at 19 minutes into the film.



Fred Crane (b. 3/22/18) as "Stuart Tarleton." As one of Scarlett's suitors, he appears in the movie's very first scene (at a little under 7 minutes into the film, following the overture and opening credits).





Mary Anderson (b. 4/30/20) as "Maybelle Merriwether." She is the first girl "auctioned" at the Atlanta bazaar (where Scarlett dances with Rhett). She can be seen at 43 minutes into the film. P.S. This link certainly raises an eyebrow.



Ann Rutherford (b. 11/2/20) as "Carreen O'Hara." She is the youngest sister of Scarlett. She is first seen at 14 minutes into the film.




Mickey Kuhn (b. 9/21/32) as "Beau Wilkes." Playing Ashley and Melanie's son, he appears toward the very end of the film (216 minutes into the approximately 223 minute film [1 hour 48 min into DVD 2])

Cammie King (b. 8/5/34) as "Bonnie Blue Butler." She plays Scarlett and Rhett's daughter. She first appears at 187 minutes into the film [1 hour 19 min into DVD 2]

UPDATE: August 22, 2008 blog entry: passing of Fred Crane.

UPDATE: September 1, 2010 blog entry: passing of Cammie King.

And Then There Was One: Madeleine LeBeau Is Last Living "Casablanca" Cast Member

Joy Page has passed at the age of 83. She has long been one of the last living cast members of Casablanca. She played the young Bulgarian newlywed who Rick helps get the money she needs to escape the city without having to resort to Captain Renault's usual "price."

With her passing, just Madeleine LeBeau remains— she played Yvonne in the film (most memorably she sings "La Marseillaise" with the crowd at Rick's Cafe: shouting "Vive La France" at the end).

Sonny Bupp, Last Living Cast Member of "Citizen Kane," Dies at Age 79

Child actor Sonny Bupp (in photo below with Ruth Warrick), who played the son of Charles Foster Kane, died on November 1, 2007 (exactly 66 years and 6 months after Citizen Kane's premiere on May 1, 1941). Bupp appeared in small roles in several Hollywood classics including San Francisco (1936), Lost Horizon (1937), Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940), Sergeant York (1941), and The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941). He was the last of the cast or the crew known to be alive from Citizen Kane.



Click here for short obituary, wikipedia entry, and imdb entry on Bupp.