1976: 'Gone with the Wind' Makes its Broadcast TV Appearance
Today in 1976, the epic 1939 film Gone with the Wind made its broadcast television debut on NBC. The film — based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Margaret Mitchell — aired in two parts, with the second part broadcasting the following day. The David O. Selznick-produced classic starred Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara and Clark Gable as Rhett Butler.
At the time of its broadcast the Oscar-winning film earned a then-record household rating of 47.7 and a 65 share of TV viewers. (Its second-night numbers were 47.4/64, respectively.) The two-part presentation still holds the eighth and ninth positions on the list of Top 10 highest-rated primetime programs of all time.