WASHINGTON (AFP).- Rhett Butler may not give a damn, but fans of "Gone with the Wind" are more than happy to see the 1939 classic return to cinemas for its 75th anniversary.

Special screenings are scheduled at 650 theaters around the United States on Sunday and Wednesday, while Turner Classic Movies is releasing a commemorative DVD/BluRay version.

Based on the eponymous novel by Margaret Mitchell, "Gone with the Wind" -- starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable -- was seen for the first time in Atlanta, Georgia on December 15, 1939.

The love story of Scarlett O'Hara in the midst of the Civil War earned 10 Academy Awards, including the first ever given to an African-American, the actress Hattie McDaniel.

On the Box Office Mojo website, it's ranked as the most lucrative film of all time, earning $1.6 billion, adjusted for inflation, ahead of Star Wars at $1.45 billion.

At the University of Texas in Austin, the Harry Ransom Center, which houses the archives of legendary MGM producer David O. Selznick, is hosting an exhibition on the film until January 4.

It features elegant costumes worn by Leigh, who portrayed O'Hara, and pages from the original script which reveal how Clark's immortal line -- "frankly, my dear, I don't give damn" -- came close to being toned down.

Gable's hometown of Cadiz, Ohio, where his family home has become a museum, and neighboring New Philadelphia are meanwhile planning their own slate of events next weekend, including an auction of "Gone with the Wind" memorabilia.


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